Search Results

Container:

Box 7 of 21

Type:

Archival materials

Collection Citation:

Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 333, National Collection of Fine Arts/National Portrait Gallery Library, Exhibition Records

See more items in:

Exhibition Records

Exhibition Records / Box 7

Archival Repository:

Smithsonian Institution Archives

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-sia-faru0333-refidd1e1297

Creator:

Smithsonian American Art Museum  Search this

Type:

Conversations and talks

YouTube Videos

Uploaded:

2022-10-13T00:14:53.000Z

YouTube Category:

Education  Search this

Topic:

Art, American  Search this

See more by:

americanartmuseum

Data Source:

Smithsonian American Art Museum

YouTube Channel:

americanartmuseum

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:yt_w4Iz2cj99EA

Creator:

Smithsonian Education  Search this

Type:

Conversations and talks

YouTube Videos

Uploaded:

2009-03-17T16:51:25.000Z

YouTube Category:

Education  Search this

Topic:

Education  Search this

See more by:

SmithsonianEducation

Data Source:

Smithsonian Education

YouTube Channel:

SmithsonianEducation

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:yt_pvCpgM_pUcI

Published by:

Playbill, American, founded 1884  Search this

Subject of:

Charles S. Dutton, American, born 1951  Search this

Rocky Carroll, American, born 1963  Search this

Apryl R. Foster, American  Search this

Carl Gordon, American, 1932 - 2010  Search this

Lisa Gay Hamilton, American, born 1964  Search this

Tommy Hollis, American, 1954 - 2001  Search this

S. Epatha Merkerson, American  Search this

Lou Myers, American, born 1945  Search this

Medium:

ink on paper

Dimensions:

H x W: 8 3/8 x 5 5/8 in. (21.3 x 14.3 cm)

Type:

theater programs

Place used:

New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America

Date:

1990

Topic:

African American  Search this

Broadway Theatre  Search this

Drama (Theatre)  Search this

Credit Line:

Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Kayla Deigh Owens

Object number:

2011.45.77

Restrictions & Rights:

Playbill used by permission. All rights reserved, Playbill Inc

Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.

See more items in:

National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection

Classification:

Memorabilia and Ephemera

Data Source:

National Museum of African American History and Culture

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd5617dcbe3-2c46-45f9-8bf0-52d0ca62ee99

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:nmaahc_2011.45.77

Creator:

National Museum of the American Indian  Search this

Type:

YouTube Videos

Uploaded:

2021-10-25T16:17:15.000Z

YouTube Category:

Education  Search this

Topic:

Native Americans;American Indians  Search this

See more by:

SmithsonianNMAI

Data Source:

National Museum of the American Indian

YouTube Channel:

SmithsonianNMAI

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:yt_bPtX7u_TAHg

Creator:

Smithsonian Institution  Search this

Type:

YouTube Videos

Uploaded:

2012-03-15T18:58:08.000Z

YouTube Category:

Education  Search this

See more by:

SmithsonianVideos

Data Source:

Smithsonian Institution

YouTube Channel:

SmithsonianVideos

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:yt_KPfUqEj5mok

Creator:

National Museum of the American Indian  Search this

Type:

Lectures

YouTube Videos

Uploaded:

2023-03-24T18:53:12.000Z

YouTube Category:

Education  Search this

Topic:

Native Americans;American Indians  Search this

See more by:

SmithsonianNMAI

Data Source:

National Museum of the American Indian

YouTube Channel:

SmithsonianNMAI

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:yt_UKjGmyJNJ6w

Artist:

Charles Michael Angelo Lang, 1860 - 1934  Search this

Copy after:

Samuel Lovett Waldo, 6 Apr 1783 - 16 Feb 1861  Search this

Sitter:

Andrew Kirkpatrick, 1756 - 1831  Search this

Medium:

Oil on canvas

Dimensions:

76.2cm x 63.5cm (30" x 25"), Accurate

Type:

Painting

Date:

c. 1885-1924

Topic:

Andrew Kirkpatrick: Male  Search this

Andrew Kirkpatrick: Law and Crime\Jurist  Search this

Portrait  Search this

Credit Line:

Owner: Rutgers University

Object number:

101 RU

Restrictions & Rights:

Usage conditions apply

See more items in:

Catalog of American Portraits

Data Source:

Catalog of American Portraits

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm47846aee0-1601-45d9-9ed0-d84f3a986cd5

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:npg_101_RU

Artist:

Thomas Ball, 3 Jun 1819 - 11 Dec 1911  Search this

Sitter:

Henry Clay, 12 Apr 1777 - 29 Jun 1852  Search this

Medium:

Bronze

Dimensions:

75.2cm x 32.8cm x 28cm (29 5/8" x 12 15/16" x 11"), Accurate

Type:

Sculpture

Date:

1853

Topic:

Henry Clay: Male  Search this

Henry Clay: Law and Crime\Lawyer  Search this

Henry Clay: Politics and Government\Presidential candidate  Search this

Henry Clay: Politics and Government\US Congressman\Speaker of the House  Search this

