Letter to Mary Church Terrell from Joseph Douglass: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

Letter to Mrs. Terrell from Joseph H. Douglass, grandson of Frederick Douglass, dated May 31, 1911. Single page written on Douglass' personal stationary. Black ink on tan paper. Letter head at the top reads [JOSEPH H. DOUGLASS / Solo Violinist / ENGAGEMENTS ACCEPTED / FOR RECITALS / CONCERTS AND CHURCH / SERVICES / NOW TOURING AMERICA]. Along the left side of the page is a text box containing five quotes from newspapers titled [PRESS COMMENTS]. The handwritten letter reads [1644 Fla. ave N. W. / Wash. D.C. May 31st 1911 / My dear Mrs Terrell: / Replying to your esteemed / favor just received, will say / that it is my pleasure to / accept the invitation to the present / and render a violin selection / on the occasion of the one hun- / dredth anniversary of Harriet / Beecher Stowe. / I thank you for the oppor- / tunity and honor which enables / me to add my little mite / in the celebration of that noble / woman's birth as well as to appear / before such a body of honored women. / I am proud of the fact that / among those mentioned in your / letter, none will be more represen- / tative or distinguished among the / speakers of the meeting than your / honored self. / Yours most sincerely / Joseph H. Douglass / (P.S. / I have carefully / noted the date June 14")]

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: May 31, 1911
• Written by: Joseph Henry Douglass, American, 1871 - 1935
• Received by: Mary Church Terrell, American, 1863 - 1954
• Subject of: Harriet Beecher Stowe, American, 1811 - 1896
• Subject of: National Association of Colored Women's Clubs, American, founded 1896
• Type: letters (correspondence)
• Medium: ink on paper (fiber product)
• Dimensions: H x W: 11 × 8 3/8 in. (27.9 × 21.3 cm)
• Place made: Washington, District of Columbia, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Associations and institutions
• Topic: Classical (Music)
• Topic: Instrumentalists (Musicians)
• Topic: Political organizations
• Topic: Social reform
• Topic: Women
• Topic: Women's organizations
• Object number: 2013.46.22
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The displayed image also has an explicit CC0 designation. The underlying object's rights statement is: Public domain Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.