Photograph of a woman: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A silver gelatin print depicting a black-and-white image of a woman. The woman is depicted in full length, with her body turned towards the left side of the image, her head turned towards the viewer, she is smiling, and she has her hands in her coat pockets. She is wearing a medium toned, ankle length, crochet dress with a belt at the waist. Over the dress, she is wearing a collared, light colored coat. She is also wearing a light colored, wide brimmed hat, perched on the proper right side of her head. In the right foreground is the back of a wooden chair and two tables covered in gingham tablecloths. In the background is a booth below two framed pictures. The floor is covered in black and white tiles in a diamond pattern. The photographer's mark, printed in the negative, in the center of the photograph reads, [H. BatteLLe / N.Y.C.]. Over the woman’s coat is a handwritten inscription in black ink that reads, [proof]. In the center of the top edge of the photograph is a second inscription in black ink that reads, [P[?] # 2]. There are no inscriptions on the back of the photograph.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: ca. 1937
• Photograph by: Hughey J. Battelle
• Subject of: Unidentified Woman or Women
• Type: gelatin silver prints
• Type: portraits
• Medium: silver and photographic gelatin on photographic paper
• Dimensions: H x W (Image): 9 1/16 × 7 1/16 in. (23 × 17.9 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (Sheet): 9 15/16 × 7 15/16 in. (25.2 × 20.1 cm)
• Place made: New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Jazz (Music)
• Topic: Nightlife
• Topic: Photography
• Object number: 2013.46.25.174
• 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.