Photograph of Black Sheep, NYC, 1991: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A black and white photograph of Black Sheep, Dres and Mista Lawnge.

Dres is on the proper right side. He is wearing a multicolored sweater and a plaid cap. He has a mustache. He is leaning forward and his proper right hand is covering the proper right side of the image and it is out of focus. Mista Lawnge is on the proper left side of the image. He is wearing a black shirt with a white drawing, a sideways black baseball cap, and a diamond earring in his left ear. He has a mustache and long sideburns. He is standing ups straight.

There is a white border around the image. It is thinner on the top and bottom and thicker on the two sides. There is a yellowing tear at the top from where a piece of tape used to be. The back of the photograph has light grey text repeated diagonal lines facing the left side of the paper. There are tears on the top and on the sides from where tape used to be. There are two yellow post-it notes on the top, one on either side. There is an inscription by Bill Adler handwritten vertically down the left side in blue ink.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1991
• Photograph by: Michael Benabib, American, born 1962
• Subject of: Black Sheep, American, founded 1989
• Subject of: Dres, American, born 1967
• Subject of: Mista Lawnge, American
• Type: portraits
• Type: inkjet prints
• Medium: ink on paper
• Dimensions: H x W (Sheet): 11 × 17 in. (27.9 × 43.2 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (Image): 9 1/8 × 13 in. (23.2 × 33 cm)
• Place captured: New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Gesture
• Topic: Hip-hop (Music)
• Topic: Musicians
• Topic: Photography
• Topic: Rappers (Musicians)
• Object number: 2015.132.73
• 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: © Michael Benabib Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.