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Ethel Waters

National Portrait Gallery

Object Details

Artist
Beauford Delaney, 1901 - 1979
Sitter
Ethel Waters, 31 Oct 1896 - 1 Sep 1977
Exhibition Label
Born Chester, Pennsylvania
Beginning as a blues singer on the black vaudeville circuit while still in her teens, Ethel Waters later made her way to Harlem, where she entertained at the Cotton Club and other nightspots. From the mid-1920s to early 1930s she appeared in all-black revues before moving to mainstream musicals with her performance in Irving Berlin’s As Thousands Cheer (1933). Waters became the first African American actress to play a dramatic lead on Broadway with her role in Mamba’s Daughters (1939). She ultimately appeared in more than a dozen Broadway productions and nine films, including Cabin in the Sky (1943) and The Member of the Wedding (1952).
African American artist Beauford Delaney first gained a reputation in New York City in the 1930s with distinctive pastel portraits like this image of Waters, who was a particular favorite. Delaney and his protégé, James Baldwin, would often listen to, and sing along with, her music.
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; purchase partially supported through the generosity of the Abraham and Virginia Weiss Charitable Trust, Amy and Marc Meadows, in honor of Wendy Wick Reaves; and Jewell Robinson
1940
Object number
NPG.2011.7
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Copyright
© Estate of Beauford Delaney by permission of Derek L. Spratley, Esquire, Court Appointed Administrator; Courtesy of Michael Rosenfeld Gallery LLC, New York, NY
Type
Drawing
Medium
Pastel on paper
Dimensions
Sheet: 65 x 49.6 cm (25 9/16 x 19 1/2")
Frame: 90.5 × 75 cm (35 5/8 × 29 1/2")
See more items in
National Portrait Gallery Collection
Location
Currently not on view
National Portrait Gallery
Topic
Costume\Jewelry\Earring
Ethel Waters: Female
Ethel Waters: Arts and Culture\Literature\Writer
Ethel Waters: Arts and Culture\Performing Arts\Actor
Ethel Waters: Arts and Culture\Performing Arts\Theater\Stage actor
Ethel Waters: Arts and Culture\Performing Arts\Film\Movie actor
Ethel Waters: Arts and Culture\Performing Arts\Music\Musician\Singer\Blues singer
Portrait
Record ID
npg_NPG.2011.7
Metadata Usage (text)
Usage conditions apply
GUID (Link to Original Record)
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm484ba532a-3339-4eab-8373-dcbe5695a6d7

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There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .
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IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
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