Up in the Cocoanut Tree: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A shellac 78-rpm record manufactured by Columbia Phonograph Company. The label, in the center, in silver type, reads: [Columbia Disc Record / Condition of Sale / This record is sold upon the express condition that it shall not be copied or duplicated and that the full right of property or possession reverts to the Columbia Phonograph Co. upon violation of this condition. / Columbia Phonograph Co. / New York / London / Grand Prize / Paris, 1900 / Up in the Cocoanut Tree / Theo F. Morse / Baritone Solo / Sung by J. W. Myers / No. 1574 / Patented May 4, 1886, and December 10, 1901].

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: ca. 1904-1905
• Created by: Columbia Records, American, founded 1888
• Owned by: Vernon Sugg McDonald, American, 1906 - 1982
• Owned by: Mary Elizabeth Sugg, American, 1839 - 1915
• Type: 78 rpm records
• Medium: shellac
• Dimensions: Diameter: 7 × 1/8 in. (17.8 × 0.3 cm)
• Place collected: Sugg McDonald House, Sonora, Tuolumne County, California, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Black interiors
• Topic: Popular music
• Object number: 2014.316.4.22
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Bob and Sherri Brennan in memory of Vernon Sugg McDonald
• 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: No Known Copyright Restrictions Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.