Henry Clay: Politics and Government\Cabinet member\Secretary of State  Search this

Henry Clay: Politics and Government\US Congressman\Kentucky  Search this

Henry Clay: Politics and Government\State Legislator\Kentucky  Search this

Henry Clay: Politics and Government\US Senator\Kentucky  Search this

Portrait  Search this

Credit Line:

Owner: Rutgers University

Object number:

1395

Restrictions & Rights:

Usage conditions apply

See more items in:

Catalog of American Portraits

Data Source:

Catalog of American Portraits

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm486de9df9-a3c5-4851-9dad-78f8dc691a9b

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:npg_1395

Artist:

Thomas Ball, 3 Jun 1819 - 11 Dec 1911  Search this

Sitter:

Daniel Webster, 18 Jan 1782 - 24 Oct 1852  Search this

Medium:

Bronze

Dimensions:

77.1cm x 29.3cm x 27.2cm (30 3/8" x 11 9/16" x 10 11/16"), Accurate

Type:

Sculpture

Date:

1858

Topic:

Daniel Webster: Male  Search this

Daniel Webster: Law and Crime\Lawyer  Search this

Daniel Webster: Politics and Government\US Congressman\Massachusetts  Search this

Daniel Webster: Politics and Government\Cabinet member\Secretary of State  Search this

Daniel Webster: Politics and Government\US Senator\Massachusetts  Search this

Daniel Webster: Politics and Government\US Congressman\New Hampshire  Search this

Daniel Webster: Education and Scholarship\Orator  Search this

Portrait  Search this

Credit Line:

Owner: Rutgers University

Object number:

1396

Restrictions & Rights:

Usage conditions apply

See more items in:

Catalog of American Portraits

Data Source:

Catalog of American Portraits

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm4ca510f4e-8e1c-48ac-bc57-aa939b5064f2

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:npg_1396

Artist:

John Vanderlyn, Jr., 1805 - 1876  Search this

Sitter:

Abraham Bruyn Hasbrouck, 1791 - 1879  Search this

Medium:

Oil on canvas

Dimensions:

Stretcher: 111.8 x 83.8cm (44 x 33")

Type:

Painting

Date:

mid 19th century

Topic:

Printed Material\Document\Scroll  Search this

Home Furnishings\Drape  Search this

Architecture\Column  Search this

Abraham Bruyn Hasbrouck: Male  Search this

Abraham Bruyn Hasbrouck: Law and Crime\Lawyer  Search this

Abraham Bruyn Hasbrouck: Education and Scholarship\Administrator\College administrator\President  Search this

Portrait  Search this

Credit Line:

Owner: Rutgers University

Object number:

172 RU

Restrictions & Rights:

Usage conditions apply

See more items in:

Catalog of American Portraits

Data Source:

Catalog of American Portraits

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm403da111a-f21c-48ef-82af-36e18d076758

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:npg_172_RU

Artist:

Thomas Sully, 19 Jun 1783 - 5 Nov 1872  Search this

Sitter:

Theodore Frelinghuysen, 28 Mar 1787 - 12 Apr 1862  Search this

Medium:

Oil on canvas

Dimensions:

114.3cm x 88.9cm (45" x 35"), Accurate

Type:

Painting

Date:

1865

Topic:

Theodore Frelinghuysen: Male  Search this

Theodore Frelinghuysen: Law and Crime\Lawyer  Search this

Theodore Frelinghuysen: Education and Scholarship\Educator  Search this

Theodore Frelinghuysen: Politics and Government\Public official\Mayor\Newark, NJ  Search this

Theodore Frelinghuysen: Education and Scholarship\Administrator\College administrator\President  Search this

Theodore Frelinghuysen: Politics and Government\US Senator\New Jersey  Search this

Theodore Frelinghuysen: Politics and Government\State Attorney General\New Jersey  Search this

Theodore Frelinghuysen: Politics and Government\Vice-Presidential Candidate  Search this

Portrait  Search this

Credit Line:

Owner: Rutgers University

Object number:

22 RU

Restrictions & Rights:

Usage conditions apply

See more items in:

Catalog of American Portraits

Data Source:

Catalog of American Portraits

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm42a500ea9-5cea-4542-9e61-7ffbe4d58027

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:npg_22_RU

Artist:

John Vanderlyn, Jr., 1805 - 1876  Search this

Sitter:

Abraham Bruyn Hasbrouck, 1791 - 1879  Search this

Medium:

Oil on canvas

Dimensions:

Sight: 110.2 x 83.5cm (43 3/8 x 32 7/8")

Type:

Painting

Date:

mid 19th century

Topic:

Printed Material\Document\Scroll  Search this

Home Furnishings\Drape  Search this

Architecture\Column  Search this

Symbols & Motifs\Seal  Search this

Costume\Dress Accessory\Ribbon  Search this

Abraham Bruyn Hasbrouck: Male  Search this

Abraham Bruyn Hasbrouck: Law and Crime\Lawyer  Search this

Abraham Bruyn Hasbrouck: Education and Scholarship\Administrator\College administrator\President  Search this

