Photograph of Paul Brown: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A silver gelatin print depicting a black-and-white image of Paul Brown. Brown is depicted in full length, on a wooden stage at the Ubangi Club. He is standing with his proper left foot and shoulder forward, his head turned towards the viewer, and his hands in this pockets. He is wearing a medium toned overcoat with the collar flipped up, black pants, a patterned scarf, and a dark colored Stetson hat with a dark band around the crown. The hat is slightly tilted on his head. On the stage behind him is a set featuring a facade of close-set buildings. Over the bottom of the subject’s coat is a handwritten inscription in black ink that reads, [proof]. In the center of the top border of the photograph is a second inscription in black ink that reads, [#-2]. There are no inscriptions on the back of the photograph.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1937
• Photograph by: Hughey J. Battelle
• Subject of: Paul Brown
• Subject of: Ubangi Club, American, 1934 - 1944
• Type: gelatin silver prints
• Type: portraits
• Medium: silver and photographic gelatin on photographic paper
• Dimensions: H x W (Image): 9 1/16 × 7 1/16 in. (23 × 17.9 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (Sheet): 9 15/16 × 7 15/16 in. (25.2 × 20.1 cm)
• Place captured: New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Dance
• Topic: Nightlife
• Topic: Photography
• Topic: Singers (Musicians)
• Object number: 2013.46.25.168
• 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.