With a voice said to rival that of Italian diva Adelina Patti, soprano Sissieretta Jones became an international star whose repertoire ranged from grand opera arias to popular ballads. A classically trained singer, she was the first African American woman to headline a concert at Carnegie Hall, in 1893.
Sissieretta Jones
- Exhibition Label
- Born Portsmouth, Virginia
- With a voice said to rival that of Italian diva Adelina Patti, soprano Sissieretta Jones became an inter- national star whose repertoire ranged from grand opera arias to popular ballads. A classically trained singer, Jones made her New York City debut at Steinway Hall in April 1888. After an admiring critic dubbed her “the Black Patti,” she was promoted as such for the remainder of her career. Touring extensively from 1888 until 1896, Jones delighted audiences at home and abroad with solo recitals as well as performances with a variety of musical ensembles.
- Although her venues included opera houses and concert halls, racial barriers prevented Jones from performing in mainstream opera. In 1896, she took her career in a new direction by forming Black Patti’s Troubadours, a touring troupe of African American entertainers whose vaudevillian offerings were paired with “operatic kaleidoscopes” showcasing Jones’s extraordinary vocal gifts.
- Data Source
- National Portrait Gallery
- Artist
- Napoleon Sarony, 9 Mar 1821 - 9 Nov 1896
- Sitter
- Sissieretta Jones, 5 Jan 1868 - 24 Jun 1933
- Date
- c. 1895
- Credit Line
- National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
- Medium
- Albumen silver print
- Dimensions
- Image/Sheet: 14 x 9.7 cm (5 1/2 x 3 13/16")
- Mount: 16.6 x 10.9 cm (6 9/16 x 4 5/16")
- Mat: 45.7 x 35.6 cm (18 x 14")
- Type
- Photograph
