S. Epatha Merkerson: 1930 "The Georgia Smart Set Presents Brown Skin Mommas" Poster
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APPRAISER:
Epatha, thanks so much for having us today. I cannot wait to see what we're gonna appraise!
GUEST:
Perfect. Follow me.
APPRAISER:
This seems to be the spotlight or the centerpiece of your dining room here.
GUEST:
It, it is, indeed.
APPRAISER:
So tell us how you got this poster.
GUEST:
Well, I have this really good friend, Jesse Martin, who I did Law & Order with.
APPRAISER:
I...
GUEST:
You think you might know him?
APPRAISER:
I think I might have heard of him.
GUEST:
And he knew that I collected things like this. I always called him my little brother. He always called me Big Sis. And it's the kind of thing that we did for one another. I took him to an art fair, and I said, "So one of these paintings are for you," and he chose what he wanted. And I bought the painting for him. We just kind of did that for one another.
APPRAISER:
So you essentially have decorated each other's homes.
GUEST:
Essentially. Yeah.
APPRAISER:
To a certain degree.
GUEST (laughing): To a certain... He certainly has decorated mine.
APPRAISER:
Well, we have "The Georgia Smart Set presents the Brown Skin Mammas of 1930." Why is this piece important to you?
GUEST:
Well, I just really like the history of it. And it's also, has to do with theater and dance. And, but I think basically, for me, it is a depiction of what was given and shown of Black folks at a certain period of time. And so, you know, even though they might have this image in it, I like the sass of the women, and that makes me feel good. The hands on the hip, the, you know, the speaking.
APPRAISER:
(laughing)
GUEST:
I see all of that, you know, I love it. This one, you know, I love all of that. It's great. There's movement.
APPRAISER:
So this has an interesting, and we don't know how tight, but it has a correlation and association with Ma Rainey. She started the Georgia Smart Set.
GUEST (laughing): Oh, wow, that's amazing.
APPRAISER:
Great blueswoman. In fact, Mother of the Blues. Really, the first major blues star from the 1920s, best known for her hit "See See Rider."
GUEST:
Exactly, right, right. And August Wilson wrote a play called Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, and it's being turned into a film by... Viola Davis is going to be playing Ma Rainey. So knowing that I have this connection to Ma Rainey and connection with August Wilson and his plays, this has a greater meaning for me. Totally, so, thank you so much for that.
APPRAISER:
So I think if this went up at auction, the auction estimate would probably be somewhere between $1,000 and $1,500.
GUEST:
Wow, that's a lot.
APPRAISER:
If I was going to put an insurance estimate, a retail replacement, I would probably easily put somewhere between $4,000 and $5,000.
GUEST:
Okay. Wow.
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