<I>Jack Mitchell Photography of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Collection</I>
date: label: Date
content: 1961-2004
name: label: Created by
content: Jack Mitchell, American, 1925 - 2013
label: Subject of
content: Alvin Ailey, American, 1931 - 1989
label: Subject of
content: Judith Ann Jamison, American, 1943 - 2024
label: Subject of
content: Donna Jean Wood, American, born 1954
label: Subject of
content: Gary DeLoatch, American, 1953 - 1993
label: Subject of
content: Masazumi Chaya, Japanese, born 1947
label: Subject of
content: James Truitte, American, 1923 - 1995
label: Subject of
content: Carmen de Lavallade, American, born 1931
label: Subject of
content: Dudley Williams, American, 1938 - 2015
label: Subject of
content: Elizabeth Roxas, Filipina
label: Subject of
content: Desmond Richardson, American, born 1969
label: Subject of
content: Sarita Allen, American
label: Subject of
content: Andre Warren Tyson, American, born 1960
label: Subject of
content: Don Bellamy, American
notes: label: Caption
content: See more about this collection in the Smithsonian Online Virtual Archive (SOVA) here: https://sova.si.edu/record/NMAAHC.A2013.245 or contact NMAAHC Archives at nmaahc-archivalcollection@si.edu.
label: Description
content: Jack Mitchell (1925- 2013) was an acclaimed photographer who began chronicling the work of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in 1961. Alvin Ailey (1931- 1989), one of the most influential African American choreographers of modern dance, dedicated himself and his dance company to creating ballets that not only accelerated the careers of young African American dancers, but also stole the attention of national and international audiences in displaying the racial perspective of dance in the African American experience. This collection serves as Mitchell's documentation of the dance company's evolution while capturing the true idiosyncrasies and physicality of movement through still images. Through Alvin Ailey and Jack Mitchell's partnership, they were able to collaborate and produce a unique production of art, fusing the meaning and movements of dance and the techniques of photography.
label: Description
content: The Jack Mitchell Photography of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Collection is comprised of approximately 10,000 black and white prints of solo and ensemble acts, portraits of principle dancers and various associates of the company, color slides and transparencies for private photo sessions and performances, black and white film strips and their corresponding contact sheets, and reference materials.
label: Description
content: The material in this collection has been kept primarily at the folder level in the order that was declared by the initial owner and photographer, Jack Mitchell. Oversize prints were separated and housed in an associated series in the collection. The order of the material has been organized based on the medium of the material. Each subseries has been organized based on the following:
label: Description
content: Series I: Black and White Prints
label: Description
content: Subseries A: Solo and Ensemble Images and Portraits were organized alphabetically by ballet name. Subseries B: Prints for Jack Mitchell Publication were organized by page number in the publication.
label: Description
content: Series II: Color Photography
label: Description
content: Subseries A: Original Slide Boxes were organized numerically based on Jack Mitchell's label assignments. Subseries B: Color Slides were organized numerically based on subseries A's label assignments. Subseries C: Color Transparencies were organized numerically based on subseries A's label assignments.
label: Description
content: Series III: Black and White Negatives
label: Description
content: Subseries A: Black and White Film Strips were organized chronologically by date. Subseries B: Contact Sheets were organized chronologically by date.
label: Description
content: Series IV: Reference Material
label: Description
content: OVERSIZE Series I: Black and White Prints were organized chronologically by date.
place: label: Place depicted
content: New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
topic: label: Topic
content: African American
label: Topic
content: Modern dance
label: Topic
content: Photography
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
label: Collection title
content: Jack Mitchell Photography of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Collection
label: Classification
content: Archival Collections
label: Classification
content: Photographs and Still Images
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture and Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation, Inc., Photography by Jack Mitchell, © Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation, Inc. and Smithsonian Institution, All rights reserved.
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture
identifier: label: Object number
content: A2013.245
objectType: label: Type
content: gelatin silver prints
label: Type
content: black-and-white transparencies
label: Type
content: color transparencies
label: Type
content: archive
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Photography by Jack Mitchell © Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation, Inc and Smithsonian Institution, All rights reserved.
label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
physicalDescription: label: Dimensions
content: 20.4 linear feet (0.2Meters)