Photograph of Etta Moten Barnett with signed note to her husband Claude Barnett: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

This is a black and white portrait of Etta Moten Barnett. She wears a grey dress with long fitted sleeves and a high straight neckline. She is seated in an armchair that is arranged sideways to the audience. Her body is in profile to the viewer, but her head is turned towards her left shoulder with her hands draped across her lap. She gazes out of the corner of her eyes over her left shoulder. In the bottom right corner of the image is white text that reads “BLOOM / CHICAGO.” There is a handwritten note on the front in the center of the image from Etta to her husband Claude Barnett reading: [With everlasting devotion / to the most important person / in my life: my husband Claude / whose everlasting spirit urges / me to try and reach the stars! / To our eternal happiness and success. / Your most adoring wife. / "Etta"]. The back of the photograph is blank.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: ca. 1935
• Photograph by: Bloom Photography, American
• Subject of: Etta Moten Barnett, American, 1901 - 2004
• Subject of: Claude Albert Barnett, American, 1889 - 1967
• 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): 6 15/16 × 8 3/4 in. (17.7 × 22.3 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (sheet): 10 15/16 × 13 in. (27.8 × 33 cm)
• Place captured: 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: A2022.13.1.110
• 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.