A square-shape textile with a dual multicolor border features a painted five-by-four grid of images with the repeated face of a Black woman with short hair, Bessie Smith. Her face appears blue in each instance, while the outline of her facial features, her hair, and clothing alternate colors in varying shades of yellow and orange. The background of each square likewise alternates between shades of blue and green, some with an influx of red.

American Collection #5: Bessie's Blues

January 19, 1997

Faith Ringgold (American, 1930-2024) United States, New York, Harlem

New York

Faith Ringgold employed thick lines and forms to portray the singer Bessie Smith, also known as "Empress of the Blues." The deliberate dissonance between Smith's melodies and their musical accompaniment finds a visual echo in Ringgold's pared-down portrait of the glamorous Smith (known for bespangled dresses and sparkly jewelry). The subtle variations among the repeated portraits hint at the variations in pitch and rhythm in the choruses of Smith's songs.

Cotton-, rayon-, nylon-, and polyester- blend fabrics; acrylic paint

Textiles

African American artists

Women artists

African Diaspora