Portrait  Search this

Credit Line:

Owner: Rutgers University

Object number:

25 RU

Restrictions & Rights:

Usage conditions apply

See more items in:

Catalog of American Portraits

Data Source:

Catalog of American Portraits

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm4f21ae58d-8a54-43c6-94f5-a6246285e9a2

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:npg_25_RU

Artist:

S. S. Rowe, born early-mid 19th century  Search this

Sitter:

Garret Augustus Hobart, 3 Jun 1844 - 21 Nov 1899  Search this

Medium:

Oil on artist board

Dimensions:

86.3cm x 60.9cm (34" x 24"), Accurate

Type:

Painting

Date:

c. 1893-1903

Topic:

Garret Augustus Hobart: Male  Search this

Garret Augustus Hobart: Law and Crime\Lawyer  Search this

Garret Augustus Hobart: Politics and Government\Vice-President of US  Search this

Garret Augustus Hobart: Politics and Government\State Senator\New Jersey  Search this

Garret Augustus Hobart: Politics and Government\State Legislator\New Jersey  Search this

Portrait  Search this

Credit Line:

Owner: Rutgers University

Object number:

26 RU

Restrictions & Rights:

Usage conditions apply

See more items in:

Catalog of American Portraits

Data Source:

Catalog of American Portraits

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm4e6bea30e-f9a8-40fa-8acb-e5968c012402

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:npg_26_RU

Artist:

Gutzon Borglum, 25 Mar 1867 - 6 Mar 1941  Search this

Sitter:

Abraham Lincoln, 12 Feb 1809 - 15 Apr 1865  Search this

Medium:

Bronze

Dimensions:

96.5cm x 83.8cm (38" x 33"), Accurate

Type:

Sculpture

Date:

1908

Topic:

Abraham Lincoln: Male  Search this

Abraham Lincoln: Law and Crime\Lawyer  Search this

Abraham Lincoln: Military and Intelligence\Soldier  Search this

Abraham Lincoln: Politics and Government\President of US  Search this

Abraham Lincoln: Society and Social Change\Reformer\Environmentalist  Search this

Abraham Lincoln: Business and Finance\Businessperson\Merchant  Search this

Abraham Lincoln: Politics and Government\US Congressman\Illinois  Search this

Abraham Lincoln: Politics and Government\Government official\Surveyor  Search this

Abraham Lincoln: Politics and Government\State Senator\Illinois  Search this

Abraham Lincoln: Politics and Government\Government official\Postmaster  Search this

Abraham Lincoln: Crafts and Trades\Boat builder  Search this

Portrait  Search this

Credit Line:

Owner: Rutgers University

Object number:

73.7.1

Restrictions & Rights:

Usage conditions apply

See more items in:

Catalog of American Portraits

Data Source:

Catalog of American Portraits

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm4306b1086-78ad-4220-ade3-f74948f0f35a

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:npg_73.7.1

Artist:

William Thorne, 1864 - 1956  Search this

Sitter:

Henry W. Bookstaver, 1835 - 1907  Search this

Medium:

Oil on canvas

Dimensions:

73.3cm x 59.7cm (28 7/8" x 23 1/2"), Sight

Type:

Painting

Date:

1894

Topic:

Henry W. Bookstaver: Male  Search this

Henry W. Bookstaver: Law and Crime\Lawyer  Search this

Portrait  Search this

Credit Line:

Owner: Rutgers University

Object number:

83 RU

Restrictions & Rights:

Usage conditions apply

See more items in:

Catalog of American Portraits

Data Source:

Catalog of American Portraits

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm414568f56-99b0-44a0-bcc6-3c5f29fb5c44

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:npg_83_RU

Artist:

Henry Augustus Schwabe, 1843 - 1916  Search this

Sitter:

Frederick Theodore Frelinghuysen, 1817 - 1885  Search this

Medium:

Oil on canvas

Dimensions:

91.4cm x 76.2cm (36" x 30"), Accurate

Type:

Painting

Date:

c. 1871-85

Topic:

Frederick Theodore Frelinghuysen: Male  Search this

Frederick Theodore Frelinghuysen: Law and Crime\Lawyer  Search this

Frederick Theodore Frelinghuysen: Politics and Government\Cabinet member\Secretary of State  Search this

Frederick Theodore Frelinghuysen: Politics and Government\US Senator\New Jersey  Search this

Portrait  Search this

Credit Line:

Owner: Rutgers University

Object number:

95 RU

Restrictions & Rights:

Usage conditions apply

See more items in:

Catalog of American Portraits

Data Source:

Catalog of American Portraits

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm416d1bc2f-6be5-4e1c-9f45-a50358e9664d

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:npg_95_RU

Creator:

Ellington, Duke, 1899-1974  Search this

Names:

