Popular Entertainment

This Museum's popular entertainment collections hold some of the Smithsonian's most beloved artifacts. The ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz reside here, along with the Muppet character Kermit the Frog, and props from popular television series such as M*A*S*H and All in the Family. But as in many of the Museum's collections, the best-known objects are a small part of the story.

The collection also encompasses many other artifacts of 19th- and 20th-century commercial theater, film, radio, and TV—some 50,000 sound recordings dating back to 1903; posters, publicity stills, and programs from films and performances; puppets; numerous items from World's Fairs from 1851 to 1992; and audiovisual materials on Groucho Marx, to name only a few.

Prop violin used by Lindsey Stirling in the music video for her song "Beyond the Veil." The wooden violin was made in Czechoslovakia in the 20th century and it bears a fake Stradavari label; the actual maker is unknown.
Description (Brief)
Prop violin used by Lindsey Stirling in the music video for her song "Beyond the Veil." The wooden violin was made in Czechoslovakia in the 20th century and it bears a fake Stradavari label; the actual maker is unknown. In the video, Stirling is shown waking up on a beach to see a girl running into the sea; the girl is holding this violin. As Stirling pursues the girl through the water, she discovers an underwater fantasy world. That plot line is intercut with footage of Stirling playing a different violin on the beach and in a forest.
Lindsey Stirling is an American musician, dancer, and songwriter known for blending a diverse variety of musical styles including classical, pop, rock, and electronic influences with dance performance. As a contestant on season five of the television series America’s Got Talent in 2010, Stirling gained an enthusiastic following among viewers who enjoyed her unique dance and violin performances, but was voted off by the celebrity judges in the quarter finals. Undaunted by their criticism, Stirling started posting music videos online in 2011, pairing mash-ups of electro-pop styles with lively steps and twirls in settings often drawn from video games or movies. Her posts inspired millions, then billions, of fans worldwide and revealed how audiences and entertainers could forego traditional tastemakers and gatekeepers to build powerful connections directly through digital platforms.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
20th century
associated date
2014
performer
Stirling, Lindsey
ID Number
2015.0303.03
accession number
2015.0303
catalog number
2015.0303.03
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
presentation date
2006
ID Number
2018.0078.11
accession number
2018.0078
catalog number
2018.0078.11
serial number
L07-04
Working on assignment, Henry Horenstein photographed EmmyLou Harris (b. 1947) at her home. In the 1970s, Harris represented the generation of musicians who were influenced by traditional country, rock, and folk music.
Description
Working on assignment, Henry Horenstein photographed EmmyLou Harris (b. 1947) at her home. In the 1970s, Harris represented the generation of musicians who were influenced by traditional country, rock, and folk music. Over the years, Harris has had a profound impact on contemporary popular and country music.
Location
Currently not on view
negative
1980
print
2003
maker
Horenstein, Henry
ID Number
2003.0169.034
accession number
2003.0169
catalog number
2003.0169.034
Pearl Butler accepts a song request from a young fan. Pearl (1927-1998) and Carl Butler (1927-1992) were part of the honky-tonk and bluegrass music movements before World War II.
Description
Pearl Butler accepts a song request from a young fan. Pearl (1927-1998) and Carl Butler (1927-1992) were part of the honky-tonk and bluegrass music movements before World War II. After their 1962 hit, "Don't Let Me Cross Over," the Butlers became one of the most popular male-female vocal teams in country music.
Location
Currently not on view
negative
1973
print
2003
maker
Horenstein, Henry
ID Number
2003.0169.076
accession number
2003.0169
catalog number
2003.0169.076
Henry Horenstein photographed Hank Williams Jr., the son of legendary singer Hank Williams, leaving his tour bus. Williams Jr. (b. 1949) spent his early career singing his father's songs in his own style.
Description
Henry Horenstein photographed Hank Williams Jr., the son of legendary singer Hank Williams, leaving his tour bus. Williams Jr. (b. 1949) spent his early career singing his father's songs in his own style. After a 1974 suicide attempt and a mountain climbing accident in 1975, he revamped his own image, modeling it after rowdy southern rockers. Later he was considered part of the Outlaw Country Movement.
Location
Currently not on view
negative
1973
print
2003
maker
Horenstein, Henry
ID Number
2003.0169.074
accession number
2003.0169
catalog number
2003.0169.074
At Tootsie's Orchid Lounge, musicians could hang out, perform and hope for a chance to be discovered.Currently not on view
Description
At Tootsie's Orchid Lounge, musicians could hang out, perform and hope for a chance to be discovered.
Location
Currently not on view
negative
1974
print
2003
maker
Horenstein, Henry
ID Number
2003.0169.111
catalog number
2003.0169.111
accession number
2003.0169
An intergenerational crowd leaves the Ryman Auditorium after a show. The "WSM" stands for "We Shield Millions," the motto for the insurance company that originally funded the Grand Ole Opry.Currently not on view
Description
An intergenerational crowd leaves the Ryman Auditorium after a show. The "WSM" stands for "We Shield Millions," the motto for the insurance company that originally funded the Grand Ole Opry.
Location
Currently not on view
print
2003
maker
Horenstein, Henry
ID Number
2003.0169.060
accession number
2003.0169
catalog number
2003.0169.060
This harmonica was made by Alfredo Hering S. A. in Brazil, undetermined date. It is a Sonhadora Luxo Double model in the keys of C and G, with 24 double holes and 48 reeds.
Description
This harmonica was made by Alfredo Hering S. A. in Brazil, undetermined date. It is a Sonhadora Luxo Double model in the keys of C and G, with 24 double holes and 48 reeds. This harmonica has a red-brown stained wooden comb with metal cover plates with beige and red abstract decoration, attached to the sides with nails. Accessioned with original cardboard box.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
20th Century
maker
Hering S. A., Alfredo
ID Number
1988.0783.047
accession number
1988.0783
catalog number
1988.0783.047
This shekere was made by an unknown maker, provenance unknown, 20th century. It is a shekere made from a dried gourd, with reddish-brown plastic beads woven into a cord net covering the gourd. a rope network of reddish-brown plastic beads.
Description (Brief)

