Object Details
- Artist
- P. H. Polk, born Bessemer, AL 1898-died Tuskegee, AL 1984
- Sitter
- Lillian Evans Tibbs
- Madame Lillian Evanti
- Exhibition Label
- A stately Russian wolfhound recruited for this portrait accentuates the poise and glamour of Lillian Evans Tibbs. Known professionally as Madame Evanti, this Washington native was an internationally acclaimed lyric soprano and the first African American to sing with the Paris Opera. P.H. Polk treated his clients as collaborators, claiming, “If you can’t touch a person in some way, you don’t get a good picture.” His portrait of Lillian Evans Tibbs was designed to reveal her personality, rather than to promote her celebrity status.
- A Democracy of Images: Photographs from the Smithsonian American Art Museum, 2013
- Credit Line
- Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Thurlow Evans Tibbs, Jr.
- 1937
- Object number
- 1994.61
- Restrictions & Rights
- Usage conditions apply
- Type
- Photography-Photoprint
- Medium
- gelatin silver print
- Dimensions
- image: 10 3/8 x 8 in. (26.4 x 20.3 cm) sheet: 13 1/2 x 10 1/2 in. (34.3 x 26.7 cm)
- See more items in
- Smithsonian American Art Museum Collection
- Department
- Graphic Arts
- Smithsonian American Art Museum
- Topic
- African American
- Dress\accessory\hat
- Performing arts\music\voice
- Portrait female\full length
- Portrait female\full length
- Animal\dog\borzoi
- Record ID
- saam_1994.61
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/vk76b77e974-9171-42f1-826d-bd996ed99a4a