Duke Ellington Orchestra  Search this

Washingtonians, The.  Search this

Ellington, Mercer Kennedy, 1919-1996 (musician)  Search this

Strayhorn, Billy (William Thomas), 1915-1967  Search this

Collector:

National Museum of American History (U.S.). Division of Musical History  Search this

Extent:

400 Cubic feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Phonograph records

Papers

Photographic prints

Posters

Sound recordings

Scrapbooks

Music

Clippings

Awards

Audiotapes

Place:

New York (N.Y.) -- 20th century

Harlem (New York, N.Y.) -- 20th century

Washington (D.C.) -- 20th century

Date:

1903 - 1989

Summary:

The collection documents Duke Ellington's career primarily through orchestrations (scores and parts), music manuscripts, lead sheets, transcriptions, and sheet music. It also includes concert posters, concert programs, television, radio, motion picture and musical theater scripts, business records, correspondence, awards, as well as audiotapes, audiodiscs, photographs, tour itineraries, newspaper clippings, magazines, caricatures, paintings, and scrapbooks.

Scope and Contents:

Dating approximately from the time Duke Ellington permanently moved to New York City in 1923 to the time the material was transferred to the Smithsonian Institution in 1988, the bulk of the material in the Duke Ellington Collection is dated from 1934-1974 and comprises sound recordings, original music manuscripts and published sheet music, hand-written notes, correspondence, business records, photographs, scrapbooks, news clippings, concert programs, posters, pamphlets, books and other ephemera. These materials document Ellington's contributions as composer, musician, orchestra leader, and an ambassador of American music and culture abroad. In addition, the materials paint a picture of the life of a big band maintained for fifty years and open a unique window through which to view an evolving American society.

The approximate four hundred cubic feet of archival materials have been processed and organized into sixteen series arranged by type of material. Several of the series have been divided into subseries allowing additional organization to describe the content of the material. For example, Series 6, Sound Recordings, is divided into four subseries: Radio and Television Interviews, Concert Performances, Studio Dates and Non-Ellington Recordings. Each series has its own scope and content note describing the material and arrangement (for example; Series 10, Magazines and Newspaper Articles, is organized into two groups, foreign and domestic, and arranged chronologically within each group). A container list provides folder titles and box numbers.

The bulk of the material is located in Series 1, Music Manuscripts, and consists of compositions and arrangements by Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn and other composers. Series 6, Sound Recordings also provides a record of the performance of many of these compositions. The materials in Series 2, Performances and Programs, Series 3, Business Records, Series 8, Scrapbooks, Series 9, Newspaper Clippings, Series 11, Publicity and Series 12, Posters provide documentation of specific performances by Duke Ellington and His Orchestra. Ellington was a spontaneous and prolific composer as evidenced by music, lyrical thoughts, and themes for extended works and plays captured on letterhead stationery in Series 3, Business Records, in the margin notes of individual books and pamphlets in Series 14, Religious Materials and Series 15, Books, and in the hand-written notes in Series 5, Personal Correspondence and Notes.

During its fifty-year lifespan, Duke Ellington and His Orchestra were billed under various names including The Washingtonians, The Harlem Footwarmers and The Jungle Band. The soloists were informally called "the band", and Series 3 includes salary statements, IOU's, receipts and ephemera relating to individual band members. Series 1, Music Manuscripts contains the soloists' parts and includes "band books" of several soloists (for example; Harry Carney and Johnny Hodges) and numerous music manuscripts of Billy Strayhorn. The changing role of Strayhorn from arranger hired in 1938 to Ellington's main collaborator and composer of many well-known titles for Duke Ellington and His Orchestra including "Take The A' Train" and "Satin Doll" can be traced in these music manuscripts. Series 7, Photographs and Series 2, Performances and Programs contain many images of the band members and Strayhorn. This Collection also documents the business history of Duke Ellington and His Orchestra. Series 3, Business Records contains correspondence on letterhead stationery and Series 11, Publicity contains promotional material from the various booking agencies, professional companies, and public relations firms that managed the Orchestra.

The materials in the Duke Ellington Collection provide insight into public and institutional attitudes towards African Americans in mid-twentieth-century America. The business records in Series 3 beginning in 1938 and published sheet music in Series 1 depict Duke Ellington's progression from an African-American musician who needed "legitimization" by a white publisher, Irving Mills, to a businessmen who established his own companies including Tempo Music and Duke Ellington, Incorporated to control his copyright and financial affairs. Programs from the segregated Cotton Club in Series 2, Performances And Programs and contracts with no-segregation clauses in Series 3: Business Records further illustrate racial policies and practices in this time period. The public shift in perception of Duke Ellington from a leader of an exotic "Jungle Band" in the 1930s to a recipient of the Congressional Medal Of Freedom in 1970 is evidenced in Series 2, Performances And Programs, Series 12, Posters, Series 7, Photographs and Series 13, Awards. Reviews and articles reflecting Ellington's evolving status are also documented in Series 8, Newspaper Clippings, Series 9, Scrapbooks, Series 10, Newspaper and Magazine Articles.

