Scorpio Cuttin' Up: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A black and white photograph of Scorpio (Eddie Morris aka Mr. Ness) with two unidentified women.

Scorpio is pictured on the left side of the image, facing two unidentified young women on the right side of the image. He wears a metallic jacket with studs and fringe, multiple stacked necklaces and a black leather biker style cap with rhinestones and studs along the front. He is glancing sideways towards the camera and smiling, his proper right hand holding an unidentified object. Facing him directly is a young woman wearing a dark colored knit sweater. Her eyes are closed and she is smiling. Next to her is another young woman, wearing a light colored short-sleeved sweatshirt style top with contrast stitching and multiple necklaces. She is turned slightly away from Scorpio and is looking directly at the camera. The background is dark, but a lighted exit sign and other individuals are visible behind Scorpio. On the verso is an adhesive label with the Eyejammie.com logo and [Title: Scorpio Cuttin' Up / Photographer: Harry Allen] printed in black text.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: early 1980s
• Photograph by: Harry Allen, American, born 1964
• Subject of: Mr. Ness, American
• Subject of: Unidentified Woman or Women
• Type: gelatin silver prints
• Type: portraits
• Medium: silver and photographic gelatin on photographic paper
• Dimensions: H x W (Sheet): 10 11/16 × 10 in. (27.2 × 25.4 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (Image): 8 5/8 × 12 15/16 in. (21.9 × 32.8 cm)
• Place captured: New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Fashion
• Topic: Hip-hop (Music)
• Topic: Musicians
• Topic: Photography
• Object number: 2015.132.51
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
• 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: © Harry Allen Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.