Promotional photo of Cab Calloway in a white tuxedo: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A black and white photograph promotional photograph of Cab Calloway. Calloway is pictured is pictured standing on the right side of the photograph, wearing a white tuxedo with tailcoat, and casting a large shadow upon the wall behind him. His arms are raised, palms facign out, his knees bent, leaning back slightly with his mouth open and gaze looking up. At the bottom left corner of the image is the photographer's signature: [C(illlegible) / la Habana]. Printed below the image on the left side is [CAB CALLOWAY] and at the right [CAB CALLOWAY INC. / 1619 BROADWAY / NEW YORK, N.Y.]. In smaller print in the very bottom right corner is printed [MOSS PHOTO SERVICE, INC..350 W. 50TH ST..NEW YORK 19..N.Y.]. There are marks or inscriptions on the back.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1930s - 1950s
• Photograph by: Unidentified
• Subject of: Cab Calloway, American, 1907 - 1994
• Type: gelatin silver prints
• Type: portraits
• Medium: silver and photographic gelatin on photographic paper
• Dimensions: H x W (Image): 8 7/8 × 7 5/16 in. (22.6 × 18.6 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (Sheet): 10 1/8 × 8 in. (25.7 × 20.3 cm)
• Place depicted: New York City, New York County, New York, United States, North and Central America
• Place depicted: Havana, Cuba, Caribbean, Latin America, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Composers (Musicians)
• Topic: Conductors (Musicians)
• Topic: Dance
• Topic: Singers (Musicians)
• Object number: 2013.237.19
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Cabella Calloway Langsam
• 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: Unknown - Restrictions Possible Rights assessment and proper usage is the responsibility of the user.