The materials in the Duke Ellington Collection reflect rapid technological changes in American society from 1923-1982. Sound recordings in Series 6 range from 78 phonograph records of three minutes duration manufactured for play on Victrolas in monaural sound to long-playing (LP) phonograph records produced for stereo record players. Television scripts in Series 4, programs in Series 2 and music manuscripts (for example, Drum Is A Woman) in Series 1 demonstrate how the development of television as a means of mass communication spread the Orchestra's sound to a wider audience. The availability of commercial air travel enabled the Ellington Orchestra to extend their international performances from Europe to other continents including tours to Asia, Africa, South America and Australia and archival material from these tours is included in every series.

Series 4, Scripts and Transcripts and Series 6, Audio Recordings contain scripts and radio performances promoting the sale of United States War bonds during World War II, and Series 7, Photographs includes many images of Duke Ellington and His Orchestra's performances for military personnel revealing the impact of historic events on Duke Ellington and His Orchestra. Series 2: Programs and Performances, Series 9, Newspaper clippings and Series 8, Scrapbooks document the 1963 Far East tour aborted as a result of President John F. Kennedy's assassination.

The Duke Ellington Collection contains works by numerous twentieth-century music, literature, and art luminaries. Series 1, Music Manuscripts contains original music manuscripts of William Grant Still, Eubie Blake, Mary Lou Williams, and others. Series 4, Scripts and Transcripts contains a play by Langston Hughes, and Series 12, Posters contains many original artworks.

Arrangement:

Series 1: Music Manuscripts, circa 1930-1981, undated

Series 2: Performances and Programs, 1933-1973, undated

Series 3: Business Records, 1938-1988

Series 4: Scripts and Transcripts, 1937-1970

Series 5: Personal Correspondence and Notes, 1941-1974, undated

Series 6: Sound Recordings, 1927-1974

Series 7: Photographs, 1924-1972, undated

Series 8: Scrapbooks, 1931-1973

Series 9: Newspaper Clippings, 1939-1973, undated

Series 10: Magazine Articles and Newspaper Clippings, 1940-1974

Series 11: Publicity, 1935-1988

Series 12: Posters and Oversize Graphics, 1933-1989, undated

Series 13: Awards, 1939-1982

Series 14: Religious Material, 1928-1974

Series 15: Books, 1903-1980

Series 16: Miscellaneous, 1940-1974

Biographical / Historical:

A native of Washington, DC, Edward Kennedy Ellington was born on April 29, 1899. Edward was raised in a middle-class home in the Northwest section of Washington described by his sister Ruth--younger by sixteen years--as a "house full of love." Ellington himself wrote that his father J.E. (James Edward) raised his family "as though he were a millionaire" but Edward was especially devoted to his mother, Daisy Kennedy Ellington. In 1969, thirty-four years after his mother's death, Ellington accepted the Presidential Medal of Freedom with these words, "There is nowhere else I would rather be tonight but in my mother's arms." Both his parents played the piano and Ellington began piano lessons at the age of seven, but like many boys he was easily distracted by baseball.

In his early teens, Ellington sneaked into Washington clubs and performance halls where he was exposed to ragtime musicians, including James P. Johnson, and where he met people from all walks of life. He returned in earnest to his piano studies, and at age fourteen wrote his first composition, "Soda Fountain Rag" also known as "Poodle Dog Rag." Ellington was earning income from playing music at seventeen years of age, and around this time he earned the sobriquet "Duke" for his sartorial splendor and regal air. On July 2, 1918, he married a high school sweetheart, Edna Thompson; their only child, Mercer Kennedy Ellington, was born on March 11, 1919. Duke Ellington spent the first twenty-four years of his life in Washington's culturally thriving Negro community. In this vibrant atmosphere he was inspired to be a composer and learned to take pride in his African-American heritage.

Ellington moved to New York City in 1923 to join and eventually lead a small group of transplanted Washington musicians called "The Washingtonians," which included future Ellington band members, Sonny Greer, Otto Hardwicke and "Bubber" Miley. Between 1923 and 1927, the group played at the Club Kentucky on Broadway and the ensemble increased from a quintet to a ten-piece orchestra. With stride pianist Willie "The Lion" Smith as his unofficial guide, Ellington soon became part of New York's music scene; Smith proved to be a long-lasting influence on Duke's composing and arranging direction. At the Club Kentucky, Ellington came under the tutelage of another legendary stride pianist, "Fats" Waller. Waller, a protege of Johnson and Smith, played solos during the band's breaks and also tutored Ellington who began to show progress in his compositions. In November 1924, Duke made his publishing and recording debut with "Choo Choo (I Got To Hurry Home)" released on the Blu-Disc label. In 1925, he contributed two songs to Chocolate Kiddies, an all-black revue which introduced European audiences to black American styles and performers. By this time Ellington's family, Edna and Mercer, had joined him in New York City. The couple separated in the late 1920's, but they never divorced or reconciled.

