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.

This sheet music for the song "At an Ole Virginia Wedding" was written and composed by Maurice J. Steinberg. The music was originally published by T. B. Harms and Co.
Description
This sheet music for the song "At an Ole Virginia Wedding" was written and composed by Maurice J. Steinberg. The music was originally published by T. B. Harms and Co. of New York, New York in 1900 and as a Musical Supplement to the “Philadelphia Press on Sunday, September 9, 1900. The cover portrays an African American wedding ceremony. The colorful image depicts a bride and groom with stereotyped features. The background shows the guests dancing and talking while a band plays in the top right corner of the picture.
Location
Currently not on view
publishing date
1900
distributor
Philadelphia Press
composer; lyricist
Maurice J. Steinberg & Co.
publisher
T. B. Harms & Co.
ID Number
1982.0440.21
accession number
1982.0440
catalog number
1982.0440.21
Date made
1935
Associated Name
Gosden, Freeman
Correll, Charles
maker
Louis Marx and Company
ID Number
1989.0510.01
accession number
1989.0510
catalog number
1989.0510.01
This colored print depicts twenty-five black performers in an outdoor arena or racetrack. They are dressed in tight pants with horseshoe designs that suggest a jockey motif. Some performers hold crops and wear caps and riding jackets.
Description
This colored print depicts twenty-five black performers in an outdoor arena or racetrack. They are dressed in tight pants with horseshoe designs that suggest a jockey motif. Some performers hold crops and wear caps and riding jackets. The center figure is performing a gymnastic stunt.Below the illustration are the words “Haverly’s Theatre / 12 Nights and 6 Matinees, / Commencing Monday, Dec. 26.”
Entertainment entrepreneur J. H. (Jack) Haverly (1837-1901) was born Christopher Haverly near Bellefonte, Pennsylvania. He launched his show business career in 1864 in Toledo, Ohio, where he purchased a variety theater. Inspired by entrepreneurs like P. T. Barnum, Haverly went on to manage other theaters, and he created minstrel and comic performance groups on the East Coast and in the Middle West. In the late 1870s he consolidated his troupes into a single company called the United Mastodon Minstrels which included forty performers, along with a brass band and drum corps. The group continued to grow and at one point had more than a hundred members. Around the same time, Haverly took control of a black performing group called Charles Callender's Original Georgia Minstrels, or Callender's Colored Minstrels, a group of performers which he renamed Haverly’s Colored Minstrels. He promoted their performances as authentic depictions of black life, even creating a mock plantation with costumed actors portraying slaves and overseers. Haverly’s troupes toured the United States, usually appearing at his own theaters in cities like New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, and San Francisco. They also traveled to England and Scotland. Featuring lavish stage sets and extravagant special effectsinspired by P. T. Barnum, his performers in blackface makeup and exotic costumes inspired the creation of smaller minstrel shows during the late nineteenth century.
This chromolithograph was produced by the Strobridge Lithographing Company. The Strobridge firm was founded in Cincinnati, Ohio about 1847 by lithographer Elijah C. Middleton. Middleton was known as one of the pioneers of chromolithography in the United States. By 1854 lithographer W. R. Wallace and bookseller Hines Strobridge (1823-1909) had joined the firm as partners. After the Civil War, Strobridge acquired sole ownership of the company and renamed it after himself. Strobridge and Company was well known for circus, theater, and movie posters. After leaving Strobridge and Company, Elijah Middleton became known as a portrait publisher, producing prints of George and Martha Washington, Daniel Webster, and other American historical figures.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1880
publisher
Strobridge Lithographing Company
maker
Strobridge Lithographing Company
ID Number
DL.60.2481
catalog number
60.2481
accession number
228146
This sheet music is for the song, “Little Alabama Coon,” with words and music by Hattie Starr. It was published by Willie Woodward and Co. in New York, New York in 1893. The cover features an inset image of actress Miss Franke M.
Description

This sheet music is for the song, “Little Alabama Coon,” with words and music by Hattie Starr. It was published by Willie Woodward and Co. in New York, New York in 1893. The cover features an inset image of actress Miss Franke M. Raymond.

“Little Alabama Coon” was featured in David Henderson’s American Extravaganza production of Aladdin, Jr.

