Robe worn by an unidentified member of the Ku Klux Klan
date: label: Date
content: ca. 1935
name: label: Manufactured by
content: Unidentified
label: Subject of
content: Ku Klux Klan, 2nd, American, 1915 - 1944
notes: label: Description
content: A Ku Klux Klan robe worn by a member of an undetermined rank. The calf-length robe is made from cotton and has full-length sleeves that are slightly flared near the cuff. Four white, plastic buttons are on the button band at the center front. Sewn over the left breast is a machine embroidered patch with an ivory satin cross outlined in black against a red satin background with a “blood drop,” embroidered in red, oriented vertically in the center of the cross. The black lines on the patch form a cross with a black diamond in the middle of the cross. The design is typically referred to as the "Mystic Insignia of a Klansman" (MIOAK). The robe has an attached circular half cape.
label: Statement
content: Objects depicting symbols of hate or related to organized hate groups may be offensive and disturbing, but the NMAAHC aims to include them in the Collection to present and preserve the historical context in which they were created and used. Objects of this type provide an important historical record from which to study and evaluate history and culture.
place: label: Place used
content: United States, North and Central America
topic: label: Topic
content: African American
label: Topic
content: Associations and institutions
label: Topic
content: Clothing and dress
label: Topic
content: Fraternal organizations
label: Topic
content: U.S. History, 1919-1933
label: Topic
content: U.S. History, 1933-1945
label: Topic
content: White supremacy movements
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
label: Classification
content: Clothing - Fashion and Historical
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Anonymous Gift
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture
identifier: label: Object number
content: 2013.231.1.2
objectType: label: Type
content: robes
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: cotton
label: Dimensions
content: H x W: 48 1/16 × 40 15/16 in. (122 × 104 cm)