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The Newman S. Hungerford Museum Fund, 2001.22.73, the Connecticut Historical Society.
Fredi Washington and friends seated at table
The Newman S. Hungerford Museum Fund, 2001.22.73, the Connecticut Historical Society.

Fredi Washington and friends seated at table

Subject (American, 1903 - 1994)
Original Owner (American, 1903 - 1994)
Date1930-1950
MediumPhotography; gelatin silver print on paper
DimensionsPrimary Dimensions (image height x width): 6 1/4 x 4 3/8in. (15.9 x 11.1cm) or smaller Sheet (height x width): 7 x 5in. (17.8 x 12.7cm) or smaller
ClassificationsGraphics
Credit LineThe Newman S. Hungerford Museum Fund
Object number2001.22.73
DescriptionGroup portrait of Fredi Washington and friends at an outdoor meal table. The men are seated on the left side, and the women are seated on the right side. Fredi wears a light-colored cloche hat and dark coat with fur trim. The other women wear fur-lined coats and cloche hats. The man seated at the center of the table wears a light-colored suit; the other men wear dark suits. Various tea cups and dishes are visible on the table. Other diners are visible behind the men at a nearby table. Additional diners are visible in an enclosed canopy inside the restaurant in the background.
NotesSubject Note: Fredericka Carolyn "Fredi" Washington was born in Savannah, Georgia in 1903 and died in Stamford, Connecticut in 1994. Fredi began her career as a dancer at the Cotton Club in Harlem during the 1920s. She appeared in Black and Tan, a short film featuring Duke Ellington and his orchestra, in 1929 and went on to career in motion pictures. She is most famous for her portrayal of Peola in Imitation of Life (1934). Fredi helped found the Negro Actors Guild of America in 1937 and served as Entertainment Editor of the People's Voice, established in 1942 by Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., who married Fredi's sister. Fredi was also active in the NAACP. She played opposite the great African-American actor Paul Robeson on several occasions, most notably in the film version of The Emperor Jones in 1933, but also in a 1926 production of Black Boy, at the Stamford Theater. Fredi's first husband was Lawrence Brown, a trombonist in Duke Ellington's orchestra. After they divorced in 1951, she married a Stamford dentist, Hugh Anthony Bell, and moved to suburban Greenwich. Bell died in 1970. In 1975, Fredi was inducted into the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame; in 1979, she received a CIRCA Award for lifetime achievement in the performing arts. She was 90 years old when she died of pneumonia in 1994. (Finlay 12/29/10)

Status
Not on view