This shekere was made by an unknown maker, provenance unknown, 20th century. It is a shekere made from a dried gourd, with reddish-brown plastic beads woven into a cord net covering the gourd. a rope network of reddish-brown plastic beads. This shekere was used by the all-woman, African-American a cappella group, Sweet Honey in the Rock.

For thirty years, Sweet Honey in The Rock, a Grammy Award-winning ensemble of African-American women, has stirred, consoled, and uplifted audiences internationally with messages of love, struggle, and liberation through music deeply rooted in the African American experience. Sweet Honey in The Rock was established in 1973 by Bernice Johnson Reagon. Since then, twenty-two women have participated as members in its powerful communion of lyrics, movement, and social commentary. Members of the group at the time of donation include Ysaye Maria Barnwell, Nitanu Bolade Casel, Aisha Kahlil, Carol Lynn Malliard, Bernice Johnson Reagon, and American Sign Language interpreter Shirley Childress Saxon.

Location
Currently not on view
date made
20th century
user
Sweet Honey In The Rock
ID Number
2003.0290.10
accession number
2003.0290
catalog number
2003.0290.10
Norman Blake (b. 1938) ranks as one of the major bluegrass guitarists of the 1970s. Proficient with a variety of instruments, he played as a sideman to June Carter, Bob Dylan, and other artists.
Description
Norman Blake (b. 1938) ranks as one of the major bluegrass guitarists of the 1970s. Proficient with a variety of instruments, he played as a sideman to June Carter, Bob Dylan, and other artists. He played with Joan Baez in the recording of her hit, "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down."
Location
Currently not on view
negative
1974
print
2003
Associated Name
Blake, Norman
maker
Horenstein, Henry
ID Number
2003.0169.100
accession number
2003.0169
catalog number
2003.0169.100
Concession stands provided refreshments for park vistors.Currently not on view
Description
Concession stands provided refreshments for park vistors.
Location
Currently not on view
negative
1972
print
2003
maker
Horenstein, Henry
ID Number
2003.0169.088
accession number
2003.0169
catalog number
2003.0169.088
This Patron badge is from the San Diego Swinging Jazz Festival in San Diego, in 1999. It is made of white paper with red and black ink, encapsulated in plastic.
Description

