Untitled (Naturally '68 photo shoot in the Apollo Theater featuring Grandassa models and founding AJASS members Kletus Smith, Frank Adu, Bob Gumbs, Elombe Brath and Ernest Baxter)
- Photograph by
- Brathwaite, Kwame, American, 1938 - 2023
- Subject of
- Smith, Kletus, American
- Adu, Frank, American, 1937 - 2018
- Gumbs, Robert, American, born 1939
- Brath, Elombe, American, 1936 - 2014
- Baxter, Ernest, American, born 1939
- Brathwaite, Sikolo, American, born 1924
- Unidentified Woman or Women
- African Jazz-Arts Society and Studios, American, founded 1956
- Lumumba, Patrice Émery, Congolese, 1925 - 1961
- Garvey, Marcus, Jamaican, 1887 - 1940
- Apollo Theater, American, founded 1934
- Hall, Christopher, American, 1932 - 2005
- Harris, Robert, American, born 1929
- Date
- ca. 1968; printed 2017
- Medium
- pigment on paper (fiber product)
- Dimensions
- H x W: 15 × 15 in. (38.1 × 38.1 cm)
- Description
- A color photograph of Grandassa models and founding AJASS members Kletus Smith, Frank Adu, Bob Gumbs, Elombe Brath and Ernest Baxter captured at the Naturally '68 photo shoot at the Apollo Theater. The ten Grandassa models are standing in the back row with the tallest three at the center and the others in descending height order on either side. Sikolo Brathwaite is depicted standing third from the left. The five men are crouched in a row below the models. From left to right is Smith, Adu, Gumbs, Brath and Baxter. The women are wearing dresses and skirts, most of which are constructed from brightly colored textiles with African-inspired motifs. The men are wearing brightly colored and patterned dashiki shirts over jeans and trousers. Three of the men are holding books. The book held by Smith on the far left is [LITTLE ZENG TAKES US TO / ANCIENT AFRICA] by Christopher N. Hall and Robert Harris. The booklet at the center held by Gumbs reads [NATURALLY ’63 / PORTFOLIO], and the book on the right, held by Brath, is [COLOR / US / CULLUD! / The American Negro Leadership / Official Coloring Book] by Elombe Brath and Christopher Hall. The group is standing on a light tone wooden floor, in front of a dark blue wall. The wall is plastered with posters and flyers for events such as [NATURALLY ’62], [NATURALLY ’63], [NATURALLY ’64], [NATURALLY ’65], [NATURALLY ’67], [GARVEY DAY / CELEBRATION], [a portrait of / PATRICE / LUMUMBA], [[AFRICAN HUT DANCE], [caste-life / REVUE], and others. There are no marks or inscriptions, front or back.
- Place captured
- Harlem, New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
- Classification
- Photographs and Still Images
- Movement
- Black is Beautiful
- BAM (Black Arts Movement 1965-1976)
- Type
- portraits
- inkjet prints
- Topic
- Activism
- African diaspora
- Art
- Associations and institutions
- Beauty culture
- Black power
- Design
- Fashion
- Hair
- Photography
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
- Object number
- 2021.26.3
- Restrictions & Rights
- Courtesy of the Kwame Brathwaite Archive & Philip Martin Gallery, © Kwame Brathwaite
- Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.