Location
Currently not on view
publishing date
1893
publisher
Willis Woodward & Co.
ID Number
1988.0693.03
accession number
1988.0693
catalog number
1988.0693.03
This sheet music is for the song, “Roll Them Roly Boly Eyes,” with words and music by Eddie Leonard. It was published by Harry Von Tilzer Music Publishing Co. in New York, New York in 1912.
Description
This sheet music is for the song, “Roll Them Roly Boly Eyes,” with words and music by Eddie Leonard. It was published by Harry Von Tilzer Music Publishing Co. in New York, New York in 1912. There is an image of American vaudevillian Eddie Leonard (1870-1941) on the cover.
Location
Currently not on view
publishing date
1912
publisher
Harry Von Tilzer Music Publishing Co.
ID Number
1988.0538.14
accession number
1988.0538
catalog number
1988.0538.14
This sheet music is for the song “Deep River,” adapted from an 1870s African American Spiritual. It was published by Larrabee Publications in New York, New York, in 1964.Currently not on view
Description
This sheet music is for the song “Deep River,” adapted from an 1870s African American Spiritual. It was published by Larrabee Publications in New York, New York, in 1964.
Location
Currently not on view
publishing date
1964
publisher
Larrabee Publications
Larrabee Publications
ID Number
1983.0830.09
accession number
1983.0830
catalog number
1983.0830.09
Movie poster for She's Gotta Have It. Spike Lee directed this 1986 romantic comedy about a woman and her three lovers. Tracy Camilla Johns, Tommy Redmond Hicks, John Canada Terrell, and Spike Lee star in this film.Currently not on view
Description
Movie poster for She's Gotta Have It. Spike Lee directed this 1986 romantic comedy about a woman and her three lovers. Tracy Camilla Johns, Tommy Redmond Hicks, John Canada Terrell, and Spike Lee star in this film.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1986
Associated Name
Lee, Spike
ID Number
1987.0128.04
accession number
1987.0128
catalog number
1987.0128.04
This sheet music is for the song “Mammy’s Little Coal Black Rose,” with lyrics by Raymond Egan and music by Richard A. Witting. It was published by Jerome H. Remick Company of New York and Detroit in 1916.
Description
This sheet music is for the song “Mammy’s Little Coal Black Rose,” with lyrics by Raymond Egan and music by Richard A. Witting. It was published by Jerome H. Remick Company of New York and Detroit in 1916. There is an image of American singer, comedian, and actor Al Jolson (1886-1950) on the cover.
Location
Currently not on view
publishing date
1916
depicted (sitter)
Jolson, Al
publisher
Jerome H. Remick & Co.
ID Number
1984.0458.14
accession number
1984.0458
catalog number
1984.0458.14
This sheet music is for the song, “Massa’s in de Cold Ground,” by Stephen C. Foster. It was published by Firth, Pond & Co. in New York, New York in 1853. Indicated on the cover, “As sung by Christy’s Minstrels.”Currently not on view
Description
This sheet music is for the song, “Massa’s in de Cold Ground,” by Stephen C. Foster. It was published by Firth, Pond & Co. in New York, New York in 1853. Indicated on the cover, “As sung by Christy’s Minstrels.”
Location
Currently not on view
publishing date
1853
publisher
Firth, Pond & Co.
ID Number
1986.0513.02
accession number
1986.0513
catalog number
1986.0513.02
This sheet music is for the song “Underground Rail Car or Song of the Fugitive,” by George N. Allen. It was published by S. Brainard and Company in Cleveland, Ohio in 1854.Currently not on view
Description
This sheet music is for the song “Underground Rail Car or Song of the Fugitive,” by George N. Allen. It was published by S. Brainard and Company in Cleveland, Ohio in 1854.
Location
Currently not on view
publishing date
1854
composer
Allen, George N.
publisher
S. Brainard and Co.
ID Number
1986.0370.08
accession number
1986.0370
catalog number
1986.0370.08
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1987
Associated Name
Calloway, Cab
Waller, Fats
depicted (sitter)
Horne, Lena
ID Number
1987.0128.02
accession number
1987.0128
catalog number
1987.0128.02
Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane number 106 was published by DC Comics in November of 1970. The cover features art by Curt Swan and Murphy Anderson that depicts the white Lois Lane stepping into Superman’s Plastimold machine and stepping out as a black woman.
Description
Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane number 106 was published by DC Comics in November of 1970. The cover features art by Curt Swan and Murphy Anderson that depicts the white Lois Lane stepping into Superman’s Plastimold machine and stepping out as a black woman. The 36 page issue sold for 15 cents and features the Lois Lane story “I am Curious (Black)!” and the Rose and Thorn story “Where Do You Plant a Thorn?” The issue explored race relations in Metropolis as Lois transform into a black woman to write a story about “Little Africa.” Her new skin color changes society’s perception of her, and she realizes the struggle of everyday life as a minority.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1970-11
author
Kanigher, Robert
artist
Roth, Werner
Colletta, Vince
publisher
National Periodical Publications, Inc.
maker
National Periodical Publications, Inc.
Action Comics
ID Number
1988.3095.23
catalog number
1988.3095.23
nonaccession number
1988.3095
This sheet music is for the song “Virginia Rose Bud” as part of a collection of “Ethiopian Melodies.” The music was published by E. Ferrett & Company of Philadelphia in the middle of the 19th century.
Description
This sheet music is for the song “Virginia Rose Bud” as part of a collection of “Ethiopian Melodies.” The music was published by E. Ferrett & Company of Philadelphia in the middle of the 19th century. Ethiopian melodies were songs that were part of the culture surrounding the blackface performances in minstrel shows that were popular at this time.
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
1983.0227.07
accession number
1983.0227
catalog number
1983.0227.07
The California Raisins are sculpted clay figures used as advertising and merchandising characters by the California Raisin Advisory Board. The figures were first developed by Will Vinton Productions in 1986 based on caricatures of African American rhythm-and-blues groups.
Description
The California Raisins are sculpted clay figures used as advertising and merchandising characters by the California Raisin Advisory Board. The figures were first developed by Will Vinton Productions in 1986 based on caricatures of African American rhythm-and-blues groups. The California Raisins are often accompanied by a soundtrack of “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” originally popularized by singer Marvin Gaye. The Raisins released numerous studio albums in the 1980s, starred in a cartoon series, and were nominated for an Emmy for their 1988 “Meet the Raisins” mockumentary. These figures were used in the Claymation advertisements from 1986 through 1991.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1986 - 1991
user
California Raisins Advisory Board
producer
Will Vinton Productions
maker
Will Vinton Productions
ID Number
1991.3182.02
catalog number
1991.3182.02
nonaccession number
1991.3182
This electric-acoustic guitar was made for Sears around 1962 by companies like Danelectro and Harmony.
Description

