Photograph of Jim Europe's 369th Infantry Harlem Hellfighters Brass Band: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A black-and-white photograph of the famous 369th infantry's brass band performing at the American Red Cross Hospital Number 5, in Paris, France. The band is performing outdoors, seated in chairs arranged in a half circle around leader Jim Europe. An audience of other soldiers are scattered throughout the image, some lounge on the grass in the foreground and others stand behind the band in the background.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: ca. 1918
• Created by: Harry C. Ellis, American, 1857 - ca. 1928
• Subject of: James Reese Europe, American, 1881 - 1919
• Subject of: 369th Infantry Regiment, American, 1913 - 1945
• Subject of: American Red Cross, American, founded 1881
• Type: gelatin silver prints
• Medium: silver and photographic gelatin on photographic paper
• Dimensions: H x W: 4 9/16 x 6 13/16 in. (11.6 x 17.3 cm)
• Place captured: Paris, Île-de-France, France, Europe
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Band (Music)
• Topic: Jazz (Music)
• Topic: Latin jazz (Music)
• Topic: Marching bands (Music)
• Topic: Military
• Topic: Photography
• Topic: Ragtime (Music)
• Object number: 2011.57.39
• 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 displayed image also has an explicit CC0 designation. The underlying object's rights statement is: Public domain Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.