Photograph of a small party of people at Small's Paradise in Harlem: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A silver gelatin print depicting a black-and-white image of a small party of men and women at Small's Paradise in Harlem, New York. Five (5) women and four (4) men are depicted seated and standing behind a dinner table covered with a white tablecloth. The table is covered with bottles, glasses, flowers, and a white cake topped with lit candles. The woman seated at the center of the table is holding a knife and cutting into the cake. The wall behind group features a mural with illustrated foliage and a large bird. A waiter pours champagne on the left side of the image. White text in the negative at the bottom left corner reads [SMALL'S PARADISE / HARLEM - NEW YORK]. There is an inscription in pencil and two stamp marks in black ink on the back of the image.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: after 1925
• Photograph by: Leslie E. Bigham
• Subject of: Unidentified Man or Men
• Subject of: Unidentified Woman or Women
• Subject of: Small's Paradise, American, founded 1925
• Type: gelatin silver prints
• Type: portraits
• Medium: silver and photographic gelatin or photographic paper
• Dimensions: H x W (Image): 6 15/16 × 9 1/2 in. (17.6 × 24.1 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (Sheet): 7 15/16 × 9 15/16 in. (20.2 × 25.2 cm)
• Place printed: New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
• Place depicted: New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Jazz (Music)
• Topic: Nightlife
• Topic: Photography
• Topic: Social life and customs
• Object number: 2013.46.25.21
• 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 underlying object's rights statement is: Unknown - Restrictions Possible Rights assessment and proper usage is the responsibility of the user.