Photograph of Bill Bailey: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A silver gelatin print depicting a black-and-white image of Bill Bailey. Bailey is depicted standing on a small podium with his proper right leg propped up on his proper left knee while he ties his proper right shoe. He is looking off to the left edge of the image. He is wearing a dark colored suit, black tie, white shirt, bowler hat, and tap shoes. In the lower right hand corner the photographer’s mark is printed in the negative, [K. Progress / N.Y.]. In the lower right quadrant of the front of the image is a handwritten inscription in blue ink that reads, [To Laure / For Bill / I think he'd / like this - Huh! / Bill Bailey / (Pearl)]. The image is bordered with white and along bottom is black text on the left and right sides. The text in the lower left corner reads, [BILL BAILEY]. The text in the lower right corner reads, [NAT NAZARRO MANAGEMENT / 1619 Broadway / New York City]. There are no inscriptions on the back of the photograph.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: ca. 1937
• Photograph by: K. Progress
• Distributed by: Nat Nazarro, American, 1902 - 1986
• Subject of: Bill Bailey, American, 1912 - 1978
• Type: gelatin silver prints
• Type: portraits
• Medium: silver and photographic gelatin on photographic paper
• Dimensions: H x W (Image): 8 7/8 × 7 5/16 in. (22.5 × 18.5 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (Sheet): 10 3/16 × 8 1/16 in. (25.9 × 20.4 cm)
• Place made: New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
• Place used: New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Entertainers
• Topic: Photography
• Topic: Tap dancing
• Topic: Theatre
• Object number: 2013.46.25.41
• 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.