Prince: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A black-and-white pigment photograph studio portrait of Prince, captured by Platon in 2004. The photograph depicts Prince from just below the hips, standing with his proper right hand extended in front of him towards the viewer. The photograph was taken from near his proper right hand which appears disproportionately large in the foreground. He is facing the viewer and has a serious expression on his face. His chin is slightly lifted and his is looking down towards the viewer. His proper left elbow is bent and his fingers are splayed near his waist. He has a thin mustache and his hair is worn in curls on top. He is wearing a dark neckerchief with white polka dots tied around his neck, a medium tone collared shirt with elongated collar points and a black, long, pinstripe suit jacket with a pocket square in his proper left chest pocket. The photograph has a thick white border. The edition number, [5/12], is printed in the bottom left corner. The photographer’s signature and date, [Platon 19], is handwritten in the bottom right corner. Inside the border, at the bottom center, is the photographer’s embossed mark: [PLATON ? / EDITIONED ? / PRINT ?[encircled between two bands of embossed dots]]. The back of the photograph has no marks or inscriptions.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 2004; printed 2019
• Photograph by: Platon, British, born 1968
• Subject of: Prince, American, 1958 - 2016
• Type: pigment prints
• Type: portraits
• Medium: pigment on paper
• Dimensions: H x W (image): 21 × 20 in. (53.3 × 50.8 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (sheet): 24 × 20 in. (61 × 50.8 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (matted): 22 × 28 in. (55.9 × 71.1 cm)
• Place printed: New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Funk (Music)
• Topic: Hip-hop (Music)
• Topic: Instrumentalists (Musicians)
• Topic: Photography
• Topic: Popular music
• Topic: Rhythm and blues (Music)
• Topic: Singers (Musicians)
• Object number: 2021.33.48
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Platon
• 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: © Platon Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.