Kenneth Spencer

Consuelo Kanaga

Brooklyn Museum photograph

About this Brooklyn Icon

The Brooklyn Museum is commemorating its 200th anniversary by spotlighting 200 standout objects in its encyclopedic collection.

This stunning portrait features Kenneth Spencer, an American singer and actor who became famous in the 1940s. In the photograph, taken in 1933 during the Great Depression, Spencer is a 20-year-old rising star. Shot from below, the image is at once glorious and tender.

Consuelo Kanaga, a pioneering social documentary photographer, is recognized today as one of the most important photographers of the 20th century. With her work, she intended to celebrate Black creativity while challenging the prevalent notions and representations of Blackness in the United States. This photograph is a striking example of her portraits of well-known Black Americans. The Brooklyn Museum, which organized Kanaga’s first retrospective in 1993, is proud to be the repository of her treasured collection. Two vintage prints of this iconic portrait are included in the 2025 exhibitions Consuelo Kanaga: Catch the Spirit and Breaking the Mold: Brooklyn Museum at 200.

Caption

Consuelo Kanaga American, 1894–1978. Kenneth Spencer, 1933. Gelatin silver print, frame: 20 1/16 × 15 1/16 × 1 1/2 in. (51 × 38.3 × 3.8 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Wallace B. Putnam from the Estate of Consuelo Kanaga, 82.65.368. No known copyright restrictions (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 82.65.368_PS2.jpg)

Gallery

Not on view

Collection

Photography

Title

Kenneth Spencer

Date

1933

Medium

Gelatin silver print

Classification

Photograph

Dimensions

frame: 20 1/16 × 15 1/16 × 1 1/2 in. (51 × 38.3 × 3.8 cm)

Signatures

Signed recto lower right mount: "Consuelo Kanaga"

Credit Line

Gift of Wallace B. Putnam from the Estate of Consuelo Kanaga

Accession Number

82.65.368

Rights

No known copyright restrictions

This work may be in the public domain in the United States. Works created by United States and non-United States nationals published prior to 1923 are in the public domain, subject to the terms of any applicable treaty or agreement. You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this work. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). The Museum does not warrant that the use of this work will not infringe on the rights of third parties, such as artists or artists' heirs holding the rights to the work. It is your responsibility to determine and satisfy copyright or other use restrictions before copying, transmitting, or making other use of protected items beyond that allowed by "fair use," as such term is understood under the United States Copyright Act. The Brooklyn Museum makes no representations or warranties with respect to the application or terms of any international agreement governing copyright protection in the United States for works created by foreign nationals. For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.

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