First Lady of Opera
In photographs made at home and abroad, Lillian Evanti emits elegance in costumes from the two dozen opera roles that eventually entered her repertoire, including Violetta in La Traviata, Rosina in The Barber of Seville, and the titular Lakmé. Like the accessories in the photos, costume jewelry, and hair pins hint at a sparkling spectrum hidden in black-and-white. Through the lenses of her opera glasses, imagine witnessing a performance of the National Negro Opera Company, which she helped to found. Programs from the Company’s productions showcase Evanti and brim with enthusiastic supporters in the Washington, DC community and beyond.
Evanti referred to herself as the “First Lady of Opera in her race.” In 1924, the lyric soprano ventured to Europe to launch her musical career due to limitations imposed by racism in the United States. The native Washingtonian became the first African American to sing with a professional European opera company in 1926. She enjoyed much critical acclaim abroad and, eventually, at home. Although her long-held dream of singing at the Metropolitan Opera went unrealized, contralto Marian Anderson and soprano Mattiwilda Dobbs, credited Evanti’s efforts as they became the first African American women to reach that goal in the 1950s.
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- filter Archival materials 31 Exclude Archival materials
- filter Photographs 31 Exclude Photographs
- filter Photographic prints 29 Exclude Photographic prints
- filter Publicity photographs 19 Exclude Publicity photographs
- filter Portraits 8 Exclude Portraits
- filter Hairpins 3 Exclude Hairpins
- filter Brooches 1 Exclude Brooches
- filter Eyeglasses 1 Exclude Eyeglasses
- filter Retouching 1 Exclude Retouching
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- filter Evans-Tibbs Collection 29 Exclude Evans-Tibbs Collection
- filter Evans-Tibbs Collection / Series 5: Photographs / Publicity and Special Events 29 Exclude Evans-Tibbs Collection / Series 5: Photographs / Publicity and Special Events
- filter Anacostia Community Museum Collection 5 Exclude Anacostia Community Museum Collection
- filter Scurlock Studio Records, Subseries 4.1: Black-and-White Silver Gelatin Negatives 2 Exclude Scurlock Studio Records, Subseries 4.1: Black-and-White Silver Gelatin Negatives
- filter Scurlock Studio Records, Subseries 4.1: Black-and-White Silver Gelatin Negatives / 4.1: Black-and-White Silver Gelatin negatives 2 Exclude Scurlock Studio Records, Subseries 4.1: Black-and-White Silver Gelatin Negatives / 4.1: Black-and-White Silver Gelatin negatives
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- filter Portraits 27 Exclude Portraits
- filter African American composers 20 Exclude African American composers
- filter African American singers 18 Exclude African American singers
- filter African American entertainers 17 Exclude African American entertainers
- filter Costumes 14 Exclude Costumes
- filter Operas 7 Exclude Operas
- filter African American women singers 4 Exclude African American women singers
- filter African Americans 3 Exclude African Americans
- filter Parrots 3 Exclude Parrots
- filter Costume 1 Exclude Costume
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