Robe and trunks worn by Denzel Washington as Rubin Carter in The Hurricane: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A robe (.1ab) and a pair of boxing trunks (.2) worn by actor Denzel Washington as “Rubin ‘Hurricane’ Carter” in the 1999 biopic, “The Hurricane.”

The robe (.1a) is a long-sleeved, knee-length, hooded white terry cloth robe with a belt (.1b). The robe has a center opening with no fasteners. The sleeves end with thick trim that can be folded over to form cuffs. The belt is made of the same material as the robe, and is held in place by two (2) belt loops, one on the proper left side and one on the proper right side. There are two (2) patch pockets on the front of the robe, one on each hip.

The custom-made boxing trunks (.2) are cream satin with a 3-inch black satin waistband and 1-1/2 inch wide black satin vertical stripes on the proper left and proper right sides. The company label reading [EVERLAST/ MADE IN U.S.A.] is sewn into the waistband at the center front. On the interior of the waistband at the center back is a manufacturer's label for the costume company [Eric Winterling, Inc./ New York/ M]. At the bottom of this label, the name [Mr. Washington] is typed onto the label. The trunks are not lined.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1999
• Designed by: Aggie Guerard Rodgers, American, born 1943
• Created by: Eric Winterling, Inc., Theatrical Costumes, Made to Order
• Worn by: Denzel Washington, American, born 1954
• Type: robes
• Type: trunks (costume)
• Medium: Robe (.1ab): terry cloth;
• Medium: Trunks (.2): satin and synthetic fiber
• Dimensions: H x W x D (Robe .1ab on form): 41 1/4 × 17 × 14 in. (104.8 × 43.2 × 35.6 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (Robe .1ab flat): 51 1/2 × 31 in. (130.8 × 78.7 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W x D (Belt .1b): 2 1/4 × 78 1/8 × 5/8 in. (5.7 × 198.4 × 1.6 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W x D (Trunks .2 on form): 20 1/2 × 13 × 8 1/2 in. (52.1 × 33 × 21.6 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (Trunks .2 flat): 19 3/4 × 16 1/8 in. (50.2 × 41 cm)
• Place used: United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Actors
• Topic: Athletes
• Topic: Boxing
• Topic: Clothing and dress
• Topic: Costume
• Topic: Costume design
• Topic: Design
• Object number: 2013.127.2.1ab-.2
• 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.