Photograph of Count Basie: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A silver gelatin print depicting a black-and-white image of Count Basie against a light colored background. He is depicted in three quarters profile, from the chest up, with his face turned towards the viewer. He has short hair that has been smoothed back from his face, a small mustache, and is wearing a slight smile. He is wearing a tuxedo with a black bow tie. The photographer's mark is printed in the negative in the bottom right corner, [Calvert / Chicago]. There are no inscriptions on the front or back of the photograph.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: ca. 1942
• Photograph by: Calvert Studio, American
• Subject of: Count Basie, American, 1904 - 1984
• Type: gelatin silver prints
• Type: portraits
• Medium: silver and photographic gelatin on photographic paper
• Dimensions: H x W (Image): 4 7/16 × 3 1/2 in. (11.3 × 8.9 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (Sheet): 4 15/16 × 4 1/16 in. (12.6 × 10.3 cm)
• Place made: Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Conductors (Musicians)
• Topic: Instrumentalists (Musicians)
• Topic: Jazz (Music)
• Topic: Photography
• Object number: 2013.46.25.65
• 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.