Photograph of Ivie Anderson: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A silver gelatin print depicting a black-and-white image of Ivie Anderson. Anderson is depicted from the shoulders up, against a white background. She is depicted in profile, at a diagonal angle. Her head turned towards the viewer but she is looking towards the upper right side of the image. Anderson is wearing a sleeveless, white garment with a ruffled collar and a dark bow tie. Her hair is pulled back. The photographer's mark, printed in the negative, in the bottom left corner reads, [Maurice / CHICAGO]. In the bottom left corner of the image is a handwritten inscription in black ink that reads, [Sally – Best Always / Ivie]. There are also additional pencil notations written on the back of the photograph.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1936
• Photograph by: Maurice Seymour Studio, American, founded 1929
• Subject of: Ivie Anderson, American, 1905 - 1949
• Type: gelatin silver prints
• Type: portraits
• Medium: silver and photographic gelatin on photographic paper
• Dimensions: H x W (Image): 9 3/8 × 7 1/2 in. (23.8 × 19 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (Sheet): 9 15/16 × 7 15/16 in. (25.2 × 20.2 cm)
• Place made: Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Jazz (Music)
• Topic: Photography
• Topic: Singers (Musicians)
• Object number: 2013.46.25.179
• 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.