Photograph by
Higgins, Chester, American, born 1946
Subject of
The Church Selassie, Haile I, Jamaican American, founded 1987
Emperor Selassie, Haile, Ethiopian, 1892 - 1975
Unidentified Man or Men
Unidentified Woman or Women
Date
2007; printed 2021
Medium
pigment on photographic paper
Dimensions
H x W (image): 6 × 9 in. (15.3 × 22.9 cm)
H x W (sheet): 6 15/16 × 10 in. (17.7 × 25.4 cm)
Description
A pigment print photograph depicting the Rastafarian community at the Brooklyn site of The Church Haile Selassie I, in the middle of a service. Men and women stand in wooden pews facing the red curtained front of the church where there is a candlelit altar and yellow-cloth podium. In the aisle of the small church, a procession of clergymen dressed in gold robes with trim in the Ethiopian colors of red, yellow, and green walks carrying various objects representative of Haile Selassie. The front priest holds open a striped book with a drawing of Ethiopian emperor, Haile Selassie I. The clergy behind him carries a long pole with a large silver Star of David as its head, also wrapped in the Ethiopian colors. Two final clergymen follow the first two. On the left of the photograph, partially visible, is a framed color painting of Haile Salassie I, dressed in formal military hat and jacket. The photograph is set in matte white backing and on the reverse is Chester Higgins’s Eye of Horus trademark stamp and signature.
Place captured
Brooklyn, New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
Classification
Sacred and Ceremonial Objects
Photographs and Still Images
Type
pigment prints
Topic
Communities
Photography
Rastafarianism
Religion
Spirituality
Worship services
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number
2022.18.4
Restrictions & Rights
© Chester Higgins, All Rights Reserved
Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd5f20b9007-2f94-4859-b12e-855ec19f0a54

Cataloging is an ongoing process and we may update this record as we conduct additional research and review. If you have more information about this object, please contact us at NMAAHCDigiTeam@si.edu

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