Handbill for a performance by the Fisk Jubilee Singers: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A paper handbill advertisement for a performance by the Jubilee Singers on March 23, 1875 at City Hall in an unnamed location. One side of the handbill has the printed title [A SONG FROM FREDERICK DOUGLASS] at the top and then recounts a visit of the Jubilee Singers with Frederick Douglass where he shared a spiritual that he sang while enslaved that inspired him to seek freedom in the North. The lyrics of the song are printed in the center of the handbill. The details for the upcoming performance are printed at the bottom center in large text [CITY HALL / ON THE EVENING OF / TUESDAY, MARCH 23D, 1875. / Tickets now on sale at Stockbridge's]. At the bottom left corner in small print is [Tucker Printing House, Portland.]

The other side of the handbill has printed a letter to [Theo. F. Seward, Esq.] from Samuel Clemens recounting how much he enjoys performances by the Jubilee Singers. At the top of the page in large text is printed [MARK TWAIN / AND THE / Jubilee Singers]. At the bottom center of the page is the text [CITY HALL, / TUESDAY EVENING!].

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1875
• Printed by: Tucker Printing House, American
• Subject of: Fisk Jubilee Singers, American, founded 1871
• Subject of: Frederick Douglass, American, 1818 - 1895
• Subject of: Mark Twain, American, 1835 - 1910
• Type: handbills
• Medium: ink on paper (fiber product)
• Dimensions: H x W: 8 3/4 x 6 1/4 in. (22.2 x 15.9 cm)
• Place printed: Portland, Cumberland County, Maine, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Amusements
• Topic: Folk (Music)
• Topic: HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities)
• Topic: Resistance
• Topic: Singers (Musicians)
• Topic: Slavery
• Topic: Spirituals (Music)
• Object number: 2011.57.1
• 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 displayed image also has an explicit CC0 designation. The underlying object's rights statement is: Public domain Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.