INSIDE THE PUBLIC DOMAIN

In 1938, Waters met artist Luigi Lucioni through their mutual friend, Carl Van Vechten.

Image Description:

Date: April 30, 1934

Medium

silver and photographic gelatin on photographic paper

Dimensions

H x W: 9 1/2 × 6 5/16 in. (24.1 × 16 cm)

Type

black-and-white photograph portraits

A black-and-white photograph of Ethel Waters set against a floral background. She wears a dark-colored head covering and large earrings. With one hand, she holds a floral-printed fan in front of her to partially obscure her mouth and the lower part of her face. On the reverse is a handwritten inscription in graphite reading [Ethel Waters / By Carl Van Vechten], with a photographer’s stamp in the bottom left corner.