Construction paper with two photographs of performing female dancers: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

Construction paper with two silver gelatin prints depicting two (2) black-and-white images of female dancers performing on stage at Club 845 and The Rose Room. There are no inscriptions on the front or back of the paper.

2014.46.25.188a: A silver gelatin print depicting a black-and-white image of five (5) female dancers performing at Club 845. The dancers are dressed in matching white costumes. The costumes are white, short sleeved dresses, with scalloped skirts and wide, striped ribbon belts at the waist. Their matching hats are also white with wide, upturned brims, decorated with striped ribbons that match their belts. The dancers are standing in a row, with their arms akimbo and hands rest on their waists. Their proper right legs extended and they are looking towards the left edge of the image. There is a band depicted behind the row of dancers. Laura Cathrell is the dancer depicted on the far right and Birdie Warfield Edison is depicted at the center. In the background on the left, is a man seated at table covered with a white table cloth behind velvet roped stanchions. In the background on the right, is a drum kit and an amplifier with the number [845] painted inside the letter [C]. There are no inscriptions on the front of the photograph.

2014.46.25.188b: A silver gelatin print depicting a black-and-white image of four (4) female dancers performing at the Rose Room. The dancers are dressed in matching costumes of light colored, short, strapless dresses with layered skirts. The women are also wearing white, kid gloves, chokers, and fascinators with large feather plumes and chin straps. The women stand on a stage surrounded dinner tables filled with men and women. There are no inscriptions on the front of the photograph.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1950-1953
• Photograph by: Unidentified
• Subject of: Unidentified Woman or Women
• Subject of: Laura Cathrell, 1914 - 1999
• Subject of: Birdie Warfield Edison, American
• Subject of: Club 845, American, founded 1945
• Subject of: Rose Room, American
• Type: gelatin silver prints
• Type: portraits
• Medium: silver and photographic gelatin on photographic paper with adhesive and paper
• Dimensions: H x W (Overall): 11 × 7 1/4 in. (27.9 × 18.4 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (2013.46.25188a Image): 4 9/16 × 6 3/4 in. (11.6 × 17.2 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (2013.46.25188a Sheet): 4 15/16 × 6 15/16 in. (12.6 × 17.6 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (2013.46.25188b Image): 4 11/16 × 6 5/8 in. (11.9 × 16.8 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (2013.46.25188b Sheet): 5 1/16 × 7 1/16 in. (12.8 × 17.9 cm)
• Place captured: Cliffwood, Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, North and Central America
• Place captured: New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Dance
• Topic: Entertainers
• Topic: Jazz (Music)
• Topic: Nightlife
• Topic: Photography
• Topic: Theatre
• Object number: 2013.46.25.188ab
• 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.