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[Portrait of Maudelle Bass, and Lewayne Kennard (Lewaung Connard) Black Ritual"]" – Historic Photograph Print

[Portrait of Maudelle Bass, and Lewayne Kennard (Lewaung Connard) Black Ritual"]", 1940 Apr. 8. — historic photograph
[Portrait of Maudelle Bass, and Lewayne Kennard (Lewaung Connard) Black Ritual"]", 1940 Apr. 8.. Historic photograph from the Historic Print Archive collection.

(Originally scanned by the Library of Congress. Each image is professionally and digitally cleaned of artifacts such as color bars and extra borders prior to printing.)

Description

This historic photograph of [Portrait of Maudelle Bass, and Lewayne Kennard (Lewaung Connard) Black Ritual"]" brings a moment of history to your wall. The original is held by the Library of Congress, so what you hang is a true record of its time.

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[Portrait of Maudelle Bass, and Lewayne Kennard (Lewaung Connard) Black Ritual"]"

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Two performers pose together in this 1940 gelatin silver print, and the title written on the back, "Black Ritual," suggests the portrait was tied to a staged dance or theatrical work. Carl Van Vechten, the photographer, made many portraits of Black dancers, actors, and writers during the 1930s and 1940s, and he often photographed sitters in the context of their performances. The Library of Congress received his negatives and prints from his estate in 1966, and this image is part of that gift. Its title on the verso, rather than a formal catalog title, gives a useful clue about how the sitters and the photographer understood the moment.

Created / published1940 Apr. 8.
Medium1 photographic print : gelatin silver.
GenrePortrait photographs.Group portraits.
NotesTitle derived from information on verso of photographic print. Van Vechten number: V R. Also available on microfilm. Gift; Carl Van Vechten Estate; 1966. Forms part of: Portrait photographs of celebrities, a LOT which in turn forms part of the Carl Van Vechten photograph collection (Library of Congress).
SourceLibrary of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division
Original scan3,268 × 4,096 px · prints to 11 × 14 in at 300 dpi
ReferenceAMZ-SOTP-HPA-190731

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