Photograph of two Ensemble of Harlem Uproar House 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 two Ensemble of Harlem Uproar House female performers in costume. The women are seated side-by-side on a stage, with their arms around each other’s backs. Both women are wearing matching costumes that include large bows on their heads, cropped tops with ruffled necklines and puffed sleeves, and ruffled skirts that open at the front. Laura Cathrell is depicted on the left side of the image with her proper right leg crossed over her proper left leg. She rests her proper right arm on her proper right knee. The woman on the right side of the image is depicted with her proper left leg crossed over her proper right leg. She rests her proper left arm on her proper left calf. There is an inscription in blue ink at the bottom center of the photograph, that reads, [To my / Great Big "Sis" / With Love / Lauri / N.Y.C.]. There are no inscriptions on the back of the photograph.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1937
• Photograph by: Unidentified
• Subject of: Laura Cathrell, 1914 - 1999
• Subject of: Unidentified Woman or Women
• Subject of: Harlem Uproar House, American
• Type: gelatin silver prints
• Type: portraits
• Medium: silver and photographic gelatin on photographic paper
• Dimensions: H x W (Image): 7 1/2 × 9 3/8 in. (19 × 23.8 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (Sheet): 8 × 9 15/16 in. (20.3 × 25.2 cm)
• Place depicted: New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Dance
• Topic: Entertainers
• Topic: Nightlife
• Topic: Photography
• Topic: Theatre
• Object number: 2013.46.25.124
• 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.