Photograph of Bill Bailey: Museum Object and Cultural History
Photograph of Bill Bailey: Date: 1937. Photograph by: Unidentified. Subject of: Bill Bailey, American, 1912 - 1978.
The object in the museum catalogue
A silver gelatin print depicting a black-and-white image of Bill Bailey. Bailey is depicted dancing on a stage, in three-quarters profile. He is wearing a light colored suit, white collared shirt, and a medium toned tie. He is also wearing a straw boater hat with a striped band with bow trim. Both of Bailey’s arms are raised and he is looking down towards the stage. There are pencil marks and notations on the front and back of the image. There is an inscription on the back of the photograph, written in pencil, that reads, [Sallye[sic] - / I was by & you were / not home, anyway here / is the picture of Bill maybe / you can have a cut made / from it / Lauri].
Materials, dates and provenance
- Date: 1937
- Photograph by: Unidentified
- Subject of: Bill Bailey, American, 1912 - 1978
- Type: gelatin silver prints
- Medium: silver and photographic gelatin on photographic paper
- Dimensions: H x W (Image): 7 7/8 × 6 in. (20 × 15.3 cm)
- Dimensions: H x W (Sheet): 8 1/2 × 6 7/16 in. (21.6 × 16.4 cm)
- Topic: African American
- Topic: Entertainers
- Topic: Jazz (Music)
- Topic: Photography
- Topic: Tap dancing
- Topic: Theatre
- Object number: 2013.46.25.162
- 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.
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