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Catalog Data

Artist:
Unidentified Artist  Search this
Sitter:
Dorothy Dandridge, 9 Nov 1922 - 8 Sept 1965  Search this
Associated Institution:
20th Century Fox Film Corporation  Search this
Medium:
Color photolithographic poster with halftone
Dimensions:
Image: 188.4 × 99.5 cm (74 3/16 × 39 3/16")
Sheet: 196.7 × 104.7 cm (77 7/16 × 41 1/4")
Mount: 203.7 × 111.8 cm (80 3/16 × 44")
Type:
Print
Date:
1954
Exhibition Label:
Born Cleveland, Ohio
Every element of the film poster for Carmen Jones—vivacious pose, life-size scale, ambiguous space, simplified color scheme, and jazzy lettering— heightens Dorothy Dandridge’s glamour and promise. Dandridge, who could both sing and act, played the title role in Otto Preminger’s 1954 film. Set in an African American community during World War II and first performed on Broadway, Carmen Jones was an adaptation of Georges Bizet’s opera Carmen (1875). The all-Black musical had garnered rave reviews, and the following year, Dandridge became the first African American to receive an Oscar nomination for a starring role.
Although there were few leading roles available for Black actors in mainstream film, Dandridge went on to star opposite Sidney Poitier in Porgy and Bess (1959), among other films. Overall, Dandridge described the challenge she faced as “not yetness.” Despite being lauded for her talent and beauty, she felt white society was not “quite ready for full acceptance.”
Nacida en Cleveland, Ohio
Cada elemento del cartel de Carmen Jones —pose vivaz, tamaño natural, espacio ambiguo, colores simplificados y letra llamativa— realza el glamour y el potencial de Dorothy Dandridge, quien, sabiendo cantar y actuar, logró protagonizar este filme de 1954 dirigido por Otto Preminger. Ambientada en una comunidad afroamericana durante la II Guerra Mundial y presentada primero en Broadway, la historia de Carmen Jones era una adaptación de la ópera Carmen (1875) de Georges Bizet. El musical fílmico, con un elenco de artistas negros, recibió críticas muy elogiosas y al año siguiente Dandridge fue la primera afroamericana nominada para el Oscar por un papel principal.
Aunque eran pocos los papeles estelares para actores negros en la industria, Dandridge también protagonizó Porgy and Bess (1959) junto a Sidney Poitier, entre otras. Solía describir los retos que enfrentó como el “todavía no”: a pesar de ser alabada por su talento y belleza, sentía que la sociedad blanca no estaba “del todo lista para aceptarme plenamente”.
Topic:
Costume\Jewelry\Earring  Search this
Costume\Jewelry\Bracelet  Search this
Music\Sheet music  Search this
Poster  Search this
Poster\Movie  Search this
Dorothy Dandridge: Female  Search this
Dorothy Dandridge: Performing Arts\Performer\Musician\Singer  Search this
Dorothy Dandridge: Performing Arts\Performer\Actor\Movie actor  Search this
Portrait  Search this
Credit Line:
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
Object number:
NPG.99.92
Restrictions & Rights:
Usage conditions apply
Copyright:
© 20th Century Fox Film Corp.
See more items in:
National Portrait Gallery Collection
Location:
Currently not on view
Data Source:
National Portrait Gallery
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm476f7a728-67ee-45f4-97f1-0227cdcb5c7e
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:npg_NPG.99.92