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Odetta

National Portrait Gallery
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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

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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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