Francis Hall Johnson, born on this day in 1888, was a violinist, composer, and arranger, best known for his arrangements of African American spirituals. Prior to forming the Hall Johnson Negro Choir in 1925, he played viola for the Negro String Quartet, an ensemble founded by violinist Felix Weir in 1920. The group’s lineup was, as pictured above from left to right, Weir on violin, Marion Cumbo on cello, Johnson on viola, and Arthur Boyd on violin.
Photograph of Hall Johnson and the Negro String Quartet
- Description
- A photograph of the Negro String Quartet. The photograph features four men sitting in chairs positioned in a semi circle around two music stands. The men are all dressed in suits. The men from left to right are: Felix Weir, Marion Cumbo, Hall Johnson, and Arthur Boyd. The photograph isin a green/gray paper frame. A stamp on the front of the paper frame reads: [S. Tarr / 164 West 125 St. / NY]. The back of the frame is blank.
- Data Source
- National Museum of African American History and Culture
- Photograph by
- S. Tarr, American, active 1920s
- Subject of
- Hall Johnson, American, 1888 - 1970
- Felix Weir, American, 1884 - 1978
- Marion Cumbo, American
- Arthur Boyd
- Date
- ca. 1923
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Dr. Eugene Thamon Simpson, Representative, Hall Johnson Estate
- Medium
- silver and gelatin on photographic paper with paper (fiber product)
- Dimensions
- H x W (Overall): 7 1/4 × 11 in. (18.4 × 27.9 cm)
- H x W (Photograph): 5 × 7 in. (12.7 × 17.8 cm)
- H x W (Frame): 7 1/4 × 11 in. (18.4 × 27.9 cm)
- Type
- photographs
