The Bronze Venus

Object Details

Artist

Morgan Lithography Company, active c. 1917 - 1945

Sitter

Lena Calhoun Horne, 30 Jun 1917 - 9 May 2010

Exhibition Label

Born Brooklyn, New York

Lena Horne blazed a trail for African American entertainers, overcoming racial prejudice to achieve mainstream popularity as a singer and actor. Starting out as a sixteen-year-old dancer at Harlem’s Cotton Club, she was soon fascinating Manhattan nightclub audiences with her expressive voice. In 1942 Metro-Goldwin-Mayer offered Horne a long-term movie contract—a virtually unprecedented achievement for a woman of color at that time. This poster advertises the re-release of a film Horne made in 1938, retitled The Bronze Venus to call attention to the rising star’s beauty as well as her skin color. A passionate civil rights activist, Horne refused to accept roles that reinforced negative racial stereotypes, and she abandoned Hollywood in the mid-1950s to focus on live performance and recording. Her one-woman Broadway show garnered Tony and Grammy awards in 1981, and she received a second Grammy in 1996.

Nacida en Brooklyn, New York

Lena Horne abrió brecha para los artistas afroamericanos al superar los prejuicios raciales y alcanzar popularidad entre el público general como cantante y actriz. Comenzó su carrera a los dieciséis años como bailarina en el Cotton Club de Harlem y muy pronto cautivó con su expresiva voz al público de los clubes nocturnos de Manhattan. En 1942, la productora cinematográfica Metro-Goldwin-Mayer le ofreció un contrato a largo plazo, lo cual en esa época era un logro prácticamente sin precedentes para una mujer de raza negra. Este cartel sirvió para promocionar el reestreno de una película hecha por Horne en 1938 y luego retitulada The Bronze Venus, en alusión a la belleza y el color de la estrella en ascenso. Ferviente defensora de los derechos civiles, Horne se negó a aceptar roles que reforzaran los estereotipos raciales negativos y abandonó Hollywood a mediados de la década de 1950 para dedicarse a actuaciones en vivo y grabaciones. En 1981 recibió premios Tony y Grammy por su espectáculo unipersonal en Broadway, y en 1996 recibió un segundo Grammy.

Credit Line

National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution

1943

Object number

NPG.2005.139

Restrictions & Rights

Usage conditions apply

Copyright

© Morgan Lithography Company

Type

Print

Medium

Color halftone lithographic movie poster on paper

Dimensions

Sheet: 204.1 × 103.4cm (80 3/8 × 40 11/16")

Paper mount: 207.8 × 108.6cm (81 13/16 × 42 3/4")

See more items in

National Portrait Gallery Collection

Alternate Title

Lena Horne

National Portrait Gallery

Topic

Costume\Jewelry

Music\Musical instrument\Trumpet

Music\Musical instrument\Trombone

Poster

Human Figures

Poster\Movie

Lena Calhoun Horne: Female

Lena Calhoun Horne: Performing Arts\Performer\Actor\Theater

Lena Calhoun Horne: Society and Social Change\Reformer\Activist\Civil rights activist

Lena Calhoun Horne: Performing Arts\Performer\Actor\Movie

Lena Calhoun Horne: Performing Arts\Performer\Musician\Singer\Popular

Lena Calhoun Horne: Performing Arts\Performer\Actor\Television

Lena Calhoun Horne: Grammy

Portrait

Record ID

npg_NPG.2005.139

Metadata Usage (text)

Usage conditions apply

GUID (Link to Original Record)

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm4cd69972a-8b0a-4dd6-8122-fd4e2dd7b6af