Getty Museum
John Jacob Niles Playing the Dulcimer, New York City
Creator
Doris UlmannAmerican Photographer · 1882–1934
All works by this person →A New Yorker by birth, Doris Ulmann preserved the rural cultures of the southeastern United States through her photographs. She worked particularly in the "Southern Highlands" of the Appalachian Mountains, creating portraits of the residents. In 1933, she contributed photographs to *Roll, Jordan, Roll*, a book by novelist Julia Peterkin about the vanishing black culture, known as Gullah, of the So
More on Getty ULAN- Date
- about 1930
- Medium
- Platinum print
- Culture
- American
- Department
- Photographs
- Institution
- Getty Museum
- Object ID
- 2672ffd5-dde0-45ff-8198-840819fdfc76
Doris Ulmann and her husband Dr. Charles Jaeger had divorced by the mid-1920s. In 1925 she met John Jacob ("Jack") Niles (1892-1980), an actor, musician, and Kentucky balladeer. By 1927 he had become her general assistant as well as frequent escort on evenings out at the theater, opera, and ballet. As a Park Avenue resident of independent means, Ulmann had a staff to maintain her apartment and provide transportation when needed. However, a knee injury made it difficult for her to carry the heavy photographic equipment (glass plates, view cameras, and tripods) with which she preferred to work. Niles was hired not only to assist with the equipment but also because he could facilitate Ulmann's introduction to more remote parts of the mountainous Southeast, where she would increasingly spend more time. As one who shared her interest in preserving the culture of the Southern Highlands, he acted as an informed assistant and helpful collaborator. The two were on the road as much as five clement months each year; during the winter months Niles was often away on concert tours with his partner, the singer Marion Kerby. He sometimes stayed with Ulmann when in New York and, under her close supervision, assisted with the printing process. Her involvement with his life extended to making sure he had a sufficiently stylish wardrobe. This portrait and another in the Getty collection ([87.89.XM.12](https://www.getty.edu/art/collection/objects/62296/doris-ulmann-john-jacob-niles-with-notebooks-brasstown-north-carolina-american-about-1933-1934/)) picture Niles with the tools of his primary trade, that of collecting, composing, and performing folk music. The Getty Museum acquired the majority of the Ulmann photographs in its collection from Niles’s family; twenty-three feature him. Adapted from Judith Keller. *Doris Ulmann*, In Focus: Photographs from the J. Paul Getty Museum (Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum, 1996), 36. ©1996, J. Paul Getty Trust.
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