Army White Dress uniform jacket worn by General Colin L. Powell
date: label: Date
content: ca. 1989-1993
name: label: Manufactured by
content: Bando Custom Tailor, South Korean, founded 1980
label: Worn by
content: General Colin L. Powell, American, 1937 - 2021
label: Subject of
content: United States Army, American, founded 1775
label: Subject of
content: United States Armed Forces, American, founded 1775
label: Owned by
content: General Colin L. Powell, American, 1937 - 2021
notes: label: Caption
content: Colin Luther Powell was born in Harlem, New York, on April 5, 1937. He graduated from Community College of New York in 1958 and earned his commission through the ROTC as a second lieutenant in the Regular Army. After a distinguished and highly decorated military career, Powell was promoted to four-star general in 1989. That same year he became the first African American Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), serving under President George H.W. Bush and President Bill Clinton. General Powell retired from the Army in 1993 after 35 years of service. In 2001 he became the first African American Secretary of State, serving under President George W. Bush before resigning in 2004. General Powell died on October 18, 2021, at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. After a funeral service at Washington National Cathedral in D.C., General Powell was buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.
label: Description
content: An Army White Dress uniform jacket worn by General Colin L. Powell. The single-breasted jacket is made from an off-white polyester fabric and closes at the center front with four (4) large brass buttons featuring the US Army insignia in relief. There are two shoulder tabs where one (1) decorative gold US Army insignia button in relief is missing on each side. There are two (2) pleated breast pockets, one at each front side, with flaps. The flaps are tacked down at the corners and one (1) decorative gold US Army insignia button is attached at the center of each flap. There are two (2) front waist welted pockets, one at each front side. Each pocket has a flap that covers the welt, with one (1) decorative gold US Army insignia button at the center of each flap missing. The sleeves are full-length straight cut without a cuff, and a band of 1/2-inch wide gold woven tape is sewn around each sleeve three (3) inches from the wrist hem. The back of the jacket has a long center vent. The interior of the sleeves are fully lined with a gold synthetic fabric, and the interior body is lined with the same at the front sides and around the back shoulders, with the bottom half of the lining beyond the vent unattached from the back facing fabric. There are two (2) interior welted breast pockets, one at each front side, with triangular flap covers. A black fabric tailor’s tag is sewn below the opening of the interior proper right pocket with gold and white embroidered text reading "HAND TAILORED BY / BANDO / CUSTOM TAILOR / ITAEWON SEOUL KOREA / TEL: 793-0812”. Above the interior proper left pocket, embroidered in yellow-gold thread is “C.L. Powell”.
place: label: Place collected
content: McLean, Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, North and Central America
label: Place made
content: Itaewon, South Korea, Asia
label: Place used
content: Washington, District of Columbia, United States, North and Central America
topic: label: Topic
content: African American
label: Topic
content: Clothing and dress
label: Topic
content: Government
label: Topic
content: Local and regional
label: Topic
content: Military
label: Topic
content: U.S. History, 1969-2001
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
label: Classification
content: Clothing - Military Uniforms
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Alma J. Powell
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture
identifier: label: Object number
content: A2022.101.1.35.1
objectType: label: Type
content: jackets
label: Type
content: military uniforms
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: No known copyright restrictions
label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: polyester and satin with brass fasteners
label: Dimensions
content: Chest: 22 1/8 in. (56.2 cm)
label: Dimensions
content: Waist: 20 7/8 in. (53 cm)
label: Dimensions
content: L x W: 35 13/16 × 24 13/16 in. (91 × 63 cm)