Photograph of Etta Moten Barnett with signed note to her husband Claude Barnett

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.

This is a black and white portrait of Etta Moten Barnett. She wears a grey dress with long fitted sleeves and a high straight neckline. She is seated in an armchair that is arranged sideways to the audience. Her body is in profile to the viewer, but her head is turned towards her left shoulder with her hands draped across her lap. She gazes out of the corner of her eyes over her left shoulder. In the bottom right corner of the image is white text that reads “BLOOM / CHICAGO.” There is a handwritten note on the front in the center of the image from Etta to her husband Claude Barnett reading: [With everlasting devotion / to the most important person / in my life: my husband Claude / whose everlasting spirit urges / me to try and reach the stars! / To our eternal happiness and success. / Your most adoring wife.

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