Photograph of Lee Simmons seated at a typewriter: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A silver gelatin print depicting a black-and-white image of Lee Simmons. Simmons is depicted seated at a small wooden desk with a typewriter. She is looking over her proper left shoulder towards the viewer, with her proper left elbow resting on the back of the chair, and her proper right arm resting on the desk in front of her, next to the typewriter. She is wearing a white, short sleeve, collared dress with a matching belt at the waist. On the desk, next to the typewriter, is an ashtray and a small stack of books. There are additional books and paper stacks on the two (2) shelves below. In the foreground is the edge of a bed. Behind the desk is a large window with drawn drapes and lowered blinds. On the far right is a four (4) drawer bureau with three (3) perfume bottles resting on top. There are no inscriptions on the front or back of the photograph.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1937
• Photograph by: Hughey J. Battelle
• Subject of: Lee Simmons
• Created by: Alice Key, American, 1911 - 2010
• Type: gelatin silver prints
• Type: portraits
• Medium: silver and photographic gelatin on photographic paper
• Dimensions: H x W (Image): 4 7/16 × 6 1/2 in. (11.3 × 16.5 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (Sheet): 4 7/8 × 6 7/8 in. (12.4 × 17.5 cm)
• Place made: New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Business
• Topic: Instrumentalists (Musicians)
• Topic: Photography
• Topic: Singers (Musicians)
• Object number: 2013.46.25.197
• 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.