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Portrait of Lillian Evans Tibbs Evanti

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@ Smithsonian American Art Museum

Lillian Evans Tibbs Madame Lillian Evanti

Description

A stately Russian wolfhound recruited for this portrait accentuates the poise and glamour of Lillian Evans Tibbs. Known professionally as Madame Evanti, this Washington native was an internationally acclaimed lyric soprano and the first African American to sing with the Paris Opera. P.H. Polk treated his clients as collaborators, claiming, “If you can’t touch a person in some way, you don’t get a good picture.” His portrait of Lillian Evans Tibbs was designed to reveal her personality, rather than to promote her celebrity status.A Democracy of Images: Photographs from the Smithsonian American Art Museum, 2013
Format:
Gelatin Silver Print
Rights:
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Thurlow Evans Tibbs, Jr.
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Record Contributed By

Smithsonian American Art Museum

Record Harvested From

Smithsonian Institution