This electric-acoustic guitar was made for Sears around 1962 by companies like Danelectro and Harmony. Silvertone guitars were popular because of their solid construction and inexpensive pricing.

This guitar was owned and played by Jesse Fuller (1896-1976), a one-man-band folk and blues singer from the San Francisco Bay area who accompanied his guitar-playing with singing, harmonica, percussion, and a foot-operated bass instrument called a fotdella. Fuller played guitar as a child but didn’t become a professional musician until the early 1950s. As a songwriter, Fuller is best known for his songs, “San Francisco Bay Blues” and “Beat It on Down the Line.”

Jesse Fuller purchased this Silvertone guitar in 1962, from a Detroit Sears, after his original Maurer guitar was stolen and he needed another guitar to be able to make his playing engagement that evening.

date made
ca 1962
user
Fuller, Jesse
ID Number
1994.0053.01
accession number
1994.0053
catalog number
1994.0053.01
Pair of pink ballet shoes worn by Misty Copeland in practice sessions. In 2015, Copeland was named the principal dancer for the ABT. She is the first African American women to achieve this honor. Shoes are made of satin fabric, cotton lining and leather soles.
Description (Brief)

Pair of pink ballet shoes worn by Misty Copeland in practice sessions. In 2015, Copeland was named the principal dancer for the ABT. She is the first African American women to achieve this honor. Shoes are made of satin fabric, cotton lining and leather soles. Size 4 1/2 with elastic binding around top of slipper. Both shoes are signed at the toe by Misty Copeland. Shoes made by AXIOM. (Thailand).

Misty Copeland, prima ballerina from the American Ballet Theatre, mentors aspiring ballerinas from underrepresented communities. With support from foundations and businesses, the American Ballet Theatre created Project Plié in an effort to diversify ballet companies.

