Dukes

Date1975, printed 2016

MediumDigital print on canvas

DimensionsImage Size: 16 × 16 in. (40.6 × 40.6 cm) Paper Size: 17 × 22 in. (43.2 × 55.9 cm) Framed Size: 24 1/2 × 24 1/2 in. (62.2 × 62.2 cm)

Credit LineDC Commission on the Arts and Humanities Art Bank Collection

Object numberDCCAH2016.013

ClassificationsPhotographs

Locations

Councilmember Robert White (1350 Penn Ave NW, 107)

DescriptionDukes Shoe Repair shop offered polishing and repair services on U Street for 50 years. This photograph shows the lively shoe shop in 1975, though it was not printed until 2016, the year Dukes’ 95-year-old owner, Irving “Duke” Johnson, closed its doors. In 2011, the D.C. Council made June 5 “Irving ‘Duke’ Johnson Day,” in honor of Johnson’s 90th birthday and his contributions to the District. Photographer Jonathan French has had an equally long and influential career, documenting District life since the 1970s while working at the Library of Congress for nearly 30 years.