Black jacket with custom painting worn by Ralph Johnson of Earth, Wind and Fire
date: label: Date
content: 2004-2013
name: label: Designed by
content: Bernard G. Jacobs, American
label: Created by
content: Elmer Ave, 2005 - 2013
label: Manufactured by
content: Unidentified
label: Worn by
content: Ralph Johnson, American, born 1951
label: Subject of
content: Earth, Wind & Fire, American, founded 1969
notes: label: Description
content: A black men's jacket with a neon orange painted and stenciled pattern designed by Bernard G. Jacobs and worn by Ralph Johnson, percussionist for Earth, Wind & Fire. The vintage jacket was customized by Elmer Ave. The single-breasted jacket has full-length straight cut sleeves, a wide notched collar, and closes at the center front with two (2) black plastic buttons. The collar of the jacket is faced in black velvet and lined in black felt. The lapels are edged with black woven tape. There is one (1) inset pocket at the proper left breast and two (2) diagonal welt pockets with flap closures, one at each front waist. The proper left front body of the jacket has been painted neon orange with heavier painted thick grid lines. Large black dots of the facing fabric are left exposed in four (4) places, including one obscured by the lapel. A rectangular stencil with positive text reading "Elmer / AVE / 5600" like a street sign is stenciled at the proper left breast over the pocket opening, at the center proper left front, and in a smaller version at the proper left front near the hem. Four (4) large neon orange dots are painted onto the proper right front of the breast, corresponding to the four (4) black dots on the proper left front. The street sign stencil in red paint is placed diagonally at the proper right front below the shoulder and partially obscured by the lapel, and placed upside down diagonally on the proper right front below the breast. The street sign stencil in red paint is placed upside down on the sleeves near the cuffs, with the proper left sleeve reading "Elmer" and the proper right sleeve reading "AVE / 5600". If the sleeves are placed next to each other across the front sides the full stencil is joined together. There is one (1) round black decorative button at each sleeve cuff. The back of the jacket has one vent at the center back. A design is stenciled at the center back below the shoulders featuring a white shaded background, a black triangle with blunted corners surrounding an orange triangle with sharpe corners, and a black F-clef oriented upside down. The red rectangular street sign stencil is oriented upside down over the back vent opening.
label: Description
content: The jacket is fully lined in black synthetic fabric, with the street sign stencil in burgundy stacked three (3) times on the interior back. There is one (1) interior welted pocket at the proper right breast. Inside the pocket is text painted in white "[illegible] B.T.A." above a size tag with printed text "44L" in the bottom right corner and handwritten black ink text "NCC / 8172" in the upper left corner. Below the size tag is a United Garment Workers of America union lable.
topic: label: Topic
content: African American
label: Topic
content: Clothing and dress
label: Topic
content: Costume
label: Topic
content: Costume design
label: Topic
content: Design
label: Topic
content: Instrumentalists (Musicians)
label: Topic
content: Soul (Music)
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
label: Classification
content: Clothing - Costume
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Costume Designer Bernard G. Jacobs
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture
identifier: label: Object number
content: 2015.147.2
objectType: label: Type
content: jackets
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: synthetic fiber, paint, and plastic buttons
label: Dimensions
content: H x W (flat): 36 3/4 × 19 1/4 in. (93.3 × 48.9 cm)