Photograph of a performance with a band, dancers, and singer: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A silver gelatin print depicting a black-and-white image of a stage performance with a band, dancers, and singer against a large backdrop. The backdrop features several, large caricatured instrumentalists playing brass instruments, stringed instruments, and a woodwind instrument, along a long checkered hallway that has been painted in linear perspective. The band is arranged along the back of the stage, with most members sitting behind individual music stands. Front and center on the stage is a male singer standing at a microphone. He is depicted wearing a light colored suit. Three (3) female dancers, in matching short dress costumes with large bows on their heads, are depicted on each side of the singer. All six (6) of the dancers are posed with their hands held towards the right edge of the image. The dancers’ proper left legs are crossed over their right legs. There are six (6) signatures in blue ink on the front of the image, scattered throughout the lower portion of the image. There are no inscriptions on the back.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: early 20th-mid 20th century
• Photograph by: Unidentified
• Subject of: Laura Cathrell, 1914 - 1999
• Subject of: Unidentified Man or Men
• Subject of: Unidentified Woman or Women
• Type: gelatin silver prints
• Type: portraits
• Medium: silver and photographic gelatin on photographic paper
• Dimensions: H x W (Image): 7 11/16 × 9 5/8 in. (19.5 × 24.4 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (Sheet): 8 1/8 × 10 1/16 in. (20.7 × 25.5 cm)
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Band (Music)
• Topic: Dance
• Topic: Entertainers
• Topic: Instrumentalists (Musicians)
• Topic: Nightlife
• Topic: Photography
• Topic: Singers (Musicians)
• Object number: 2013.46.25.4
• 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.