Photographic print of Ethel Waters in costume: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A black and white photograph of Ethel Waters backstage in costume for a performance in Pittsburgh. She wears a kerchief covering her hair, a long sleeved blouse, striped skirt, and checkered apron; her hands rest on her lap underneath the apron. Waters is seated in a corner in front of two walls lined with radiators. The back of the photograph has two barcode stickers, one with caption information, and a yellow circle sticker.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: February - April 1940
• Photograph by: Charles "Teenie" Harris, American, 1908 - 1998
• Subject of: Ethel Waters, American, 1896 - 1977
• Type: gelatin silver prints
• Medium: silver and photographic gelatin on photographic paper
• Dimensions: H x W (Image): 6 1/2 × 8 11/16 in. (16.5 × 22.1 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (Sheet): 8 × 10 in. (20.3 × 25.4 cm)
• Place depicted: Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Actors
• Topic: Black Press
• Topic: Broadway Theatre
• Topic: Entertainers
• Topic: Photography
• Topic: Singers (Musicians)
• Topic: U.S. History, 1933-1945
• Object number: 2014.302.43
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift from Charles A. Harris and Beatrice Harris in memory of Charles "Teenie" Harris
• 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: © Carnegie Museum of Art, Charles "Teenie" Harris Archive Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.