Black bow tie from the travel wardrobe trunk used by Cab Calloway: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A black, one size fits all bow tie from the travel wardrobe trunk used by Cab Calloway. The satin, pre-tied, butterfly bow tie features an adjustable neck strap that fastens at the back of the neck. The bow tie has been stitched to the band at the center. The bow tie has a small piece of matching black fabric that wraps around the bow at the center and is stitched closed at the back, forming the center knot. Sewn to the interior of the proper right side of the neck strap is a white satin ribbon with printed black text that reads [ADJUSTABLE ? 14 14 ½ ? / RN 18628]. Sewn to each end of the neck band is a metal hook and eye and there is a metal safety pin attached to the band near the center.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: mid 20th-late 20th century
• Manufactured by: Unidentified
• Worn by: Cab Calloway, American, 1907 - 1994
• Type: bow ties
• Medium: satin with thread , metal , cotton (textile) and ribbon
• Dimensions: H x W x D: 3 5/8 × 17 7/16 × 7/8 in. (9.2 × 44.3 × 2.3 cm)
• Place made: United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Band (Music)
• Topic: Clothing and dress
• Topic: Conductors (Musicians)
• Topic: Costume
• Topic: Entertainers
• Topic: Jazz (Music)
• Topic: Singers (Musicians)
• Object number: A2015.273.1.1.27
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Cabella Calloway Langsam
• 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.