Slow Fade to Black: Ethel Waters: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

Color inkjet print (a) of Ethel Waters in a green frame (b).

The photograph (a) is intentionally out of focus. The figure of Ethel Waters has her body turned away from the camera with her face looking back over her shoulder. She is smiling at the camera. Her back is bare and she is holding a red flower over her shoulder. The background is white with green leaves on the left. The original image shows Ethel Waters partially draped in lace fabric and wearing metal jewelry with diamond-shaped hanging earrings, a ring, and a bracelet. Waters is wearing pink lipstick and purple eyeshadow. The red rose and stem is fully visible from where she holds it over her shoulder.

The photograph is inset in the frame (b). The back borders of the frame are raised and have paper tape around the edges. At the top is a sticker with the TransArt International shipping label. The center portion of the frame has two white adhesive labels, one with information about the artist, Carrie Mae Weems. The other has exhibit details and the address for the Jack Shainman Gallery. Below this tag is information about the frame with cleaning instructions marked in black pen. There is a corded metal wire screwed into the frame to hang the photograph.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 2009-2010
• Photograph by: Carrie Mae Weems, American, born 1953
• Subject of: Ethel Waters, American, 1896 - 1977
• Type: portraits
• Type: inkjet prints
• Medium: inkjet print (a): ink on photographic paper;
• Medium: frame (b): acrylic, wood, wire and metal
• Dimensions: H x W (Image): 11 3/4 × 8 3/4 in. (29.8 × 22.2 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W x D (Frame): 12 7/8 × 9 7/8 × 1 1/2 in. (32.7 × 25.1 × 3.8 cm)
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Actors
• Topic: Art
• Topic: Blues (Music)
• Topic: Entertainers
• Topic: Jazz (Music)
• Topic: Photography
• Topic: Singers (Musicians)
• Object number: 2017.20.4ab
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Jo Carole and Ronald S. Lauder in honor of Richard and Laura Parsons, Colin and Alma Powell, and Darren Walker
• 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: © Carrie Mae Weems Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.