Photograph of Velma Middleton: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A silver gelatin print depicting a black-and-white image of Velma Middleton. Middleton is depicted wearing a white shirt with ruffled collar and button-front sleeveless dress. A metal brooch is pinned over her proper left shoulder, next to letters embroidered on the shoulder of the dress. She is holding a piece of paper in her proper right hand, and her proper left hand dangles by her side. She has a small watch is on her proper left wrist. Middleton has signed the front of the image in blue ink in the bottom right corner: [Love to / My Sis. / I'se A Muggin / Velma]. There are no inscriptions on the back of the image.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: ca. 1942
• Photograph by: Unidentified
• Subject of: Velma Middleton, American, 1917 - 1961
• Type: gelatin silver prints
• Type: portraits
• Medium: silver and photographic gelatin on photographic paper
• Dimensions: H x W (Image): 9 1/4 × 7 3/8 in. (23.5 × 18.7 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (Sheet): 9 3/4 × 7 15/16 in. (24.8 × 20.2 cm)
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Entertainers
• Topic: Photography
• Topic: Singers (Musicians)
• Object number: 2013.46.25.25
• 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.