Location
Currently not on view
user
Copeland, Misty
ID Number
2016.0210.02
accession number
2016.0210
catalog number
2016.0210.02
All-Star Squadron is a DC comics super team set in the past that features both historic DC heroes as well as new characters. This issue features the introduction of Amazing-Man, an African American superhero created by writer Roy Thomas and Jerry Ordway.
Description
All-Star Squadron is a DC comics super team set in the past that features both historic DC heroes as well as new characters. This issue features the introduction of Amazing-Man, an African American superhero created by writer Roy Thomas and Jerry Ordway. Amazing-Man, a former Olympic athlete named Will Everett, was involved in a lab accident while working as a custodian. The accident left him with the ability to absorb the properties of anything he touched. As Amazing-Man, Everett fought with the All-Star Squadron, and participated in many of the important events in American civil rights history.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1983-07
maker
D. C. Comics, Inc.
ID Number
2018.0171.13
accession number
2018.0171
catalog number
2018.0171.13
Black Panther (Vol. 6) No 1 features the story "A Nation Under or Feet," written by Ta-Nehisi Coates, with art by Brian Stelfreeze.
Description
Black Panther (Vol. 6) No 1 features the story "A Nation Under or Feet," written by Ta-Nehisi Coates, with art by Brian Stelfreeze. The issue is the first of an 18 issue run (2016-2017) featuring the titular superhero.
Black Panther is a superhero created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, who first introduced the character in Marvel Comics' Fantastic Four #52 (1966.)
The alter ego of T'Challa, genius ruler of the fictional African kingdom of Wakanda, Black Panther is considered the first black superhero to be featured in mainstream American comics.
In 1968, he was added to the roster of Marvel Comics' super-group, The Avengers, Earth's Mightiest Heroes. After headlining stories in Jungle Action the character was given his own ongoing series in 1977. This issue from that run features a story scripted and penciled by Jack Kirby.
Black Panther remains a mainstay of Marvel Comics, appearing in comics as well as in various media properties. In film, the character has been featured within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, including 2018's Black Panther.
Ta-Nehisi Coates is an award winning writer who recieved a MacArthur Genius Grant in 2015.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
2016
maker
Marvel Comics
ID Number
2018.3072.01
catalog number
2018.3072.01
nonaccession number
2018.3072
Black Lightning Year One No. 1 was written by Jen Van Meter, with art by Cully Hammer.
Description
Black Lightning Year One No. 1 was written by Jen Van Meter, with art by Cully Hammer. It is the first of a 2009 six-issue limited series documenting the origins of the titular DC superhero.
Created by writer Tony Isabella artist Trevor Von Eeden, Black Lightning was introduced to comic readers in 1977. The first African American to headline a DC title, the hero, a man named Jefferson Pierce, has the ability to create and manipulate electricity. The character has been featured in animated film and series and video games, and headlined his own television program on The CW from 2018-2021.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
2009
maker
D. C. Comics, Inc.
ID Number
2018.3010.263
catalog number
2018.3010.263
nonaccession number
2018.3010
Acrylic on canvas painting of Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington, done by his granddaughter, Gaye Ellington in 1985. Ms.
Description (Brief)
Acrylic on canvas painting of Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington, done by his granddaughter, Gaye Ellington in 1985. Ms. Ellington painted this posthumous portrait in order to create a memorial that preserved her sense of the creative and loving legacy her grandfather had left her.
In a past interview, Gaye Ellington explained the reasons that led her to create this portrait, even though portraiture is not her usual subject matter: “Ever since my grandfather had died, a lot of people had done art work representing him. They were what other people saw in my grandfather. When I looked at them, they weren’t what I thought about him, and it disturbed me. … A lot of the photographs of him where very serious. I’m not saying he was always happy. But he would turn around in a minute and smile.”
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1985
depicted
Ellington, Duke
maker
Ellington, Gaye
ID Number
1989.0369.444
accession number
1989.0369
catalog number
1989.0369.444
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1965-02-22
graphic artist
News Syndicate Co., Inc.
ID Number
2012.3028.01
accession number
2012.3028
Green Lantern No. 185, written by Len Wein, with art by Dave Gibbons, presents the origin story of Lantern Corps member John Stewart. Stewart, first introduced in 1971/1972, was one of DC Comics' first black superheroes.The character of The Green Lantern first appeared in 1940.
Description
Green Lantern No. 185, written by Len Wein, with art by Dave Gibbons, presents the origin story of Lantern Corps member John Stewart. Stewart, first introduced in 1971/1972, was one of DC Comics' first black superheroes.
The character of The Green Lantern first appeared in 1940. Over the years, the name has referred to a variety of people: members of the interplanetary police force The Green Lantern Corps. Corps members possess powerful rings that enable incredible abilities.
Stewart was the third human Green Lantern published by DC, and first African American.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1985-02
maker
D. C. Comics, Inc.
ID Number
2018.0171.19
accession number
2018.0171
catalog number
2018.0171.19
This issue of Invincible Iron Man features the superhero character Ironheart.
Description
This issue of Invincible Iron Man features the superhero character Ironheart. Created by writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Mike Deodato, Ironheart is an African American Chicagoan named Riri Williams who invents a mechanized suit of armor like that of Marvel Comic's character Iron Man's.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
2017-01
maker
Marvel Comics
ID Number
2018.0171.06
accession number
2018.0171
catalog number
2018.0171.06
The character Icon, created by writer Dwayne McDuffie and artist M.D. Bright, was first introduced in this 1993 comic book.
Description
The character Icon, created by writer Dwayne McDuffie and artist M.D. Bright, was first introduced in this 1993 comic book. Published and distributed by DC Comics, the title was developed by Milestone Media, an organization initiated by McDuffie and other African American creators to better represent people of color in comic books. The superhero later became incorporated in the DC Universe.
Icon, an alien named Arnus, poses as Augustus Freeman IV, a corporate lawyer. Possessing such powers as incredible strength, advanced intelligence and the ability to fly, Icon is aided by Rocket, a teenage woman empowered by his alien technology.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1993-05
Associated Name
D. C. Comics, Inc.
maker
D. C. Comics, Inc.
ID Number
2018.0171.03
accession number
2018.0171
catalog number
2018.0171.03

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