Photographic print of Sister Rosetta Tharpe: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A black-and-white photograph of Sister Rosetta Tharpe. She is standing in front of several microphones and is facing the left side of the photograph with her body slightly turned towards the photographer. She is wearing a light-colored dress and is singing. Both of her arms are raised above her shoulders with her hands outstretched. A man playing a trombone and a man playing a clarinet are on the right side of the photograph. A piano can be seen in the background. The back of the photograph is inscribed with [ANTIBES 1960 / "SISTER" ROSETTA THARPE] and has a stamp for the photographer Riccardo Schwamenthal.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1960
• Subject of: Sister Rosetta Tharpe, American, 1915 - 1973
• Photograph by: Riccardo Schwamenthal, Austrian, 1937 - 2016
• Manufactured by: Eastman Kodak Company, founded 1889
• Type: black-and-white photographs
• Type: gelatin silver prints
• Type: portraits
• Medium: silver and photographic gelatin on photographic paper
• Dimensions: H x W: 7 × 9 7/16 in. (17.8 × 24 cm)
• Place captured: Antibes, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France, Europe
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Gospel (Music)
• Topic: Instrumentalists (Musicians)
• Topic: Photography
• Topic: Rock and roll (Music)
• Topic: Singers (Musicians)
• Object number: 2014.98.23
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Gayle Wald
• 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: © Estate of Riccardo Schwamenthal Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.