Ellington's achievements as a composer and bandleader began to attract national attention while he worked at the Cotton Club in Harlem, New York City, from 1927 to 1932. The orchestra developed a distinctive sound that displayed the non-traditional voicings of Ellington's arrangements and featured the unique talents of the individual soloists. Ellington integrated his soloists' exotic-sounding trombone growls and wah-wahs, their high-squealed trumpets, their sultry saxophone blues licks and Harlem's street rhythms into his arrangements. In the promotional material of the Cotton Club, the band was often billed as "Duke Ellington and His Jungle Band." With the success of compositions like "Mood Indigo," and an increasing number of recordings and national radio broadcasts from the Cotton Club, the band's reputation soared.

The ten years from 1932 to 1942 are considered by some major critics to represent the "golden age" for the Ellington Orchestra, but it represents just one of their creative peaks. These years did bring an influx of extraordinary new talent to the band including Jimmy Blanton on double bass, Ben Webster on tenor saxophone, and Ray Nance on trumpet, violin and vocals. During this ten year span Ellington composed several of his best known short works, including "Concerto For Cootie," "Ko-Ko," "Cotton Tail," "In A Sentimental Mood," and Jump For Joy, his first full-length musical stage revue.

Most notably, 1938 marked the arrival of Billy Strayhorn. While a teenager in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Strayhorn had already written "Lush Life," "Something To Live For" and a musical, Fantastic Rhythm. Ellington was initially impressed with Strayhorn's lyrics but realized long before Billy's composition "Take the A' Train" became the band's theme song in 1942 that Strayhorn's talents were not limited to penning clever lyrics. By 1942, "Swee' Pea" had become arranger, composer, second pianist, collaborator, and as Duke described him, "my right arm, my left arm, all the eyes in the back of my head, my brain waves in his head, and his in mine." Many Ellington/Strayhorn songs have entered the jazz canon, and their extended works are still being discovered and studied today. Strayhorn remained with the Ellington Organization until his death on May 30, 1967.

Ellington had often hinted of a work in progress depicting the struggle of blacks in America. The original script, Boola, debuted in Carnegie Hall in November of 1943, retitled Black, Brown and Beige. The performance met with mixed reviews, and although Ellington often returned to Carnegie Hall the piece was never recorded in a studio, and after 1944 was never performed in entirety again by the Ellington Orchestra. Nonetheless, it is now considered a milestone in jazz composition.

After World War II the mood and musical tastes of the country shifted and hard times befell big bands, but Ellington kept his band together. The band was not always financially self-sufficient and during the lean times Ellington used his songwriting royalties to meet the soloists' salaries. One could assign to Ellington the altruistic motive of loyalty to his sidemen, but another motivation may have been his compositional style which was rooted in hearing his music in the formative stage come alive in rehearsal. "The band was his instrument," Billy Strayhorn said, and no Ellington composition was complete until he heard the orchestra play it. Then he could fine tune his compositions, omit and augment passages, or weave a soloist's contribution into the structure of the tune.

In 1956, the American public rediscovered Duke and the band at the Newport Jazz Festival in Rhode Island. The searing performances of tenor saxophonist Paul Gonsalves on "Diminuendo and Crescendo In Blue," his premiere soloist, alto saxophonist Johnny Hodges on "Jeep's Blues", and the crowd's ecstatic reaction have become jazz legend. Later that year Duke landed on the cover of Time magazine. Although Ellington had previously written music for film and television (including the short film, Black and Tan Fantasy in 1929) it wasn't until 1959 that Otto Preminger asked him to score music for his mainstream film, Anatomy of a Murder, starring Jimmy Stewart. Paris Blues in 1961, featuring box-office stars Paul Newman and Sidney Poitier in roles as American jazz musicians in Paris, followed.

Ellington's first performance overseas was in England in 1933, but the 1960s brought extensive overseas tours including diplomatic tours sponsored by the State Department. Ellington and Strayhorn composed exquisite extended works reflecting the sights and sounds of their travels, including the Far East Suite, 1966. They wrote homages to their classical influences; in 1963, they adapted Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite and celebrated Shakespeare's works with the suite Such Sweet Thunder in 1957. With Ella Fitzgerald, they continued the Norman Granz Songbook Series. Ellington also began to flex his considerable pianist skills and recorded albums with John Coltrane (1963), Coleman Hawkins (1963), Frank Sinatra, and Money Jungle (1963) with Charles Mingus and Max Roach. The First Sacred Concert debuted in San Francisco's Grace Cathedral in 1965. In his final years, Ellington's thoughts turned to spiritual themes and he added a Second (1968) and Third (1973) Concert of Sacred Music to his compositions.

In his lifetime, Duke received numerous awards and honors including the highest honor bestowed on an American civilian, the Congressional Medal Of Freedom. In 1965, Ellington was recommended for a Pulitzer Prize to honor his forty years of contribution to music but the recommendation was rejected by the board. Most likely he was disappointed, but his response at the age of sixty-six was, "Fate is being kind to me. Fate doesn't want me to be famous too young."

