Untitled (Wigs Parisian protest)
- Photograph by
- Brathwaite, Kwame, American, 1938 - 2023
- Subject of
- Brath, Helene Nomsa, American
- Wigs Parisian, American
- African Jazz-Arts Society and Studios, American, founded 1956
- Date
- ca. 1963; printed 2018
- Medium
- pigment on paper (fiber product)
- Dimensions
- H x W: 15 × 15 in. (38.1 × 38.1 cm)
- Description
- A black-and-white photograph of Grandassa model Nomsa Brath protesting in front of the Wigs Parisian store front on 125th Street in Harlem, New York. Brath's hair is cropped into a short afro style and she is wearing a white, sleeveless, knee length dress, black high heels, and sunglasses. She is also wearing a protest placard over her torso that reads [NATURAL···YES! WIGS···NO] above a cartoon illustration of two women, one with natural hair styled into a top knot and the other wearing a blonde wig. The cartoon woman with the natural hairstyle has her eyes closed and is holding out her hand in a stop signal towards the woman wearing the wig. To the right of Brath is another female protester wearing a placard that reads [DON’T BE A / JACKASS… / BE / NATURAL!] above an illustration of two women and a donkey. On the far right is a third female protester. Her partially visible placard reads [[---?]iSFiTS / [[---?]nted]. Two men are also standing on the right on either side of the protesters and a woman in a floral skirt stands in front of the doorway of the store, smoking a cigarette. The storefront is white with a retracted, black awning and a sign above with cursive black text that reads [[Wi]gs / Parisian]. The storefront entrance is lined with a glass window display. The white walls of the display case's interior is decorated with illustrations of wigs. In the left foreground is a parking meter. There are no marks or inscriptions, front or back.
- Place captured
- Harlem, New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
- Classification
- Media Arts-Photography
- Movement
- Black is Beautiful
- BAM (Black Arts Movement 1965-1976)
- Type
- portraits
- inkjet prints
- Topic
- Activism
- African diaspora
- Associations and institutions
- Beauty culture
- Black power
- Business
- Fashion
- Hair
- Photography
- Race discrimination
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
- Object number
- 2021.26.4
- 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.