Photograph of Beverly White: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A silver gelatin print depicting a black-and-white image of Beverly White. White is centrally depicted behind a standing microphone. She poses with her arms raised to shoulder level and smiling at the viewer. White wears a long dress with large puffed sleeves that extend to the elbows, decorated with three large flowers attached to her proper left lapel. The microphone stand is to her proper right side and has broadcast letters running down the front at the top, [W / O / R]. The image is bordered in white and along the bottom are two columns of black text. The column on the left side reads, [BEVERLY WHITE / featured with / CLAUDE HOPKINS and His Orchestra]. The column on the right side reads, [Management / ROCKWELL - O'KEEFE Inc. / Radio City, N.Y. Chicago Hollywood, Cal.]. In the lower half, down the center of the image, is an inscription in blue ink that reads, [To / “Little Laura” / my sweet little / friend. She / weighs only about / 50 lbs Ha! Ha! / But she’s twice / that sweet / Luck & Success / Sincerely / Beverly White]. On the back of the image, along the top edge, is an inscription in black ink that reads, [Mrs Mabel Hopkins / 158 W 131st St / Apt 7].

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: ca. 1938
• Photograph by: Unidentified
• Distributed by: Rockwell-O'Keefe, Inc., American
• Subject of: Beverly White, American
• Subject of: WOR, American
• Subject of: Claude Hopkins, American, 1903 - 1984
• Subject of: Claude Hopkins Orchestra, American, 1930 - 1940
• Type: gelatin silver prints
• Type: portraits
• Medium: silver and photographic gelatin on photographic paper
• Dimensions: H x W (Image): 9 × 7 7/16 in. (22.9 × 18.9 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (Sheet): 10 1/16 × 7 15/16 in. (25.5 × 20.2 cm)
• Place depicted: New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Jazz (Music)
• Topic: Mass media
• Topic: Nightlife
• Topic: Photography
• Topic: Singers (Musicians)
• Topic: Theatre
• Object number: 2013.46.25.34
• 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.