Pants 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 pair of gray-blue fall-front trousers was worn by Chiwetel Ejiofor as Solomon Northup in the film 12 Years a Slave (2013). The pants are made from a heavy weight synthetic or synthetic and cotton blend plain woven fabric that is light blue in color, but has been heavily distressed to appear a dull light gray. The trousers close at the front waist with three (3) round light brown wooden buttons. The front flap closes with six (6) of the same buttons, leaving only the topmost center waist button visible when closed. There are two (2) welted pockets, one at each front side waist, that are not visible when the front flap is closed. The weft is cut in several places and left to unravel over the loose warp threads. The hems of the full-length pants are also left raw and unraveling.

The interior back waist band and the pockets are lined in gray synthetic fabric. The rest of the pants are not lined. Six (6) gray plastic buttons are sewn in the interior waistband for fastening suspenders, two (2) at the proper left front, two (2) at the proper right front, and two (2) at the center back. A white barcode with black printed text is adhered to the waist band lining at the interior proper left back that reds "WESTERN COSTUME" above the barcode and "40877607" below. A white paper tag with text handwritten in black ink reading "Solomon" is attached to the back waistband lining below the barcode with a length of bent metal wire that is pierced through the lining.

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: trousers
• Medium: synthetic fiber, wood and plastic buttons
• Dimensions: H x W x D (On form): 51 × 16 1/2 × 10 1/2 in. (129.5 × 41.9 × 26.7 cm)
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Actors
• Topic: Clothing and dress
• Topic: Costume
• Topic: Costume design
• Topic: Design
• Topic: Film
• Topic: Men
• Object number: 2015.158.2.5
• 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.