Vera Whistler hat and hatbox with lid belonging to Etta Moten Barnett
date: label: Date
content: ca. 1970
name: label: Designed by
content: Vera Whistler, American
label: Manufactured by
content: Julius Lewis, American, founded 1900
label: Owned by
content: Etta Moten Barnett, American, 1901 - 2004
notes: label: Description
content: This is a chartreuse cloche-style hat (.1a) with a hat pin (.1b) inside a Vera Whistler hat box (.2a) with lid (.2b). The hat (.1a) is constructed out of velvet material and has one side of the brim flipped up and the opposite side flipped down. The hat has a long narrow feather wrapped around the base of the crown. The feather is brown with a single line of large round white spots. The interior of the hat is lined in black silky fabric with a black grosgrain ribbon sweatband. Sewn to the back of the hatband is a fabric tag with red text that reads “VERA WHISTLER / ORIGINALS.” The hat pin (.1b) is stuck into the fabric at the front of the hat. The finial of the pin has a faceted gold-colored bead, followed by a narrow circular bead with clear glass rhinestones. The third bead is a solid sphere in a gold color. The hatbox (.2a) is a circular cardboard box with faint vertical stripes in pale pink and beige. Is has a pink cord to fasten down the lid threaded into the body of the box to create a second loop as a carrying handle. Handwritten on the side of the box in blue ink is text that reads “CHARTRUESE PANNE FEDORA.” The lid (.2b) is plain off-white background with pink text in the center that reads “VERA / WHISTLER / ORIGINALS / JULIUS LEWIS / MEMPHIS.” The rim of the lid is partially torn off the top of the lid.
place: label: Place purchased
content: Memphis, Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, North and Central America
label: Place used
content: Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, United States, North and Central America
topic: label: Topic
content: African American
label: Topic
content: Activism
label: Topic
content: Actors
label: Topic
content: Broadway Theatre
label: Topic
content: Clothing and dress
label: Topic
content: Fashion
label: Topic
content: Millinery
label: Topic
content: Singers (Musicians)
label: Topic
content: Women
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
label: Collection title
content: Etta Moten Barnett Archive
label: Classification
content: Clothing - Fashion and Historical
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture
identifier: label: Object number
content: A2022.13.1.27.1ab-.2ab
objectType: label: Type
content: cloches
label: Type
content: hatboxes
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Unknown – Restrictions Possible
label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Rights assessment and proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: 1a: cloth with feather
label: Medium
content: 1b: metal with beads
label: Medium
content: 2ab: cardboard and cord (fiber product)
label: Dimensions
content: H x W x D (.1a): 5 11/16 × 7 7/8 × 9 1/4 in. (14.5 × 20 × 23.5 cm)
label: Dimensions
content: L x W (.1b): 3 15/16 × 3/8 in. (10 × 1 cm)
label: Dimensions
content: H x W x D (.2ab): 7 1/16 × 13 × 13 in. (18 × 33 × 33 cm)