Odetta

Object Details

Artist

Otto Hagel, 12 Mar 1909 - 18 Jan 1973

Sitter

Odetta, 31 Dec 1930 - 2 Dec 2008

Exhibition Label

Born Birmingham, Alabama

Odetta (born Odetta Holmes) began singing in church and went on to study classical singing and musical theater in Los Angeles. By her early twenties, she had taken up guitar, moved to New York City, and embraced the folk music tradition. When she released her first album, Odetta Sings Ballads and Blues (1956), critics were struck by her contralto voice and “electrifying sincerity.” Odetta ranked among folk music’s most celebrated stars, recording with Harry Belafonte, influencing Bob Dylan and Janis Joplin, and performing at the Newport Folk Festival and Carnegie Hall. Simultaneously, her voice reverberated on the streets, where it inspired and buoyed the civil rights movement, especially when she performed at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963.

The German-born Otto Hagel, a freelance photographer who did much of his work for Time and Life magazines, created this portrait of Odetta.

Nacida en Birmingham, Alabama

Odetta (cuyo apellido era Holmes) empezó a cantar en su iglesia y luego estudió canto clásico y teatro musical en Los Ángeles. A los veintitantos años ya se había mudado a Nueva York y se dedicaba a la música folk tocando la guitarra. Cuando lanzó su primer disco, Odetta Sings Ballads and Blues (1956), los críticos quedaron impresionados con su voz de contralto y su “sinceridad electrizante”. Odetta fue una de las estrellas más celebradas de la música folk. Grabó con Harry Belafonte, tuvo influencia en Bob Dylan y Janis Joplin y se presentó en el Newport Folk Festival y en Carnegie Hall. Su voz también resonó en las calles alentando al movimiento por los derechos civiles, sobre todo cuando cantó en la Marcha a Washington por el Trabajo y la Libertad en 1963.

Este retrato de Odetta es obra de Otto Hagel, fotógrafo independiente nacido en Alemania que trabajó mayormente para las revistas Time y Life.

Credit Line

National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution

1964

Object number

NPG.89.188

Restrictions & Rights

Usage conditions apply

Copyright

© Center for Creative Photography, The University of Arizona Foundation

Type

Photograph

Medium

Gelatin silver print

Dimensions

Image/Sheet: 34 × 26.4 cm (13 3/8 × 10 3/8")

Mount: 50.9 × 40.7 cm (20 1/16 × 16")

Mat: 71.1 × 55.9 cm (28 × 22")

See more items in

National Portrait Gallery Collection

Exhibition

20th Century Americans: 1930-1960

On View

NPG, South Gallery 321

National Portrait Gallery

Topic

Costume\Jewelry\Earring

Interior

Costume\Jewelry\Ring

Music\Musical instrument\Guitar

Odetta: Female

Odetta: Performing Arts\Performer\Musician\Composer

Odetta: Society and Social Change\Reformer\Activist\Civil rights activist

Odetta: Performing Arts\Performer\Actor\Movie

Odetta: Performing Arts\Performer\Musician\Guitarist

Odetta: Performing Arts\Performer\Musician\Singer\Folk singer

Odetta: Grammy

Portrait

Record ID

npg_NPG.89.188

Metadata Usage (text)

Usage conditions apply

GUID (Link to Original Record)

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm441432686-b5af-4b30-9ec2-664c27ff0477