MYSTERY SOLVED: The Mystery of Alma Thomas with an unidentified woman at the Whitney Museum of American Art, 1972

Two women stand smiling and looking at something.
Alma Thomas with an unidentified woman at the Whitney Museum of American Art, 1972. Jack Whitten, photographer. Alma Thomas papers.

The Mystery:

What: They are at an exhibit opening of Thomas' retrospective

Where: Whitney Museum of American Art

When: 1972

Who: Unidentified woman (left) and Alma Thomas (right)

Help us solve the mystery: Who is this unidentified woman with Alma Thomas at her opening?

The Solution:

Alma Thomas with Ruth Kainen at the Whitney Museum of American Art, 1972

What: They are at an exhibit opening of Thomas' retrospective

Where: Whitney Museum of American Art

When: 1972

Who: Ruth Kainen (left) and Alma Thomas (right)

Ruth Kainen was a major art collector and benefactor (with her husband, artist Jacob Kainen) of the National Gallery of Art, among other major art collections including the Phillips Collection, the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, National Museum of Women in the Arts, and the Baltimore Museum of Art.

How to Get In Touch:

If you have leads, clues, or ideas of who the unknown individuals may be , email us at AAAMysteries@si.edu. Your email should include:

  1. Your first and last name
  2. Your organization, if applicable
  3. Your preferred mode of contact, should we need to reach you (e.g. email address or phone number)
  4. The photo name (for which you are identifying the unknown individual)
  5. The name of the individual you believe is the unidentifiable figure in the photo or any information you may have that could help us identify the individual
  6. Your level of certainty in the information you provided

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