<I>Slow Fade to Black: Lena Horne</I>
date: label: Date
content: 2009-2010
name: label: Photograph by
content: Carrie Mae Weems, American, born 1953
label: Subject of
content: Lena Horne, American, 1917 - 2010
notes: label: Description
content: Black and white inkjet print (a) of Lena Horne in a green frame (b).
label: Description
content: The photograph (a) is intentionally out of focus. The figure of Lena Horne is standing in the center of the image facing the camera. Horne has one hand by her hip and the other behind her head. She is wearing a form-fitting black floor length dress with embellishment on the bodice. Her hair is loose falling to her shoulders. There is a stage light above Horne and unidentified objects are visible on either side of her. The original photograph shows Lena Horne in costume for "Two Girls and a Sailor" standing in a studio on a prop three-step staircase. Horne is standing on the second step and there are metalwork railings on either side of the prop stairs. There is second stage light on the back right side behind Horne. Horne is smiling widely with her head tilted upward. Horne's black evening dress has thin straps not visible in the blurred image. The bodice of the dress has black and tan detailing in the center with a line of embellishments spaced down the middle of the skirt.
label: Description
content: The photograph is inset in the frame (b). The back borders of the frame are raised and have paper tape around the edges. At the top is a sticker with the TransArt International shipping label. The center portion of the frame has two white adhesive labels, one with information about the artist, Carrie Mae Weems. The other has exhibit details and the address for the Jack Shainman Gallery. Below this tag is information about the frame and the manufacturer. There is a corded metal wire screwed into the frame to hang the photograph.
topic: label: Topic
content: African American
label: Topic
content: Actors
label: Topic
content: Art
label: Topic
content: Entertainers
label: Topic
content: Film
label: Topic
content: Hollywood (Film)
label: Topic
content: Photography
label: Topic
content: Singers (Musicians)
label: Topic
content: Women
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
label: Portfolio/Series
content: Slow Fade to Black
label: Classification
content: Visual Arts
label: Classification
content: Photographs and Still Images
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Jo Carole and Ronald S. Lauder in honor of Richard and Laura Parsons, Colin and Alma Powell, and Darren Walker
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture
identifier: label: Object number
content: 2017.20.3ab
objectType: label: Type
content: portraits
label: Type
content: inkjet prints
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: © Carrie Mae Weems
label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: inkjet print (a): ink on photographic paper;
label: Medium
content: frame (b): acrylic, wood, wire and metal
label: Dimensions
content: H x W (Image): 11 3/4 × 8 3/4 in. (29.8 × 22.2 cm)
label: Dimensions
content: H x W x D (Frame): 12 7/8 × 9 7/8 × 1 1/2 in. (32.7 × 25.1 × 3.8 cm)