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Odetta

National Portrait Gallery

Object Details

Artist
Otto Hagel, 12 Mar 1909 - 18 Jan 1973
Sitter
Odetta, 31 Dec 1930 - 2 Dec 2008
Exhibition Label
Born Birmingham, Alabama
Odetta (born Odetta Holmes) began singing in church and went on to study classical singing and musical theater in Los Angeles. By her early twenties, she had taken up guitar, moved to New York City, and embraced the folk music tradition. When she released her first album, Odetta Sings Ballads and Blues (1956), critics were struck by her contralto voice and “electrifying sincerity.” Odetta ranked among folk music’s most celebrated stars, recording with Harry Belafonte, influencing Bob Dylan and Janis Joplin, and performing at the Newport Folk Festival and Carnegie Hall. Simultaneously, her voice reverberated on the streets, where it inspired and buoyed the civil rights movement, especially when she performed at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963.
The German-born Otto Hagel, a freelance photographer who did much of his work for Time and Life magazines, created this portrait of Odetta.
Nacida en Birmingham, Alabama
Odetta (cuyo apellido era Holmes) empezó a cantar en su iglesia y luego estudió canto clásico y teatro musical en Los Ángeles. A los veintitantos años ya se había mudado a Nueva York y se dedicaba a la música folk tocando la guitarra. Cuando lanzó su primer disco, Odetta Sings Ballads and Blues (1956), los críticos quedaron impresionados con su voz de contralto y su “sinceridad electrizante”. Odetta fue una de las estrellas más celebradas de la música folk. Grabó con Harry Belafonte, tuvo influencia en Bob Dylan y Janis Joplin y se presentó en el Newport Folk Festival y en Carnegie Hall. Su voz también resonó en las calles alentando al movimiento por los derechos civiles, sobre todo cuando cantó en la Marcha a Washington por el Trabajo y la Libertad en 1963.
Este retrato de Odetta es obra de Otto Hagel, fotógrafo independiente nacido en Alemania que trabajó mayormente para las revistas Time y Life.
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
1964
Object number
NPG.89.188
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Copyright
© Center for Creative Photography, The University of Arizona Foundation
Type
Photograph
Medium
Gelatin silver print
Dimensions
Image/Sheet: 34 × 26.4 cm (13 3/8 × 10 3/8")
Mount: 50.9 × 40.7 cm (20 1/16 × 16")
Mat: 71.1 × 55.9 cm (28 × 22")
See more items in
National Portrait Gallery Collection
Location
Currently not on view
National Portrait Gallery
Topic
Costume\Jewelry\Earring
Interior
Costume\Jewelry\Ring
Music\Musical instrument\Guitar
Tassel
Odetta: Female
Odetta: Arts and Culture\Performing Arts\Music\Musician\Composer
Odetta: Social Welfare and Reform\Reformer\Social reformer\Civil rights activist
Odetta: Arts and Culture\Performing Arts\Film\Movie actor
Odetta: Arts and Culture\Performing Arts\Music\Musician\Guitarist
Odetta: Arts and Culture\Performing Arts\Music\Musician\Singer\Folk singer
Odetta: Performing arts awards\Grammy
Portrait
Record ID
npg_NPG.89.188
Metadata Usage (text)
Usage conditions apply
GUID (Link to Original Record)
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm441432686-b5af-4b30-9ec2-664c27ff0477

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There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .
International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
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