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

The object in the museum catalogue

A black-and-white photographic portrait of Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Terry Cryer. Tharpe is sitting on the left side of the photograph and is wearing a fur coat. She is smiling with her and looking at the photographer. Her left cheek is pressed against Terry Cryer’s right cheek and her head is tilted to the right. Terry Cryer is wearing a dark colored suit and has his right arm over Sister Rosetta Tharpe’s shoulder and is holding onto her right wrist with his eft hand. He is smiling and looking at the photographer. The back of the photograph is inscribed with [Terry Cryer + Sister Rosetta] and [Terry Cryer].

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1957
• Photograph by: Unidentified
• Subject of: Sister Rosetta Tharpe, American, 1915 - 1973
• Subject of: Terry Cryer, British, 1934 - 2017
• Type: black-and-white photographs
• Type: gelatin silver prints
• Type: portraits
• Medium: silver and photographic gelatin on photographic paper
• Dimensions: H x W (image): 9 7/16 × 7 1/2 in. (24 × 19 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (sheet): 9 15/16 × 7 15/16 in. (25.3 × 20.2 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: 2014.98.26
• 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.