The Lady and the Fan
Lillian Evanti performed her standard encore, "The Lady and the Fan" while singing at the White House in 1934. Both photographs and handheld fans testify to Evanti's opera roles, notably Rosina in The Barber of Seville. Evanti's friend, Loïs Mailou Jones, famously painted the lyric soprano in costume for this role. A photo of the portrait with the artist and Evanti's grandson, art collector Thurlow Evans Tibbs, Jr., tells a story of artistry, friendship, and family. In the portrait, the trees depicted beyond Evanti echo the shape of the golden yellow fan in her hand. A handheld fan adorned with cherry blossoms recalls renowned trees in Evanti's hometown of Washington, DC. Another fan bears the Cuban flag, possibly from her extensive travel in Latin America as a goodwill ambassador for the Department of State.
Lillian Evanti holds a fan in a cover photo on the program from her Nov. 28, 1926 recital at Boston's Copley Theatre.
Evans-Tibbs collection, Anacostia Community Museum, Smithsonian Institution, gift of the Estate of Thurlow E. Tibbs, Jr.
Facets
Clear facet(s):
- Resource Type
- Date
-
Set Name
- filter Anacostia Community Museum Collection 3 Exclude Anacostia Community Museum Collection
- filter Brilliant Exiles: American Women in Paris, 1900-1939 1 Exclude Brilliant Exiles: American Women in Paris, 1900-1939
- filter NPG, West Gallery 240 1 Exclude NPG, West Gallery 240
- filter National Portrait Gallery Collection 1 Exclude National Portrait Gallery Collection
-
Topic
- filter Arts & Culture 1 Exclude Arts & Culture
- filter Costume 1 Exclude Costume
- filter Design 1 Exclude Design
- filter Dress accessories 1 Exclude Dress accessories
- filter Entertainers 1 Exclude Entertainers
- filter Fans 1 Exclude Fans
- filter Headdresses 1 Exclude Headdresses
- filter Headgear 1 Exclude Headgear
- filter Interior decoration 1 Exclude Interior decoration
- filter Interior with Exterior View 1 Exclude Interior with Exterior View
- Media Usage
- Metadata Usage