Photograph of Dewey "Pigmeat" Markham depicted in blackface

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 black-and-white image of Dewey "Pigmeat" Markham depicted in blackface and shown in profile. Markham is wearing a boater hat, oxfords, and a dark suit with medium toned embellishments on the lapels, breast pocket, side pocket, wrists and pant seam. He has large, white painted lips. He is crouched over with his fists clenched and appears to be walking forward. He is posing in front of a wall, with a staircase visible in the left background. The front of the image has been marked in pencil with crop lines. There are several inscriptions in pencil on the back, including a paragraph about Markham on the bottom half that reads [The Personification of Trucking / -Cut- / Pigmeat Markham / Known the country over today / as the greatest living colored / Comedian. At present Pigmeat is / in his second successful / week in philadelphia where / this month he began what will / develop into 40 wk of truckin and / what have you.].

Catalog date

1936

Recorded places

New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America

Recorded subjects

African American; Actors; Blackface; Dance; Entertainers; Photography; Singers (Musicians); Stereotypes

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