Black suede vest worn by Melvin Van Peebles: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A black suede leather vest worn by Melvin Van Peebles. The leather vest has two front leather panels, and it closes at the center front with three, brass metal snaps. The buttons are stamped with a five-pointed star at the center and text around exterior edges that reads [GREAT OF THE STAT[sic] OF OKLAHOMA-1907-] There are two welted front pockets, one at each hip. The back panel of the vest is made from plain black cotton and there is a cinching tie near the center back bottom. Attached to the back center of the interior neckline is a black fabric tag with gold embroidered text that reads [L]. The inside of the vest is lined with synthetic fabric.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 2000 - 2010
• Created by: Unidentified
• Subject of: Melvin Van Peebles, American, 1932 - 2021
• Type: vests (main garments)
• Medium: leather suede, polyester, cotton, and metal
• Dimensions: Length: 25 5/16 in. (64.3 cm)
• Dimensions: Width: 18 7/8 in. (47.9 cm)
• Place made: United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Actors
• Topic: Black Enterprise
• Topic: Clothing and dress
• Topic: Film
• Topic: Musicians
• Object number: 2024.60.9
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The displayed image also has an explicit CC0 designation. The underlying object's rights statement is: No known copyright restrictions Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.