Playbill for Ma Rainey's Black Bottom: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

Playbill for Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. White background with yellow box at top; black box below with graphic of a woman in front of a microphone with her arms stretched out to her sides. [PLAYBILL/CORT THEATRE/Ma Rainey's Black Bottom] White circular sticker on back, handwirtten 1984.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1984
• Published by: Playbill, American, founded 1884
• Used by: Cort Theatre, American, founded 1912
• Subject of: Ma Rainey, American, 1886 - 1939
• Subject of: August Wilson, American, 1945 - 2005
• Subject of: Charles S. Dutton, American, born 1951
• Subject of: Leonard Jackson, American, born 1928
• Subject of: Robert Judd, American, died 1986
• Subject of: Joe Seneca, American, 1919 - 1996
• Type: theater programs
• Medium: ink on paper
• Dimensions: H x W: 8 1/2 x 5 3/8 in. (21.6 x 13.7 cm)
• Place used: New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Actors
• Topic: Blues (Music)
• Topic: Broadway Theatre
• Topic: Drama (Theatre)
• Object number: 2011.45.59
• 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.