Photograph of Bill "Bojangles" Robinson: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A silver gelatin print depicting a black-and-white image of Bill "Bojangles" Robinson. Robinson is depicted standing in profile with his arms akimbo and his shadow cast on the blank wall behind him. He is wearing a banded hat, alight colored plaid jacket, light-colored pants, and tap shoes. His head is turned slightly towards the viewer and his proper right leg is slightly lifted and bent at the knee. In the lower right quadrant of the image is a handwritten inscription in blue ink that reads, [To Laura / Its [sic] really been / a pleasure / working with / you / Sincerely / Uncle Bo]. The photographer's mark is printed in the negative in the bottom right corner, [James J / Kriegsmann / N.Y.]. There are no inscriptions on the back of the photograph.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: ca. 1936
• Photograph by: James J. Kriegsmann, 1909 - 1994
• Subject of: Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, American, 1878 - 1949
• Type: gelatin silver prints
• Type: portraits
• Medium: silver and photographic gelatin on photographic paper
• Dimensions: H x W (Image): 9 3/16 × 7 1/4 in. (23.3 × 18.4 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (Sheet): 9 15/16 × 8 in. (25.3 × 20.3 cm)
• Place made: New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Entertainers
• Topic: Photography
• Topic: Tap dancing
• Topic: Vaudeville
• Object number: 2013.46.25.84
• 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.