<I>Untitled (Sikolo Brathwaite, Orange Portrait) </I>
date: label: Date
content: ca. 1968; printed 2020
name: label: Photograph by
content: Kwame Brathwaite, American, 1938 - 2023
label: Subject of
content: Sikolo Brathwaite, American, born 1924
label: Subject of
content: African Jazz-Arts Society and Studios, American, founded 1956
notes: label: Description
content: A color photograph portrait of Sikolo Brathwaite wearing a beaded headpiece designed by Carolee Prince. The Grandassa model is depicted from the shoulders up, against an orange background. She is shown in profile, facing the left edge of the image, with her head turned slightly towards the viewer. Her shoulders are nude, and she is wearing an elaborate headpiece constructed from wired white, pink, orange, and black seed and pony beads. The base of the headpiece is formed from beaded, vertical, radiating spokes fitted to the crown of Brathwaite’s head. The vertical spokes are divided by three horizontal bands of white and black seed beads forming a square lattice. The lattice is divided into four differently colored sections. The band at the top of the crown terminates in a horizontal band of a single row of white seed beads. Below is a pink band formed from pink seed beads and two square, black beads bookending an orange pony bead. This band also terminates in a horizontal band of a single row of white seed beads. The third band is white seed bead spokes that terminate in a horizontal band of a single row of black seed beads that sits just behind Brathwaite’s forehead. Wrapped around the black horizontal band are vertical spokes of pink seed beads. Each pink spoke is capped with orange and white pony bead drops. Emerging from the crown of the headpiece is a funnel shaped lattice of wired, white and pink seed beads and black square beads that extends upwards and broadens into a freeform shaped canopy that extends over the top of Brathwaite’s head. The wavy rim of the canopy is a single wired band of black seed beads. The rim is wrapped with vertical spokes of pink seed beads, capped with orange and white pony bead drops. Brathwaite is also wearing a pair of large, matching, chandelier earrings that are primarily white seed beads with pink and orange seed bead accents and square black beads. There are no marks or inscriptions, front or back.
place: label: Place captured
content: Harlem, New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
topic: label: Topic
content: African American
label: Topic
content: African diaspora
label: Topic
content: Associations and institutions
label: Topic
content: Black power
label: Topic
content: Fashion
label: Topic
content: Photography
label: Topic
content: Women
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
label: Classification
content: Photographs and Still Images
label: Movement
content: Black is Beautiful
label: Movement
content: BAM (Black Arts Movement 1965-1976)
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: 2021.26.5
objectType: label: Type
content: portraits
label: Type
content: inkjet prints
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Courtesy of the Kwame Brathwaite Archive & Philip Martin Gallery, © Kwame Brathwaite
label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: pigment on paper (fiber product)
label: Dimensions
content: H x W: 15 × 15 in. (38.1 × 38.1 cm)