Pinetop Perkins, 1988: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A black-and-white photograph of blues musician Pinetop Perkins performing in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. The photo is taken from a low angle and shows Perkins nearly in left-profile. He sits at a piano, the blurred outline of which is just visible in the bottom left of the frame. He is singing into a microphone and wears a white button up shirt, black cloth cap, and black rimmed glasses.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1988
• Photograph by: David D. Spitzer, American
• Subject of: Pinetop Perkins, American, 1913 - 2011
• Type: gelatin silver prints
• Type: portraits
• Medium: silver and photographic gelatin on photographic paper
• Dimensions: H x W (Image): 13 11/16 x 9 1/4 in. (34.8 x 23.5 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (Sheet): 13 13/16 x 10 5/16 in. (35.1 x 26.2 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (Matted): 20 x 16 in. (50.8 x 40.6 cm)
• Place captured: Fort Lauderdale, Broward County, Florida, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Blues (Music)
• Topic: Instrumentalists (Musicians)
• Topic: Photography
• Object number: 2012.164.117
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of David D. Spitzer
• 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: © David D. Spitzer Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.