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 a microphone and holding a guitar with her left hand. Her right hand is outstretched above her shoulder with her palm facing up. She is slightly turned to the right and looking up. She is singing and wearing a dark colored sequenced dress. A man playing a banjo is in the background. The back of the photograph is signed at center in black ink with “Terry Cryer / ©.”

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1957
• Photograph by: Terry Cryer, British, 1934 - 2017
• Subject of: Sister Rosetta Tharpe, American, 1915 - 1973
• Type: black-and-white photographs
• Type: gelatin silver prints
• Type: portraits
• Medium: silver and photographic gelatin on photographic paper
• Dimensions: H x W (image): 7 1/2 × 7 1/16 in. (19 × 17.9 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (sheet): 8 × 9 15/16 in. (20.3 × 25.2 cm)
• Place captured: England, United Kingdom, Europe
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Gospel (Music)
• Topic: Instrumentalists (Musicians)
• Topic: Photography
• Topic: Rock and roll (Music)
• Topic: Singers (Musicians)
• Object number: 2014.98.24
• 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: © Terry Cryer Estate Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.