Photograph of Pearl Bailey: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A silver gelatin print depicting a black-and-white image of Pearl Bailey. She is depicted leaning against a large, white, imperial guardian lion statue. She is wearing a light colored, long-sleeved shimmering evening gown, gathered at the waist. Her proper right hand rests on the statue's foot, while her proper left hand is on her hip. Her head is turned and she looks away, towards the left side of the image. At the top left corner of the image is a handwritten inscription in black ink that reads, [Mme / Cathrell, kindly / may I have two / dozen by Wednesday. / Remember me the / promise et al. / Pearlie Mae]. The image is bordered with white and along bottom is black text on the left and right sides. The text in the lower left corner reads, [PEARL BAILEY]. The text in the lower right corner reads, [XXXX / Exclusive Management / WILLIAM MORRIS AGENCY / INC. / NEW YORK CHICAGO LONDON HOLLYWOOD]. There are no inscriptions on the back of the photograph.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: ca. 1947
• Photograph by: Unidentified
• Distributed by: William Morris Agency, American, 1898 - 2009
• Subject of: Pearl Bailey, American, 1918 - 1990
• Type: gelatin silver prints
• Type: portraits
• Medium: silver and photographic gelatin on photographic paper
• Dimensions: H x W (Image): 8 11/16 × 7 9/16 in. (22 × 19.2 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (Sheet): 9 15/16 × 8 1/8 in. (25.2 × 20.7 cm)
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Actors
• Topic: Broadway Theatre
• Topic: Entertainers
• Topic: Jazz (Music)
• Topic: Nightlife
• Topic: Photography
• Topic: Singers (Musicians)
• Object number: 2013.46.25.81
• 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.