Photograph of Etta Moten Barnett: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

This is a black and white photograph of Etta Moten Barnett. Shown from the shoulders up, she is posed with her shoulders sideways to the viewer. She turns her head over her right shoulder to gaze at the viewer. Her chin is propped up on her right hand, which is raised with her fingers curled under her chin. She wears a dark lace top and large ring on her right hand with a dark rectangular stone. In the bottom left corner of the image is white text that reads “Bloom / Chicago.” The back is blank.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: ca. 1940
• Photograph by: Bloom Photography, American
• Subject of: Etta Moten Barnett, American, 1901 - 2004
• Owned by: Etta Moten Barnett, American, 1901 - 2004
• Type: gelatin silver prints
• Type: portraits
• Medium: silver and photographic gelatin on photographic paper
• Dimensions: H x W (image): 9 7/16 × 7 3/16 in. (24 × 18.3 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (sheet): 9 13/16 × 7 15/16 in. (25 × 20.1 cm)
• Place made: Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Activism
• Topic: Actors
• Topic: Broadway Theatre
• Topic: Singers (Musicians)
• Topic: Women
• Object number: A2022.13.1.86
• 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.