Marian Anderson: A Digital Installation

A Woman of Many Firsts...

Marian Anderson was an acclaimed contralto singer whose music brought people together. She achieved many firsts throughout her career: the first Black woman to sing at the Metropolitan Opera in 1955; the first African American to perform at an inauguration in 1957; and the only person known to have performed at two inaugural ceremonies when she sang again at Kennedy's swearing-in in 1961. Though she did not refer to herself as an activist during her lifetime, she broke barriers—from her unprecedented integrated outdoor concert at the Lincoln Memorial in 1939, which 75,000 people attended, to attending the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963, where she was the only woman who performed or spoke.

Exploring her career, the Museum of the City of New York has created a digital installation to examine, photograph, and digitize a collection of 12 of her garments—11 concert gowns and one coat that date from the early 1930s to the late 1950s—that were donated to the Museum in 1993 by Bette Midler to help preserve the singer's legacy as both a venerated classical vocalist and a symbol of progress in the advancement of civil rights.

Stay tuned for more on Marian Anderson as we launch new digital content throughout the month of February, including details on the costume installation, which was led by Callie O'Connor, Costumes and Textiles Collections Assistant, and supported by Julissa Nuñez, Community Collecting Intern.

Jacqueline Adams, former White House correspondent and author, discusses her connection to the acclaimed singer and how both women used clothes and fashion in their careers.

Marian Anderson: singer, activist, pioneer, and barrier breaker. Explore her legacy and see a time-lapse of her concert gown in action.