Photograph of Big Youth performing at Reggae Sunsplash: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A color photograph of Big Youth performing at Reggae Sunsplash at Jarrett Park.

The photograph contains two images. There is a black line down the center, separating both rectangular images. Big Youth is wearing a read knit cap, a red t-shirt, a silver chain necklace, several rings on his proper left hand, a watch on his proper left wrist, and a bracelet on his proper right wrist. He has a thick black beard and mustache, as well as jewels on several of his top teeth. In the proper right image his is holding a microphone up to his mouth with his proper left hand. Two of his fingers are sticking up and he is holding the chord with his right hand. In the left image his hands are down and he is smiling. The background is out of focus in both images.

There is a think black border around the images with a white border around that. The white border is thinner on the two sides and thicker on the top and bottom. The back of the photograph has two Kodak logos repeated in gold. There is an inscription on the bottom left side, handwritten by Bill Adler.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: ca. 1979
• Photograph by: Adrian Boot, British, born 1947
• Subject of: Big Youth, Jamaican, born 1949
• Subject of: Reggae Sunsplash, Jamaican, founded 1978
• Type: chromogenic color prints
• Medium: dye and photographic gelatin on photographic paper
• Dimensions: H x W (Sheet): 11 × 14 1/16 in. (27.9 × 35.7 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (Overall Image): 9 3/4 × 13 9/16 in. (24.7 × 34.5 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (Left Image): 9 3/4 × 6 13/16 in. (24.7 × 17.3 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (Right Image): 9 3/4 × 6 13/16 in. (24.7 × 17.3 cm)
• Place depicted: Montego Bay, Cornwall County, Jamaica, Caribbean, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Musicians
• Topic: Photography
• Topic: Reggae (Music)
• Object number: 2015.132.156
• 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: © Adrian Boot Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.