Portrait of Lillian Evans Tibbs Evanti

P. H. Polk, Portrait of Lillian Evans Tibbs Evanti, 1937, gelatin silver print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Thurlow Evans Tibbs, Jr., 1994.61
Copied P. H. Polk, Portrait of Lillian Evans Tibbs Evanti, 1937, gelatin silver print, image: 10 3⁄8 x 8 in. (26.4 x 20.3 cm) sheet: 13 1⁄2 x 10 1⁄2 in. (34.3 x 26.7 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Thurlow Evans Tibbs, Jr., 1994.61

Artwork Details

Title
Portrait of Lillian Evans Tibbs Evanti
Artist
Date
1937
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
image: 10 3⁄8 x 8 in. (26.4 x 20.3 cm) sheet: 13 1⁄2 x 10 1⁄2 in. (34.3 x 26.7 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Thurlow Evans Tibbs, Jr.
Mediums Description
gelatin silver print
Classifications
Subjects
  • African American
  • Dress — accessory — hat
  • Performing arts — music — voice
  • Portrait female — Tibbs, Lillian Evans — full length
  • Portrait female — Evanti, Lillian, Madame — full length
  • Animal — dog — borzoi
Object Number
1994.61
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1994.61

Artwork Description

A stately Russian wolfhound recruited for this portrait accentuates the poise and glamour of Lillian Evans Tibbs. Known professionally as Madame Evanti, this Washington native was an internationally acclaimed lyric soprano and the first African American to sing with the Paris Opera. P.H. Polk treated his clients as collaborators, claiming, “If you can’t touch a person in some way, you don’t get a good picture.” His portrait of Lillian Evans Tibbs was designed to reveal her personality, rather than to promote her celebrity status.


A Democracy of Images: Photographs from the Smithsonian American Art Museum, 2013