"Valentino" ring: Museum Object and Cultural History
"Valentino" ring: Date made: 1923 - 1924. Associated Name: Valentino, Rudolph. Object Name: Ring.
The object in the museum catalogue
Souvenir ring known as a "Valentino" ring in reference to actor Rudolph Valentino. The brass finger ring is cast with the image of an Egyptian pharaoh with headdress. This ring was given to the donor, Frances Scheele, by a high school girl friend, who bought it at a department store in Cleveland, Ohio. It was inexpensive then, probably retailing for less than a dollar. Some thread is wrapped around the ring to make it fit properly on the wearer's finger. This sort of movie-oriented costume jewelry was popularly referred to as "Valentino" jewelry. The donor recalled that this was "all the rage" among teenagers at the time.
Materials, dates and provenance
- Date made: 1923 - 1924
- Associated Name: Valentino, Rudolph
- Object Name: Ring
- Physical Description: metal, brass (overall material)
- Measurements: overall: 1 in x 3/4 in x 1 in; 2.54 cm x 1.905 cm x 2.54 cm
- purchased: United States: Ohio, Cleveland
- Subject: Souvenirs
- Subject: Motion Pictures
- ID Number: 1985.0168.02
- accession number: 1985.0168
- catalog number: 1985.0168.02
- Credit Line: Mrs. Frances J. Scheele
- Data Source: National Museum of American History
Sources and reuse
Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of American History through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed.
Sources
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