Press Pass Worn by Ethel L. Payne
date: label: Date
content: 1957
notes: label: Caption
content: Entering her fourth year as The Chicago Defender’s Washington correspondent, Ethel L. Payne (1911-1991) wore this blue-and-white press pass when covering the second inauguration of President Dwight D. Eisenhower. A paper badge hanging below the pinback button is punctuated with tiny blue elephants in a nod to political party. This badge granted Payne access to the Inaugural Ball, held January 21, 1957 at the D.C. National Guard Armory. Perhaps it was here that a famous Broadway performer inscribed “Love, Pearl Bailey” on the back of Payne’s press pass.
setName: label: See more items in
content: Anacostia Community Museum Collection
creditLine: label: Cite As
content: Ethel Lois Payne Collection, Anacostia Community Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Gift of Avis R. Johnson.
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: Anacostia Community Museum
identifier: label: Accession Number
content: 1991.0076.0119
objectType: label: Type
content: press badge
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: CC0
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: paper, plastic, metal, cotton string
label: Dimensions
content: 8 9/16 × 3 7/16 × 3/8 in. (21.8 × 8.7 × 0.9 cm)