Photograph of Buck and Bubbles: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A silver gelatin print depicting a black-and-white image of Ford Lee Washington and John W. Sublett as the comedy duo, Buck and Bubbles. The men are depicted from the waist up, in the center of the image. They are seated and are looking at each other. Washington, depicted on the left, is wearing a dark jacket, striped shirt, and a dark, hounds tooth newsboy cap. Sublett, depicted on the right, wears a plaid jacket, light colored shirt, and white, newsboy cap. In the lower right hand corner is the image number, printed in the negative, [M48-2]. An inscription in black ink on the back of the image reads, [Nat Nazarro / presents / Buck / and / Bubbles]. There are also several inscriptions in pencil on the back of the photograph.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: ca. 1937
• Photograph by: Unidentified
• Distributed by: Nat Nazarro, American, 1902 - 1986
• Subject of: John Bubbles, American, 1902 - 1986
• Subject of: Ford Lee Washington, American, 1903 - 1955
• Subject of: Buck and Bubbles, American, founded 1919
• Type: gelatin silver prints
• Type: portraits
• Medium: silver and photographic gelatin on photographic paper
• Dimensions: H x W (Image): 7 3/16 × 9 7/16 in. (18.3 × 23.9 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (Sheet): 8 × 10 1/8 in. (20.3 × 25.7 cm)
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Comedy
• Topic: Photography
• Topic: Tap dancing
• Topic: Vaudeville
• Object number: 2013.46.25.47
• 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.