Fredi Washington and friends posing in front entrance
SubjectPortrait of
Fredi Washington
(American, 1903 - 1994)
Original OwnerOriginally owned by
Fredi Washington
(American, 1903 - 1994)
PhotographerPhotographed by
Unknown
Dateabout 1928
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 number2001.22.84
DescriptionGroup portrait of Fredi Washington and friends posing in an outdoor corridor. Fredi wears a dark cloche hat, a light-colored jacket with dropped waist and matching skirt, and dark Mary Jane shoes. A small clutch purse is visible in Fredi's hands. The women next to her wears a light cloche hat, a striped, full-length coat, and dark shoes. The handle of a patterned purse is dangling from the woman's hands. The men in the group all wear suits with ties. Large windows from the adjacent building are visible at the left of the photograph.
Collections
Subject 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
Fredi Washington
January 24, 1928
