Room interior
Original OwnerOriginally owned by
Fredi Washington
American, 1903 - 1994
PhotographerPhotographed by
Unknown
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
Sheet (height x width): 7 x 5in. (17.8 x 12.7cm) or smaller
ClassificationsGraphics
Credit LineThe Newman S. Hungerford Museum Fund
DescriptionView of a large table in the center of a room interior. A large table lamp sits on top of the circular, wooden table. A vase sits on top of a nearby side table. One Queen Anne and another side chair are visible in the background. A clear vase with flowers atop a large cabinet is visible to the right. An adjacent sink or wet bar is visible in a nearby corridor.
Object number2001.22.99
MarkingsStamped in black ink at bottom left corner of photograph's verso: "080".InscribedAccession number 2001.22.99 is inscribed on verso, lower right.NotesSubject Note: This photograph could be the living or dining room in Fredi Washington's home in Greenwich, Connecticut. (Dixon 4/1/2020)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)
Collections
- Fredi Washington Collection
On View
Not on view
