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. She is wearing a floral print dress and high heels. She is standing in front of several microphones with her right side facing the camera. She is looking to the right of the photograph and playing the guitar. The back of the photograph is inscribed with [SISTER ROSETTA THARPE / ANTIBES 1960] and has a stamp for the photographer Riccardo Schwamenthal.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1960
• Photograph by: Riccardo Schwamenthal, Austrian, 1937 - 2016
• Subject of: Sister Rosetta Tharpe, American, 1915 - 1973
• 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: 9 7/16 × 6 15/16 in. (24 × 17.7 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: 2014.98.27
• 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.