Photograph of the Five Spirits of Rhythm

Source catalog description

This description refers to material held by Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Visual details below describe the original material.

A silver gelatin print depicting a sepia toned image of five (5) members of the Five Spirits of Rhythm. One man is centrally depicted, seated on a bench, holding a conductor's baton and paper. The other four (4) men stand around and behind the bench, each holding a tiple. They are dressed in matching suits with dark neck cloths tied in loose bows, dark jackets with wide, light colored lapels, and dark pants with wide, light colored stripes running down the sides of the pant legs. Text written in the negative above their heads reads, [FIVE SPIRITS OF RHYTHM] [sic]. The photography studio’s name is in the bottom right corner, written in the negative: [CALUMET / STUDIO]. There are no inscriptions on the back of the photograph.

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