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Postcard of Duke Ellington and his Orchestra, with autograph

African American Museum

This media is in the public domain (free of copyright restrictions). You can copy, modify, and distribute this work without contacting the Smithsonian. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Open Access page.
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    Object Details

    Photograph by

    Maurice Seymour Studio, American, founded 1929

    Subject of

    Duke Ellington, American, 1899 - 1974
    Juan Tizol Martinez, Puerto Rican, 1900 - 1984
    Barney Bigard, American, 1906 - 1980
    Sonny Greer, American, 1895 - 1982

    Description

    A black and white photographic postcard of Duke Ellington and his orchestra.
    Duke Ellington is standing in the front on the left side. His hand is resting on a piano and there is a saxophone next to him. He is wearing a white dress shirt and a black tuxedo with a white pocket square. His orchestra is standing behind him with instruments next to them, saxophones and clarinets along the front row and drums in the back. They are wearing light colored tuxedos with white dress shirts and shiny lapels. The signature of Duke Ellington in blue ink is across the center of the phtoograph. At the bottom right corner is the photographer's mark [Maurice / Chicago] in white.
    The back of the postcard is white. There is grey printed text which reads [POSTCARD / CORRESPONDENCE ADDRESS] across the top and a stamp box with E K K P in the corners.

    Credit Line

    Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture

    Date

    1935

    Object number

    2015.97.38.5

    Restrictions & Rights

    Public domain
    Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.

    Type

    portraits
    postcards

    Medium

    ink on paper

    Dimensions

    H x W (Sheet): 3 7/16 × 5 3/8 in. (8.7 × 13.7 cm)
    H x W (Image): 3 1/8 × 5 3/16 in. (7.9 × 13.2 cm)

    Place captured

    Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, United States, North and Central America

    See more items in

    National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection

    Classification

    Photographs and Still Images

    Data Source

    National Museum of African American History and Culture

    Topic

    African American
    Musicians
    Photography

    Metadata Usage

    CC0

    Link to Original Record

    http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd50019ec82-5fff-4b54-8560-8418bbe17925

    Record ID

    nmaahc_2015.97.38.5

    Discover More

    Duke Ellington

    Duke Ellington: Jazz Legend and Cultural Icon

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