Deck of playing cards from the travel wardrobe trunk used by Cab Calloway
date: label: Date
content: late 20th century
name: label: Manufactured by
content: The United States Playing Card Company, American, founded 1867
label: Owned by
content: Cab Calloway, American, 1907 - 1994
notes: label: Description
content: A deck of Bee playing cards from the travel wardrobe trunk used by Cab Calloway. The deck is housed in a thin, white, cardboard box with blue text and graphics on the front, back, and side edges. On the front of the pack, printed inside a thin blue frame accented with white dots is a blue banner with large white text that reads [“Bee”] with small additional white text above that reads [REG. U.S. PAT. OFF.]. Below is a blue and white graphic of a bee. At the top is blue text that reads [No. 92 / CLUB SPECIAL] with a graphic of a blue ribbon dividing the text. Printed below the banner is additional blue text that reads [PLAYING CARDS / STANDARD] above a graphic of two branches of laurel branches divided by a small banner with white text that reads [MADE IN U.S.A.]. The back of the packet features a blue art deco style frame with a rectangular graphic of blue diamonds above text that reads [BACK NO 67 / EXTRA SELECTED / FOR CLUB SPECIAL]. The box is partially wrapped with a clear cellophane wrapping. Inside the box is a complete standard 52-card deck of French-suited playing cards and a single joker card, all with a blue diamond pattern back. Also included is a joker card, as well as a card advertising a Euchre set, and a [Guarantee] card which double as two extra joker cards; all with blue diamond pattern backs. The last card is an advertisement for a travel club membership on one side and an advertisement for U.S. Playing Card Company publications on the other.
place: label: Place made
content: Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, North and Central America
topic: label: Topic
content: African American
label: Topic
content: Amusements
label: Topic
content: Band (Music)
label: Topic
content: Clothing and dress
label: Topic
content: Conductors (Musicians)
label: Topic
content: Costume
label: Topic
content: Entertainers
label: Topic
content: Jazz (Music)
label: Topic
content: Singers (Musicians)
label: Topic
content: Travel
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
label: Collection title
content: The Cabell “Cab” Calloway III Collection
label: Classification
content: Toys and Games
label: Classification
content: Accessories and Personal Effects
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Cabella Calloway Langsam
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture
identifier: label: Object number
content: A2015.273.1.1.4
objectType: label: Type
content: packs of cards
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: © The United States Playing Card Company
label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: ink on paper (fiber product) with cardboard and plastic
label: Dimensions
content: H x W x D: 3 9/16 × 2 9/16 × 11/16 in. (9 × 6.5 × 1.7 cm)