Ellington never rested on his laurels or stopped composing. Whenever he was asked to name his favorite compositions his characteristic reply was "the next five coming up," but to please his loyal fans Ellington always featured some of his standards in every performance. Even on his deathbed, he was composing the opera buffo called Queenie Pie.

Duke Ellington died on May 24, 1974 at seventy-five years of age. His funeral was held in New York's Cathedral of St. John The Divine; he was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery. His long-time companion Beatrice "Evie" Ellis was buried beside him after her death in 1976. He was survived by his only child, Mercer Kennedy Ellington, who not only took up the baton to lead the Duke Ellington Orchestra but assumed the task of caring for his father's papers and his legacy to the nation. Mercer Ellington died in Copenhagan, Denmark on February 8, 1996, at the age of seventy-six. Ruth Ellington Boatwright died in New York on March 6, 2004, at the age of eighty-eight. Both Mercer and Ruth were responsible for shepherding the documents and artifacts that celebrate Duke Ellington's genius and creative life to their current home in the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History.

Related Materials:

Materials in the Archives Center

William H. Quealy Collection of Duke Ellington Recordings (AC0296)

Rutgers University Collection of Radio Interviews about Duke Ellington (AC0328)

Duke Ellington Oral History Project (AC0368)

Duke Ellington Collection of Ephemera and realated Audiovisual Materials (AC0386)

Annual International Conference of the Duke Ellington Study Group Proceedings (AC0385)

Robert Udkoff Collection of Duke Ellington Ephemera (AC0388)

Frank Driggs Collection of Duke Ellington Photographic Prints (AC0389)

New York Chapter of the Duke Ellington Society Collection (AC390)

Earl Okin Collection of Duke Ellington Ephemera (AC0391)

William Russo Transcription and Arrangement of Duke Ellington's First Concert of Sacred Music (AC0406)

Ruth Ellington Collection of Duke Ellington Materials (AC0415)

Music manuscripts in the Ruth Ellington Collection complement the music manuscripts found in the Duke Ellington Collection.

Carter Harman Collection of Interviews with Duke Ellington (AC0422)

Betty McGettigan Collection of Duke Ellington Memorabilia (AC0494)

Dr. Theodore Shell Collection of Duke Ellington Ephemera (AC0502)

Edward and Gaye Ellington Collection of Duke Ellington Materials (AC0704)

Andrew Homzy Collection of Duke Ellington Stock Music Arrangements (AC0740)

John Gensel Collection of Duke Ellington Materials (AC0763)

Al Celley Collection of Duke Ellington Materials (AC1240)

Materials at Other Organizations

Institute of Jazz Studies

Separated Materials:

Artifacts related to this collection are in the Division of Culture and the Arts (now Division of Cultural and Community Life) and include trophies, plaques, and medals. See accessions: 1989.0369; 1991.0808; 1993.0032; and 1999.0148.

"

Provenance:

The collection was purchased through an appropriation of Congress in 1988.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research but the original and master audiovisual materials are stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.

Rights:

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Copyright restrictions. Consult the Archives Center at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.

Paul Ellington, executor, is represented by:

Richard J.J. Scarola, Scarola Ellis LLP, 888 Seventh Avenue, 45th Floor, New York, New York 10106. Telephone (212) 757-0007 x 235; Fax (212) 757-0469; email: rjjs@selaw.com; www.selaw.com; www.ourlawfirm.com.

Occupation:

Composers -- 20th century  Search this

Topic:

Big bands  Search this

Pianists  Search this

Bandsmen -- 20th century  Search this

Jazz -- 20th century -- United States  Search this

Musicians -- 20th century  Search this

Music -- Performance  Search this

African American entertainers -- 20th century  Search this

African Americans -- History  Search this

Popular music -- 20th century -- United States  Search this

Music -- 20th century -- United States  Search this

African American musicians  Search this

Genre/Form:

Phonograph records

Papers

Photographic prints

Posters

Sound recordings

Scrapbooks -- 20th century

Music -- Manuscripts

Clippings

Awards

Audiotapes

Citation:

Duke Ellington Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Sponsor:

Processing and encoding partially funded by a grant from the Council on Library and Information Resources.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0301

See more items in:

Duke Ellington Collection

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep850a376a1-6b6d-48bc-9076-cffef76fea2c

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0301

Biogeographical Region:

75 - Northeastern U.S.A.  Search this

Collector:

J. C. Lendemer  Search this

Min. Elevation:

30  Search this

Place:

Burlington County, Rutgers University Pinelands Field Station, ca. 2.4 km N of Four Mile Circle, ca. 1.6 km NE of Early's Crossing., New Jersey, United States, North America

Collection Date:

3 Mar 2005

Taxonomy:

Fungi Ascomycota Lecanoromycetes Lecanorales Parmeliaceae

Published Name:

Hypotrachyna livida (T. Taylor) Hale

Barcode:

04400201

See more items in:

Botany

Bryophytes and Lichens

Data Source:

NMNH - Botany Dept.

