The Men’s Choir of First Baptist Church, Norfolk, Virginia, 2005: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A black-and-white photograph of fourteen men wearing robes. The thirteen men facing the camera are holding books. The fourteenth man is standing at center with his arms raised above his head and his back towards the camera. He is wearing a white robe with a treble clef on it. A large pipe organ takes up the entire background. A sign at the top of the image reads “One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism” and has a cross hanging down from it at center. No inscriptions on the front or back.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 2005; printed 2012
• Photograph by: Jason Miccolo Johnson, American
• Subject of: First Baptist Church of Norfolk, American, founded 1805
• Subject of: Unidentified Man or Men
• Type: gelatin silver prints
• Medium: silver and photographic gelatin on photographic paper
• Dimensions: H x W (sheet): 19 15/16 x 15 15/16 in. (50.6 x 40.5 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (image): 17 7/8 x 12 7/16 in. (45.4 x 31.6 cm)
• Place captured: Norfolk, Virginia, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Baptist
• Topic: Local and regional
• Topic: Photography
• Topic: Religion
• Topic: Singers (Musicians)
• Topic: The Black Church
• Topic: Worship services
• Object number: 2012.144.1
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Jason Miccolo Johnson
• 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: © Jason Miccolo Johnson Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.