Program and menu from the Cotton Club: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A 1936 program with menu from the Cotton Club. In white text at the top is [The World Famous / COTTON CLUB] between a red and a blue stripe. Most of the front cover depicts a painted scene of gathering of eight nude figures, six men and two women, in a jungle setting with the ocean and high cliffs behind them. At the bottom right corner of the scene, in red, is [Julian Harrison]. Along the bottom edge of the program is [BROADWAY AT 48TH STREET]. The first interior page has a border with images of tribal masks and lists the performers for [DAN HEALY’S / COTTON CLUB PARADE] including Cab Calloway, Avis Andrews, Berry Brothers, Katherine Perry, Whyte’s Maniacs, Tramp Band, Bill Bailey, Anne Lewis, Henri Wessels, Dynamite Hooker, Bahama Dancers, Wen Talberts Choir, Broadway Jones, and Kaloah, and Arthur Davy as well as “50 Sepia Stars” and “50 Copper Colored Gals.” The two interior pages present the menu, with [Wine List] at the left and [Supper Menu] at the right. The back page lists the program with the songs and order of performances.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: September 24, 1936
• Published by: Cotton Club, American, 1923 - 1940
• Illustrated by: Julian Harrison, American
• Subject of: Duke Ellington, American, 1899 - 1974
• Subject of: Cab Calloway, American, 1907 - 1994
• Subject of: Bill Bailey, American, 1912 - 1978
• Subject of: Henri Wessels
• Subject of: Tramp Band, American
• Subject of: Benny Davis, American, 1895 - 1979
• Type: programs
• Type: menus
• Medium: ink on paper
• Dimensions: H x W (closed): 13 1/8 × 10 1/8 in. (33.4 × 25.7 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (open): 13 1/8 × 20 5/16 in. (33.4 × 51.6 cm)
• Place printed: New York, New York, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Composers (Musicians)
• Topic: Conductors (Musicians)
• Topic: Dance
• Topic: Entertainers
• Topic: Instrumentalists (Musicians)
• Topic: Jazz (Music)
• Topic: Music
• Object number: 2024.11.2
• 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 underlying object's rights statement is: Unknown – Restrictions Possible Rights assessment and proper usage is the responsibility of the user.