Playbill for A Raisin in the Sun: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

Playbill for A Raisin in the Sun. White background with yellow box at top; photograph below depicting a man standing behind a woman; the man has his arms around the woman and is looking off into the distance. [Belasco/Theatre/PLAYBILL/a weekly magazine for theatregoers/A RAISIN IN THE SUN] White circular sticker on back, handwritten 1959.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1959
• Published by: Playbill, American, founded 1884
• Used by: Ethel Barrymore Theatre, American, founded 1928
• Subject of: Lorraine Hansberry, American, 1930 - 1965
• Subject of: Claudia McNeil, American, 1917 - 1993
• Subject of: Ossie Davis, American, 1917 - 2005
• Subject of: Ruby Dee, American, 1924 - 2014
• Subject of: Louis Gossett Jr., American, 1936 - 2024
• Subject of: Diana Sands, American, 1934 - 1973
• Type: theater programs
• Medium: ink on paper
• Dimensions: H x W: 9 x 6 1/2 in. (22.9 x 16.5 cm)
• Place used: New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Actors
• Topic: Broadway Theatre
• Topic: Drama (Theatre)
• Topic: Tragedy (Theatre)
• Object number: 2011.45.84
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Kayla Deigh Owens
• 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: Playbill used by permission. All rights reserved, Playbill Inc Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.