Wedding Invitation Suite: Large black envelope: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

Large, black envelope that held the wedding invitation suite designed by Hadiya Williams for the wedding of Shantrelle Lewis and Oluwatoyin Lawson. The envelope is blank except for a circular, gold ink stamp on the front. The outer circle reads [Shantrelle & Oluwatoyin / New Orleans, LA]. The inner circle has a large central letter [Z], with the date surrounding, [11/19/ 20/16]. The back of the envelope has a large, triangular flap that extends to the bottom and is held closed by a gold sticker with a lion insignia. The lion is in silhouette standing on its hind legs, one leg rests on a crescent moon while his arms hold a sun with radiating rays.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 2016
• Designed by: Hadiya Williams, American, born 1978
• Subject of: Shantrelle P. Lewis, American, born 1978
• Subject of: Tony Oluwatoyin Lawson, born 1978
• Type: envelopes
• Medium: paper with ink and adhesive
• Dimensions: L x W: 9 × 11 1/2 in. (22.8 × 29.2 cm)
• Place made: Washington, District of Columbia, United States, North and Central America
• Cultural Place: New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, North and Central America
• Cultural Place: Nigeria, West Africa, Africa
• Cultural Place: Africa
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Africa
• Topic: African diaspora
• Topic: Communities
• Topic: Design
• Topic: Families
• Topic: Film
• Topic: Graphic design
• Object number: 2018.30.1a
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Hadiya Williams
• 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: © 2016 Hadiya Williams Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.