This Patron badge is from the San Diego Swinging Jazz Festival in San Diego, in 1999. It is made of white paper with red and black ink, encapsulated in plastic. The badge is printed:

San
Diego
Swinging
Jazz
Patron
2000

The non-profit organization, America’s Finest City Dixieland Jazz Society (AFCDJS) in San Diego, California, held its first Great American Dixieland Jazz Festival, in 1979. The festival now known as The San Diego Jazz Fest & Swing Extravaganza is held every Thanksgiving weekend. The organization supports the San Diego traditional jazz community with monthly concerts, education programs, publication of a newsletter, an adult traditional Jazz camp, and a lending library of small band music.

Floyd Levin (1922-2007) was a Los Angeles textile manufacturer who turned his passion for jazz into a second career as an influential jazz journalist and historian. His numerous reviews, profiles, and articles were published in magazines such as Down Beat, Jazz Journal International, Metronome, and American Rag. He also authored Classic Jazz: A Personal View of the Music and the Musicians. Items in this collection (2011.3086) were acquired from Levin’s attendance at Jazz Festivals, conferences, and other music events.

Location
Currently not on view
date made
2000
user
Levin, Floyd
ID Number
2011.3086.114
nonaccession number
2011.3086
catalog number
2011.3086.114
A man listens to music at the Hillbilly Ranch bar.Currently not on view
Description
A man listens to music at the Hillbilly Ranch bar.
Location
Currently not on view
print
2003
maker
Horenstein, Henry
ID Number
2003.0169.067
accession number
2003.0169
catalog number
2003.0169.067
Fans gather around the stage to hear the husband and wife team of Carl and Pearl Butler at the Lone Star Ranch Music Park.Currently not on view
Description
Fans gather around the stage to hear the husband and wife team of Carl and Pearl Butler at the Lone Star Ranch Music Park.
Location
Currently not on view
negative
1973
print
2003
maker
Horenstein, Henry
ID Number
2003.0169.077
accession number
2003.0169
catalog number
2003.0169.077
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
2006
ID Number
2016.3009.307
nonaccession number
2016.3009
catalog number
2016.3009.307
Carl and Pearl Butler pose for photographs with fans.Currently not on view
Description
Carl and Pearl Butler pose for photographs with fans.
Location
Currently not on view
negative
1973
print
2003
Associated Name
Butler, Pearl
Butler, Carl
maker
Horenstein, Henry
ID Number
2003.0169.090
accession number
2003.0169
catalog number
2003.0169.090
Tootsie's Orchid Lounge offered a place where hopeful musicians could put their demo 45s in the jukebox.Currently not on view
Description
Tootsie's Orchid Lounge offered a place where hopeful musicians could put their demo 45s in the jukebox.
Location
Currently not on view
negative
1972
print
2003
maker
Horenstein, Henry
Horenstein, Henry
ID Number
2003.0169.109
catalog number
2003.0169.109
accession number
2003.0169
Rebecca "Dolly" Parton (b. 1946) was the subject of Henry Horenstein's first published photograph. It appeared in Boston After Dark (now the Boston Phoenix). He had an hour to meet and photograph Parton, a lengthy sitting photographers today rarely have.
Description
Rebecca "Dolly" Parton (b. 1946) was the subject of Henry Horenstein's first published photograph. It appeared in Boston After Dark (now the Boston Phoenix). He had an hour to meet and photograph Parton, a lengthy sitting photographers today rarely have. When Horenstein photographed Parton, she already had twenty albums to her name. But the crossover hit, "Here You Come Again," made her a superstar in 1977.
Location
Currently not on view
negative
1972
print
2003
Associated Name
Parton, Dolly
maker
Horenstein, Henry
ID Number
2003.0169.103
accession number
2003.0169
catalog number
2003.0169.103
Jean Shepard (b.1933) joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1956. Beginning with her first solo top ten single, "A Satisfied Mind" in 1955, Shepard's pure country voice led to hit after hit.Currently not on view
Description
Jean Shepard (b.1933) joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1956. Beginning with her first solo top ten single, "A Satisfied Mind" in 1955, Shepard's pure country voice led to hit after hit.
Location
Currently not on view
print
2003
maker
Horenstein, Henry
ID Number
2003.0169.051
accession number
2003.0169
catalog number
2003.0169.051
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
2002
ID Number
2016.3009.305
nonaccession number
2016.3009
catalog number
2016.3009.305
This playbill is for the musical, Mamma Mia!, with book by Catherine Johnson, and music and lyrics by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus. It is from the production at the Cadillac Winter Garden Theatre in 2002. Mamma Mia!
Description (Brief)
This playbill is for the musical, Mamma Mia!, with book by Catherine Johnson, and music and lyrics by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus. It is from the production at the Cadillac Winter Garden Theatre in 2002. Mamma Mia! opened on October 18, 2001 at the Winter Garden Theatre and closed on September 12, 2015 at the Broadhurst Theatre, for a total of 5,758 performances.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
2002
ID Number
2005.3021.097.1
nonaccession number
2005.3021
catalog number
2005.3021.097.1
This badge is from the Sacramento Jazz Jubilee Festival, in 2001. The button is a made of red paper with black and white lettering covered with a clear film, on a round two-piece metal button with a pin back. There is a rectangular hole in the button for a name tag.
Description

