Photograph of Dewey "Pigmeat" Markham depicted in blackface
date: label: Date
content: 1936
name: label: Photograph by
content: Unidentified
label: Subject of
content: Dewey Markham, American, 1904 - 1981
notes: label: Description
content: A silver gelatin print depicting a black-and-white image of Dewey "Pigmeat" Markham depicted in blackface and shown in profile. Markham is wearing a boater hat, oxfords, and a dark suit with medium toned embellishments on the lapels, breast pocket, side pocket, wrists and pant seam. He has large, white painted lips. He is crouched over with his fists clenched and appears to be walking forward. He is posing in front of a wall, with a staircase visible in the left background. The front of the image has been marked in pencil with crop lines. There are several inscriptions in pencil on the back, including a paragraph about Markham on the bottom half that reads [The Personification of Trucking / -Cut- / Pigmeat Markham / Known the country over today / as the greatest living colored / Comedian. At present Pigmeat is / in his second successful / week in philadelphia where / this month he began what will / develop into 40 wk of truckin and / what have you.].
label: Statement
content: Objects depicting racist and/or stereotypical imagery or language may be offensive and disturbing, but the NMAAHC aims to include them in the Collection to present and preserve the historical context in which they were created and used. Objects of this type provide an important historical record from which to study and evaluate racism.
place: label: Place captured
content: New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
topic: label: Topic
content: African American
label: Topic
content: Actors
label: Topic
content: Blackface
label: Topic
content: Dance
label: Topic
content: Entertainers
label: Topic
content: Photography
label: Topic
content: Singers (Musicians)
label: Topic
content: Stereotypes
label: Topic
content: Theatre
label: Topic
content: Vaudeville
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
label: Collection title
content: The Laura Cathrell Show-Down Magazine Collection
label: Classification
content: Racist and Stereotypical Objects
label: Classification
content: Photographs and Still Images
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture
identifier: label: Object number
content: 2013.46.25.2
objectType: label: Type
content: gelatin silver prints
label: Type
content: portraits
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Unknown - Restrictions Possible
label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Rights assessment and proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: silver and photographic gelatin on photographic paper
label: Dimensions
content: H x W (Image and sheet): 9 15/16 × 8 in. (25.3 × 20.3 cm)