GUID:

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/3793a2151-6a1a-4778-822c-6bd30a4ad0d9

EDAN-URL:

edanmdm:nmnhbotany_16666493

Creator:

Ramsey, Frederic, 1915-1995  Search this

Extent:

8.83 Cubic feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Place:

Southern States -- Music

Date:

1945-1959

Summary:

This collection contains open reel recordings made by noted jazz scholar Frederic Ramsey during his tour of the American South in the 1950s.

Scope and Contents:

The collection includes 400? Open reel audio tapes. They are from Ramsey's fieldwork and various projects, many for Folkways Records. The bulk of the recordings come from Ramsey's fieldwork in Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana in 1954-56.

Arrangement:

The tapes are organized and shelved by accession number.

Biographical / Historical:

Frederic Ramsey Jr. (1915-1995), son of painter Charles Frederic Ramsey, was a jazz scholar and author who worked with a number of musicians in the South and the New York/New Jersey area, notably Lead Belly. After receiving a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1953, Ramsey undertook a tour of the South in order to explore and document the African-American music environment. His goal was to record the speech and music of persons at least sixty years of age or older in an attempt to trace the evolution of the musical genre that would become jazz. Ramsey produced a number of recordings for the Folkways label in the 1950s-1960s.

[From Jeff: Frederic Ramsey Jr. (1915-1995) was a jazz critic, scholar, fieldworker and record producer. He was the author of a number of books on jazz, including Jazzmen (with Charles Edward Smith) and the Jazz Record Book. He became one of the main producers for Moses Asch at Asch, Disc, and Folkways Records of jazz and blues. Ramsey was one of the first to deploy an open reel tape recorder using it in New York City in 1949 to record Lead Belly in a set of sessions at his apartment, that were to be Lead Belly's last. What was noteworthy about this is that a reel to reel deck allowed one to record a longer recording than the previous 4 minutes on instantaneous discs. This allowed Led Belly to stretch out and do his extended rhymes and longer songs and to tell stories of his life. It was released by Folkways as a 2 LP 2-records each set. Each side was one track so more material could be fit in. The new LP format allowed for Folkways to create anthologies of music with multiple tracks per side. This allowed Ramsey the ability to create a 11-volume anthology of jazz in the early 1950s. It was the first of many anthologies for Folkways. He also received a Guggenheim fellowship in 1954-56 to go to Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana to record vernacular African American music. This included field hollers, spirituals, and brass bands. It was Ramsey's desire to find the roots of jazz in early African-American music forms. He recorded hundreds of tapes they make up the bulk of Ramsey Tape Collection. A 10 LP set Music from the South was released from these trips. Also, there was a book Been Here and Gone with his magnificent photographs from the trip. Other notable recordings released by Folkways include an interview album of Baby Dodds, a box set of shape-note singing, and recordings of a, then, teenaged Michael Hurley. In 1975, with other grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities and Ford Foundation, he researched the life of Buddy Bolden. After the death of Frederic Ramsey Jr., folklorist Kip Lornell arranged the donation of Ramsey's tape and record collection to the Smithsonian.]

Shared Stewardship of Collections:

The Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage acknowledges and respects the right of artists, performers, Folklife Festival participants, community-based scholars, and knowledge-keepers to collaboratively steward representations of themselves and their intangible cultural heritage in media produced, curated, and distributed by the Center. Making this collection accessible to the public is an ongoing process grounded in the Center's commitment to connecting living people and cultures to the materials this collection represents. To view the Center's full shared stewardship policy, which defines our protocols for addressing collections-related inquiries and concerns, please visit https://doi.org/10.25573/data.21771155.

Related Materials:

Frederic Ramsey's personal papers are available at Rutgers University Institute of Jazz Studies.

Ramsey's photograph collection (many from the same field projects) can be found in the collections of the Hogan Jazz Archive at Tulane University.

Provenance:

This collection was donated by Frederic Ramsey's daughter Alida Porter in 1996.

Restrictions:

Access to the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections is by appointment only. Visit our website for more information on scheduling a visit or making a digitization request. Researchers interested in accessing born-digital records or audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies.

Rights:

Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections. Please visit our website to learn more about submitting a request. The Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections make no guarantees concerning copyright or other intellectual property restrictions. Other usage conditions may apply; please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for more information.

Topic:

Blues (Music)  Search this

Music -- African-American  Search this

African American musicians  Search this

Jazz musicians  Search this

Jazz -- Louisiana -- New Orleans  Search this

Jazz  Search this

Citation:

Frederic Ramsey audio recordings, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

CFCH.RAMS

See more items in:

Frederic Ramsey audio recordings

Archival Repository:

Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections

GUID:

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/bk5ebc883ed-96f3-4f1b-9e4b-1b8fde86e4f4

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-cfch-rams