This badge is from the Sacramento Jazz Jubilee Festival, in 2001. The button is a made of red paper with black and white lettering covered with a clear film, on a round two-piece metal button with a pin back. There is a rectangular hole in the button for a name tag. There is red ribbon attached to the back of the button. The button is printed:

SACRAMENTO
[image of riverboat]
Floyd Levin
JAZZ JUBILEE
2001

(The ribbon is printed):

EMPEROR
1985

The Sacramento Music Festival (formerly the Old Sacramento Dixieland Jazz Jubilee) was an annual event held every Memorial Day weekend in Sacramento, California. Organized by the Sacramento Traditional Jazz Society, the festival was launched in 1974 and presented its final festival in 2017.

Floyd Levin (1922-2007) was a Los Angeles textile manufacturer who turned his passion for jazz into a second career as an influential jazz journalist and historian. His numerous reviews, profiles, and articles were published in magazines such as Down Beat, Jazz Journal International, Metronome, and American Rag. He also authored Classic Jazz: A Personal View of the Music and the Musicians. Items in this collection (2011.3086) were acquired from Levin’s attendance at Jazz Festivals, conferences, and other music events.

Location
Currently not on view
date made
2001
user
Levin, Floyd
ID Number
2011.3086.135
nonaccession number
2011.3086
catalog number
2011.3086.135
Billy Bird, seen here autographing a paper plate, played with Ernest Tubb (1920-2001) and was a pioneer of the electric guitar.Currently not on view
Description
Billy Bird, seen here autographing a paper plate, played with Ernest Tubb (1920-2001) and was a pioneer of the electric guitar.
Location
Currently not on view
negative
1973
print
2003
maker
Horenstein, Henry
ID Number
2003.0169.075
accession number
2003.0169
catalog number
2003.0169.075
The youngest of the three Carter Sisters, Anita began performing with Mother Maybelle and the Carter Family at age four. She performed with her mother and sisters throughout her career, though she found success of her own during the 1950s.
Description
The youngest of the three Carter Sisters, Anita began performing with Mother Maybelle and the Carter Family at age four. She performed with her mother and sisters throughout her career, though she found success of her own during the 1950s. Anita (1933-1999) was the first to record the song "Ring of Fire," written by her sister June (1929-2003). It later became a hit for her brother-in-law Johnny Cash.
Location
Currently not on view
negative
1973
print
2003
maker
Horenstein, Henry
ID Number
2003.0169.078
accession number
2003.0169
catalog number
2003.0169.078

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