Marian Anderson in a flowery gown

Contralto Marian Andrerson wears a gown fit for an opera diva in this photo taken by Carl Van Vechten on January 14, 1940. The image later became part of the collections of the Prints and Photographs Division of the U.S. Library of Congress. Marian Anderson was born in 1897, so she turned 43 the year this phot was taken.