Photograph of Disc Jockey Bill “Hawk” Hawkins with a WSRS microphone: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A black-and-white photograph of Disc Jockey Bill “Hawk” Hawkins. Hawkins is depicted holding a microphone mounted on a stand. He is facing the viewer and smiling. He is holding the microphone stand with his proper right hand and leaning towards the microphone, which is slightly tilted. His proper left hand is raised to shoulder height and his thumb, index finger, and middle finger are slightly extended. He is wearing a medium-toned suit, white collared shirt, a polka dot bow tie, and has a white pocket square in his left breast pocket. At the top of the microphone is a rounded microphone flag with the radio station call sign, [WSRS], visible. The acoustic wall panel behind Hawkins is white and has three bands of small perforations along the top half. The photograph has a white border and a portrait orientation. The back of the photograph is white and plain with a small, red ink [+] printed in the bottom right corner.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1948-1958
• Photograph by: Unidentified
• Subject of: Bill Hawkins, American, 1909 - 1975
• Subject of: WSRS, American, founded 1947
• Type: gelatin silver prints
• Type: portraits
• Medium: silver and photographic gelatin on photographic paper
• Dimensions: H x W (Sheet): 5 × 4 1/16 in. (12.7 × 10.3 cm)
• Place captured: Cleveland, Cayuhoga County, Ohio, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Music
• Topic: Photography
• Topic: Radio
• Object number: 2018.91.2.2
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of W. Allen Taylor, son of "Walkin' Talkin' Bill Hawkins," The First Black Disc Jockey of Cleveland, Ohio
• 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.