Photograph of a performer, Toada, and three men dressed in theatrical costumes: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A silver gelatin print depicting a black-and-white image of three (3) men and a woman dressed in theatrical costumes. The woman stands left of center, with her torso turned towards one (1) of the men. She is wearing an embellished, corset dress overlaid with a skirt that is short in front and drapes in the back, detached sleeves, a small hat with large feathers, and a small parasol held above her with her proper right hand. She is depicted looking towards the viewer. On the far left, is a man wearing an open shirt, laced, with large dark and light bands on the sleeves, white pants, sandals, and a brimmed straw hat decorated with diagonal stripes on the edge of the brim. He is kneeling with a conga drum held on his upper thighs. His hands are poised above the drumhead, which faces to the left edge of the image. The drum is decorated with geometric bands. On the right side of the woman are two (2) additional men standing, both looking towards the woman. Both wear outfits similar to the man kneeling. The man on the left is holding maracas in both hands and is facing the woman. The man on the far right stands with his back to the other performers and his torso turned to the right. White text printed in the negative, in the bottom right corner reads, [JAMES KOLLÁR / RADIO CITY, N.Y.]. There are no inscriptions on the back of the image.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: early 20th-mid 20th century
• Photograph by: James Kollar
• 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): 7 3/16 × 8 1/4 in. (18.3 × 21 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (Sheet): 8 1/8 × 10 in. (20.6 × 25.4 cm)
• Place made: New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Entertainers
• Topic: Music
• Topic: Photography
• Topic: Stereotypes
• Topic: Theatre
• Object number: 2013.46.25.58
• 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.