Commemorative denim vest with buttons assembled by Joan Trumpauer Mulholland
date: label: Date
content: 1960s; assembled 1980s
name: label: Manufactured by
content: Levi Strauss & Co., founded 1853
label: Owned by
content: Joan Trumpauer Mulholland, American, born 1941
notes: label: Description
content: A denim vest with twenty-three [23] pinback buttons pinned across the front. The vest is made of light blue denim. It has two front breast pockets with button flaps, and six buttons down the middle from collar to hem. There are horizontal seams across the chest at the top of the pockets, and two vertical seams extending from each pocket down to the hem. The hems along the collar, arm holes, and hem are frayed. The name "Mulholland" is sewn in at the collar. Joan Trumpauer Mulholland assembled the vest and buttons to commemorate her activism during the Civil Rights Movement.
label: Description
content: The buttons on the left side from top to bottom are:
label: Description
content: (.1) A white button with dark blue letters: [ I / BELIEVE IN / HUMAN / DIGNITY];
label: Description
content: (.2) A black and white SNCC button reading: [ONE MAN / ONE VOTE];
label: Description
content: (.3) A black and white button reading: [EVERS / In Memoriam / FREEDOM];
label: Description
content: (.4) A blue and white button reading: [MEMBER / NAACP / 1960];
label: Description
content: (.5) A red button with a white band in the middle with blue letters reading [REGISTERED]; and white letters reading [I AM / ARE YOU?];
label: Description
content: (.6) A white button with a photographic portrait of the politician and red letters reading [ SMITH / FOR CONGRESS];
label: Description
content: (.7) A yellow button with a graphic of a broken chain across the middle and black letters reading [ FREE D.C. / RIGHT TO VOTE!];
label: Description
content: (.8) A yellow button with black letters reading: [SEND FEDERAL REGISTRARS / TO / SUN FLOWER / MISSISSIPPI / NOW / M.F.D.P.];
label: Description
content: (.9) A white button with black letters reading [ONE MAN / SNCC / ONE VOTE];
label: Description
content: (.10) A white button with red letters in the middle reading [SUPPORT STUDENT SIT-INS] and blue bands around the edge with white letters reading [COMMITTEE TO DEFEND / MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.];
label: Description
content: (.11) A button with a white circular center with blue letters reading [CORE] and a band of blue around the edge with white letters reading [SUPPORT SIT-INS];
label: Description
content: (.12) A white button with black letters in the middle reading [SUPPORT / SOUTHERN / STUDENTS] and black bands at the top and bottom with white letters reading [STUDENT NONVIOLENT / COORDINATION COMMITTEE];
label: Description
content: The button on the left side of the collar is (.13) a white button with black letters reading [NEVER]. The button on the right side of the collar is (.14) a black button with a white equal symbol in the middle.
label: Description
content: The buttons on the right siide from top to bottom are:
label: Description
content: (.15) A white button with green letters reading [WE SHALL OVERCOME] and an illustration of two hands, one black and one white, clasped together;
label: Description
content: (.16) A white SNCC button with a graphic of a black hand and a white hand clasped together;
label: Description
content: (.17) A white SNCC button with black edge and a graphic representation of a black hand and a white hand clasped together, where the hands are represented by circles;
label: Description
content: (.18) A white button with black letters reading [HENRY / FREEDOM / KING];
label: Description
content: (.19) A button with the top half black with white letters reading [FREEDOM] and the bottom half is white with black letters reading [NOW / CORE];
label: Description
content: (.20) A yellow button with an outline of the state of MIssissippi in black and black letters reading [MEREDITH MISSISSIPPI MARCH / FOR / FREEDOM / June - 1966];
label: Description
content: (.21) A white button with an illustration of a white hand and black hand clasped together and black letters reading [MARCH ON WASHINGTON / FOR / JOBS & FREEDOM / AUGUST 28, 1963];
label: Description
content: (.22) A button with a black and white graphic of two hands next to each other;
label: Description
content: (.23) A white button with red letters reading [National Committee for a DEMOCRATIC Mississippi / FREE / MISS. / ALL the Way / with / L B J];
label: Description
content: At the botton hem just right of center in black ink is handwritten [ AC / DC].
topic: label: Topic
content: African American
label: Topic
content: Activism
label: Topic
content: Civil Rights
label: Topic
content: Clothing and dress
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
label: Classification
content: Clothing - Fashion and Historical
label: Movement
content: Civil Rights Movement
label: Exhibition
content: Defending Freedom, Defining Freedom: The Era of Segregation, 1876-1968
label: On View
content: NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Concourse 2, C 2053
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift from the Trumpauer-Mulholland Collection
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture
identifier: label: Object number
content: 2010.71.3
objectType: label: Type
content: vests (main garments)
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Public domain
label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: denim, metal
label: Dimensions
content: H x W: 26 1/2 x 24 in. (67.3 x 61 cm)