Photograph of Laura Cathrell and two female performers in costume: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A silver gelatin print depicting a black-and-white image of Laura Cathrell and two (2) female performers in costume, dancing on a stage. Cathrell is centrally depicted with the two (2) female performers on either side of her. Cathrell’s proper right arm is raised in front of her and her proper left arm is behind her in mid-swing. The performers are all wearing identical costumes that include black shorts, a matching bikini top embellished with sequins, and a matching vest with winged shoulders, embellished with sequins and fastened to the shorts. There are no inscriptions on the front or back of the photograph.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1930-1950
• Photograph by: Unidentified
• Subject of: Laura Cathrell, 1914 - 1999
• Subject of: Unidentified Woman or Women
• Type: gelatin silver prints
• Type: portraits
• Medium: silver and photographic gelatin on photographic paper
• Dimensions: H x W (Image): 6 5/16 × 4 5/16 in. (16.1 × 10.9 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (Sheet): 6 7/8 × 4 15/16 in. (17.5 × 12.5 cm)
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Dance
• Topic: Music
• Topic: Photography
• Topic: Theatre
• Object number: 2013.46.25.199
• 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.