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
- filter Archival materials 12 Exclude Archival materials
- filter Photographs 12 Exclude Photographs
- filter Photographic prints 9 Exclude Photographic prints
- filter Portraits 3 Exclude Portraits
- filter Publicity photographs 3 Exclude Publicity photographs
- filter Photographic print 1 Exclude Photographic print
- Culture
- Date
- Place
-
Set Name
- filter Evans-Tibbs Collection 9 Exclude Evans-Tibbs Collection
- filter Evans-Tibbs Collection / Series 5: Photographs / Publicity and Special Events 8 Exclude Evans-Tibbs Collection / Series 5: Photographs / Publicity and Special Events
- filter Scurlock Studio Records, Subseries 4.1: Black-and-White Silver Gelatin Negatives 3 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 3 Exclude Scurlock Studio Records, Subseries 4.1: Black-and-White Silver Gelatin Negatives / 4.1: Black-and-White Silver Gelatin negatives
- filter Evans-Tibbs Collection / Series 5: Photographs / Family / Evans Family 1 Exclude Evans-Tibbs Collection / Series 5: Photographs / Family / Evans Family
-
Topic
- filter African American composers 6 Exclude African American composers
- filter African American singers 6 Exclude African American singers
- filter African American entertainers 3 Exclude African American entertainers
- filter Portraits, Group 3 Exclude Portraits, Group
- filter African American women 2 Exclude African American women
- filter Cooking 1 Exclude Cooking
- filter Performers 1 Exclude Performers
- filter Special events 1 Exclude Special events
- Metadata Usage