The Newman S. Hungerford Museum Fund, 2001.22.201, the Connecticut Historical Society.

Images(2)

Fredi Washington and friend Pat at Metropole Hotel, Monte Carlo, January 24, 1928

SubjectPortrait of Fredi Washington (American, 1903 - 1994)

Original OwnerOriginally owned by Fredi Washington (American, 1903 - 1994)

PhotographerPhotographed by Unknown

DateJanuary 24, 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 number2001.22.201

DescriptionPortrait of Fredi Washington and her friend Pat outside of the Metropole Hotel. Fredi wears a cloche hat, a full-length coat with matching fur trim, and heeled Mary Jane shoes. She clutches a purse in her left arm and holds a leather case handle in her left hand. Pat wears a black cloche hat with light-colored trim, a black, velvet coat with light-colored fur trim, and dark heeled shoes. She clutches a purse in her left arm. The facade of the hotel is visible in the background. A turtle statue is visible in the landscaping behind the women.

Collections

Fredi Washington Collection

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