Black wig with rainbow accents worn by George Clinton: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

This black and rainbow-colored wig was worn by George Clinton. The synthetic hair is a mullet style with the back reaching below the shoulders. Most of the hair is black, but rainbow-colored chunks and braids, strands of silver plastic beads, pink and blue tinsel wrapped around coily curls of the black hair, and plastic iridescent flowers accent the wig throughout. The synthetic hairs are attached to a thin strip of woven tape, which is formed into a skullcap using pieces of black lace. A solid panel of black lace is attached at the interior front quarter. A rectangular panel of black synthetic fabric is attached at the interior center back with a length of thin ribbon across the middle of the panel that has lines of stitching forming flat loops in the ribbon. Two (2) black elastic straps extend one on each side from the center back, each strap has a plastic hook at the end closest to the center back that is attached around the ribbon loops on the fabric panel. A label inside the wig reads "100% synthetic fiber / Made in China" with no manufacturer listed.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1990-2010
• Created by: Unidentified
• Worn by: George Clinton, American, born 1941
• Type: wigs
• Medium: synthetic fiber
• Dimensions: H x W: 23 1/2 x 12 in. (59.7 x 30.5 cm)
• Dimensions: Diameter: 9 in. (22.9 cm)
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Clothing and dress
• Topic: Costume
• Topic: Funk (Music)
• Topic: Singers (Musicians)
• Object number: 2011.83.2
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Love to the planet
• 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.