Slow Fade to Black: Sarah Lois Vaughan: Museum Object and Cultural History
Slow Fade to Black: Sarah Lois Vaughan: Date: 2009-2010. Photograph by: Carrie Mae Weems, American, born 1953. Subject of: Sarah Vaughan, American, 1924 - 1990.
The object in the museum catalogue
Color inkjet print (a) of Sarah Lois Vaughan in a green frame (b).
The photograph (a) is intentionally out of focus. The figure of Sarah Lois Vaughan is standing in front of a gold colored microphone facing slightly to the right of the camera. Vaughan is wearing a light purple dress in front of a black background. In the original image, the tight beading and thin straps on the dress are visible. Vaughan is wearing jewel drop earrings and a ring.
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 ink. 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: Sarah Vaughan, American, 1924 - 1990
- 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: Art
- Topic: Entertainers
- Topic: Jazz (Music)
- Topic: Photography
- Topic: Singers (Musicians)
- Topic: Women
- Object number: 2017.20.13ab
- 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.
Sources
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