Hat worn by Chiwetel Ejiofor as Solomon Northup in the film 12 Years a Slave: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

This straw boater hat was worn by Chiwetel Ejiofor as Solomon Northup in the film 12 Years a Slave (2013). The hat is made from braided straw sewn in concentric circles to form a wide round brim, tall crown, and crushed top. A hatband made from brown braided cotton ribbon is tied around the crown and knotted at the proper left side. Illegible text is handwritten in black ink on the interior center back crown.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 2013
• Designed by: Patricia Norris, American, 1931 - 2015
• Worn by: Chiwetel Ejiofor, British, born 1977
• Created by: Western Costume Company, American, founded 1912
• Subject of: Solomon Northup, American, 1808 - 1875
• Type: boaters
• Medium: straw, cotton ribbon
• Dimensions: H x W x D (On form): 8 × 15 1/2 × 15 in. (20.3 × 39.4 × 38.1 cm)
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Actors
• Topic: Clothing and dress
• Topic: Costume
• Topic: Costume design
• Topic: Design
• Topic: Film
• Topic: Men
• Object number: 2015.158.2.1
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift from the Western Costume Company
• 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 underlying object's rights statement is: No Known Copyright Restrictions Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.