Object Details
- Artist
- Carl Van Vechten, 17 Jun 1880 - 21 Dec 1964
- Sitter
- Ada "Bricktop" Smith, 14 Aug 1894 - 31 Jan 1984
- Exhibition Label
- Born Alderson, West Virginia
- The most renowned nightclubs in interwar Paris operated under the name of “Bricktop’s.” Their magnetic host and enterprising owner, Ada “Bricktop” Smith, had been lured across the Atlantic in 1924 by a job offer at a Montmartre nightspot. “It was a spur-of-the moment thing, a new adventure just for the sake of adventure,” she recalled.
- The risk paid off, and over the next decade Bricktop ran a succession of clubs bearing her name. Operating in a country that lacked legalized segregation, she gathered a diverse crowd. African Americans in Paris found a second home at Bricktop’s. White patrons flocked there to enjoy the latest music and dances from Harlem.
- A subdued Bricktop posed for this photograph in 1934. At that time, her business was in steep decline. She smiles ruefully at the photographer, her friend Carl Van Vechten, before a poster advertising champagne—the beverage that once flowed freely at her clubs.
- Nacida en Alderson, Virginia Occidental
- Los clubes nocturnos más célebres del período entreguerras en París llevaban el nombre “Bricktop’s”. Pertenecían a la magnética presentadora y empresaria Ada “Bricktop” Smith, quien cruzó el Atlántico en 1924 atraída por una oferta de empleo en Montmartre. “Fue algo impulsivo, una aventura nueva por el simple hecho de la aventura”, recordó.
- El riesgo valió la pena, y en la década siguiente Bricktop manejó una serie de clubes con su nombre. En un país donde la segregación no estaba legalizada, Bricktop atrajo a públicos diversos. Los afroamericanos encontraron un segundo hogar en sus locales. Los blancos acudían para disfrutar lo último de la música y los bailes de Harlem.
- Bricktop asume una pose discreta en esta imagen de 1934, cuando ya su negocio iba en picada. Sonríe con tristeza al fotógrafo, su amigo Carl Van Vechten, ante un cartel que anuncia un champán, bebida que en otros tiempos fluía en abundancia en sus clubes.
- Credit Line
- National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
- June 22, 1934
- Object number
- NPG.90.85
- Restrictions & Rights
- Usage conditions apply
- Copyright
- © Van Vechten Trust
- Type
- Photograph
- Medium
- Gelatin silver print
- Dimensions
- Image/Sheet: 27.9 × 35.6 cm (11 × 14")
- Mat: 55.9 × 71.1 cm (22 × 28")
- Place
- France\Île-de-France\Ville de Paris, Départment de\Paris
- See more items in
- National Portrait Gallery Collection
- Location
- Currently not on view
- National Portrait Gallery
- Topic
- Costume\Jewelry\Necklace
- Costume\Headgear\Hat
- Exterior
- Artwork\Poster
- Ada "Bricktop" Smith: Female
- Ada "Bricktop" Smith: Arts and Culture\Performing Arts\Dance\Dancer
- Ada "Bricktop" Smith: Arts and Culture\Performing Arts\Music\Musician\Singer\Jazz singer
- Ada "Bricktop" Smith: Business and Finance\Businessperson\Proprietor\Nightclub
- Portrait
- Record ID
- npg_NPG.90.85
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm4226f47f4-54ae-46f6-b4bf-d8e08425fdf5
