New Orleans Storyville: Ragtime Preparations

1975

Not on view

Storyville was the official red-light district of New Orleans at the turn of the twentieth century, and its houses of prostitution often featured live music. Although Bearden had never been to New Orleans when he made this print, the image of a half-dressed prostitute and a piano player in an adjoining room, may have been inspired by E. J. Bellocq's photographs, Storyville Portraits, exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art a few years earlier. Evoking the illicit nature of such places, Bearden's composition is appropriately camouflaged by the highly speckled surface and swirling brushstrokes produced by the monotype technique. In this instance, he brushed and spattered the solvent benzene onto a painted sheet of plastic, thus removing any paint it touched. He then transferred the painted composition to a piece of paper using a printing press, creating a single, unique print.

Artwork Details

Title: New Orleans Storyville: Ragtime Preparations
Artist: Romare Bearden (American, Charlotte, North Carolina 1911–1988 New York)
Date: 1975
Medium: Monotype with hand coloring
Dimensions: 29 1/2 × 41 3/8 in. (74.9 × 105.1 cm)
Classification: Drawings
Credit Line: George A. Hearn Fund, 1976
Object Number: 1976.93
Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art

More Artwork

By Romare Bearden

In the same medium

From the same time and place

A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.

Yarn samples for tapestry, "Recollection Pond", Romare Bearden American, Wool — Yarn samples for tapestry, "Recollection Pond"
Romare Bearden
ca. 1990

Tapestry "Recollection Pond", Romare Bearden American, Wool and cotton — Tapestry "Recollection Pond"
Romare Bearden
Pinton S.A.
designed 1974; executed 1990

The Family, Romare Bearden American, Color aquatint and photo engraving — The Family
Romare Bearden
1975

Study for "The Block" [rows of buildings], Romare Bearden American, Color marker and graphite on paper — Study for "The Block" [rows of buildings]
Romare Bearden
ca. 1971

Study for "The Block" [row of buildings, liquor store sign], Romare Bearden American, Color marker with graphite on paper — Study for "The Block" [row of buildings, liquor store sign]
Romare Bearden
ca. 1971

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.