Photograph of Harry "Sweets" Edison and Coleman Hawkins: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A silver gelatin print depicting a black-and-white image of Harry "Sweets" Edison and Coleman Hawkins. Edison and Coleman are depicted from the waist up, playing instruments in front of a dark stage curtain. Edison is depicted on the left playing a trumpet. He is standing in three-quarters profile, looking towards the right side of the image. He is wearing a medium toned jacket, white collared shirt, and a dark tie. He is holding the trumpet to his mouth with his proper left hand and playing the finger buttons with his proper right hand. There is a mute in the bell. Coleman Hawkins is depicted on the right side of the image, playing a saxophone. He is standing in three-quarters profile, looking towards Edison. He is wearing a dark jacket, white collared shirt, a dark tie, and has a white pocket square tucked into his proper left breast pocket. His proper left hand is playing the keys of his saxophone. The photographer’s mark, printed in the negative in the bottom right corner reads, [F[---?] J[---?]]. There are no inscriptions on the front or back of the image.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1954-1967
• Photograph by: Unidentified
• Subject of: Coleman Hawkins, American, 1904 - 1969
• Subject of: Harry "Sweets" Edison, American, 1915 - 1999
• Type: gelatin silver prints
• Type: portraits
• Medium: silver and photographic gelatin on photographic paper
• Dimensions: H x W (Image): 7 11/16 × 9 9/16 in. (19.6 × 24.3 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (Sheet): 8 1/8 × 9 15/16 in. (20.6 × 25.3 cm)
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Instrumentalists (Musicians)
• Topic: Jazz (Music)
• Topic: Nightlife
• Topic: Photography
• Topic: Theatre
• Object number: 2013.46.25.112
• 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.