Photograph of Sylvia Robinson at her desk, Sugar Hill Records, Englewood, NJ: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A black-and-white photograph of Sylvia Robinson at her desk at Sugar Hill Records in Englewood, New Jersey. Robinson stands behind the desk, holding the phone up to her ear and with a pen or pencil held up to her mouth. The desk in front of her is covered in papers and office equipment. Behind her, light filters through checked curtains. An inscription on the verso identifies the subject, date, and location along with a copyright notice and the photographer's signature.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1982; printed 2004
• Photograph by: Val Wilmer, British
• Subject of: Sylvia Robinson, American, 1936 - 2011
• Subject of: Sugar Hill Records, American, 1979 - late 1980s
• Type: gelatin silver prints
• Medium: silver and photographic gelatin on photographic paper
• Dimensions: H x W (Sheet): 16 × 20 in. (40.6 × 50.8 cm)
• Place captured: Englewood, Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Business
• Topic: Communication
• Topic: Hip-hop (Music)
• Topic: Musicians
• Topic: Photography
• Topic: Women
• Object number: 2015.132.428
• 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: © Val Wilmer Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.