Black tail coat with white pocket handkerchief worn by Cab Calloway: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

(a) A black swallow-tailed coat worn by Cab Calloway. The coat is made of a black wool and synthetic blend fabric with black satin peaked lapels and straight cuffless sleeves. There are two (2) decorative round black plastic buttons, one at each outside wrist. The coat does not close in the front, but there are six (6) decorative round black plastic buttons, three on each front side. There is one (1) exterior inset pocket at the proper left breast. The tails of the coat are rounded on the outside edge with a squared corner at the center vent. There are two (2) decorative round black plastic buttons on the back, one at each center seam of the tails. The coat, tails, and sleeves are lined with black synthetic fabric. There is one interior pocket with an opening along the inside where the lapel meets the lining at the proper right front breast. Inside the pocket is a manufacturer's label with size 46R and care instructions is sewn inside the proper right interior breast pocket. Below this tag is a union label for the Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union (ACTWU).There is a hanger loop at the interior center back neck made of black fabric with silver embroidered text reading "after Six / DRY CLEAN ONLY".

(b) A white square handkerchief folded and used as a pocket square in the exterior proper left breast pocket of the coat (a). The cotton handkerchief has white supplementary warp and weft threads creating a woven plaid design around the borders.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1976-1995
• Manufactured by: After Six, Inc., American, founded 1903
• Worn by: Cab Calloway, American, 1907 - 1994
• Type: tail coats
• Type: handkerchiefs
• Medium: (a): wool and synthetic blend fiber with plastic buttons;
• Medium: (b): cotton
• Dimensions: H x W x D ((a) on form): 44 × 25 1/2 × 15 1/2 in. (111.8 × 64.8 × 39.4 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W ((a) flat): 44 1/2 × 19 in. (113 × 48.3 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W ((b) flat): 14 3/4 × 14 3/4 in. (37.5 × 37.5 cm)
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Clothing and dress
• Topic: Composers (Musicians)
• Topic: Conductors (Musicians)
• Topic: Costume
• Topic: Dance
• Topic: Jazz (Music)
• Topic: Singers (Musicians)
• Object number: 2013.237.4.1ab
• 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 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.