Photograph of a man and five female performers in costume: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A silver gelatin print depicting a black-and-white image of a man and five female performers in costume. Laura Cathrell is centrally depicted, with the man standing beside her, and two female performers standing on either side of the couple. Laura Cathrell is depicted standing facing the left edge of the photograph, looking up towards the man. She is wearing a striped dress with a white ruffle at the hemline. She holds the edge of her skirt up with her proper left hand. She is also wearing a medium toned half hat. The man is wearing a dark jacket, light toned pants, and a white collared shirt. He is depicted in profile, facing Laura Cathrell. The two female performers on the left side of the image, Birdie Warfield Edison and an unidentified woman, are standing in a row behind the man, with their bodies turned towards him and their heads turned towards the viewer. Their proper right arms are bent at the elbow and extended towards Cathrell and the man. The female performers on the right side image are posed in a mirror image of the female performers on the left. All of the female performers, except for Cathrell, are wearing identical costumes that include short sleeve, black dresses. The dresses are off-the-shoulders and have large ruffles at the hemline. They are also wearing fascinators tied under their chins, with large white flower attached to the proper side and second flower at the knot under their chins. In the background, on the left side of the image, is a drum set. There are no inscriptions on the front or back of the photograph.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1933-1950
• Photograph by: Unidentified
• Subject of: Laura Cathrell, 1914 - 1999
• Subject of: Birdie Warfield Edison, American
• Subject of: Unidentified Woman or Women
• Subject of: Unidentified Man or Men
• Type: gelatin silver prints
• Type: portraits
• Medium: silver and photographic gelatin on photographic paper
• Dimensions: H x W (Image): 4 5/8 × 6 3/4 in. (11.7 × 17.2 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (Sheet): 5 × 6 15/16 in. (12.7 × 17.6 cm)
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Dance
• Topic: Entertainers
• Topic: Nightlife
• Topic: Photography
• Topic: Theatre
• Object number: 2013.46.25.201
• 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.