Photographic print of Lee "Scratch" Perry's Black Ark Studio: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A black-and-white photograph of Lee Perry's Black Ark Studio, 1978, Kingston.

The studio has cement walls. The walls are covered in photographs, illustrations, graffiti, and other small objects. Many of the photographs are signed or have handwritten notes on them. There are old recording machines and studio equipment in the foreground.

Each image has a white border around it. The borders are thinner on the sides and thicker on the tops and bottoms. The back of 2015.132.165.1 is white. There is an inscription at the top, handwritten by Bill Adler. The back of 2015.132.165.2 has two Kodak logos repeated in gold. The logos are in diagonal lines and are facing the left side of the paper. There are two pieces of tape at the top, one on either side. There is an inscription at the bottom, handwritten by Bill Adler.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1978
• Photograph by: Adrian Boot, British, born 1947
• Subject of: Lee Perry, Jamaican, 1936 - 2021
• Subject of: Black Ark Studios, Jamaican, founded 1973
• Type: black-and-white photographs
• Medium: silver and photographic gelatin on photographic paper
• Dimensions: H x W (2015.132.165.1 Sheet): 11 × 14 in. (27.9 × 35.5 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (2015.132.165.1 Image): 9 1/2 × 13 1/2 in. (24.2 × 34.3 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (2015.132.165.2 Sheet): 11 × 14 1/16 in. (27.9 × 35.7 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (2015.132.165.2 Image): 9 9/16 × 13 9/16 in. (24.3 × 34.5 cm)
• Place captured: Kingston, Surrey County, Jamaica, Caribbean, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Business
• Topic: Musicians
• Topic: Photography
• Topic: Reggae (Music)
• Object number: 2015.132.165.1-.2
• 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: © Adrian Boot Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.