Photographic print of Isis and her son Miles: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A black and white photograph of Isis and her son, Miles sitting on a metal stoop in New York City.

The two are pictured in the center of the image, sitting on metal stairs outside a brick building. Isis is sitting on the proper left side, leaning against the banister. She is wearing a tall, cylindrical, dark-colored hat with an ankh symbol embroidered on the front, a white t-shirt that reads [TOO WICKED] in dark lettering, a necklace, denim pants that are rolled up at the bottom, and sneakers. She is holding a wooden toy car in her left hand. Her proper right leg is bent and resting on a step while her left leg is stretched out and on the step below her. Her son is sitting on the proper right side of the image. He is wearing a striped shirt, long denim shorts, high top sneakers, and a black baseball cap. His hands are in fists and they are resting on the sides of his face.

On the back of the print is a handwritten inscription by Bill Adler identifying the subject, location, date and photographer.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: June 25, 1991
• Photograph by: Al Pereira, American, born 1963
• Subject of: Isis, American, born 1969
• Type: gelatin silver prints
• Medium: silver and photographic gelatin on photographic paper
• Dimensions: H x W (Sheet): 13 7/8 × 10 15/16 in. (35.2 × 27.8 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (Image): 12 15/16 × 8 5/8 in. (32.9 × 21.9 cm)
• Place captured: New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Children
• Topic: Families
• Topic: Hip-hop (Music)
• Topic: Motherhood
• Topic: Musicians
• Topic: Photography
• Topic: Rappers (Musicians)
• Object number: 2015.132.285
• 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: © Al Pereira Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.