Marian Anderson (1897–1993) at Carnegie Hall flyer

Among the most influential singers in American history, the contralto Marian Anderson is best known for her powerful 1939 recital on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.—a concert arranged in part by First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, after the Daughters of the American Revolution denied Anderson access to Constitution Hall because she was Black. By 1939 Anderson had established herself as a major touring singer, both in the United States and abroad. She began making recordings with Victor Records in 1923 and gave her first Carnegie Hall concert in 1928. In 1955 Anderson became the first African American on the roster of the Metropolitan Opera.