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Museum object · Photographs and Still Images

Gelatin silver print of Lil Green, Queen of The Blues

1939-1954

Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, United States, North and Central America

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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 black and white photograph of Lil Green, Queen of the Blues. The image is a bust-length portrait featuring Lil Green posed with her head tilted to lean against her proper left hand, which is formed into a fist. Green wears a headband with a large bow situated behind curly bangs. She wears a dark-colored top with beading and rhinestones in an all over diamond pattern with a large rhinestone brooch at the collar. She wears two rings on her proper left hand. She is gazing just to the side of the camera and is smiling. At the bottom left is the photographer's mark reading: [Bloom / Chicago]. There is a white border around the image with black typed text at the bottom center that reads [LIL GREEN "The In The Dark Mama' / Queen of The Blues].

Sources & collection details

Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture — original record ↗

Source collection ↗

Catalog metadata · CC0 · Source checked 2026-10-13

Catalog reference: 2015.97.38.25

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