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

The object in the museum catalogue

A light gray, After Six, one size fits all bow tie from the travel wardrobe trunk used by Cab Calloway. The satin, pre-tied, butterfly with points bow tie features an adjustable light gray neck strap that fastens behind the bow tie knot. The bow tie has been stitched to the band. The band strap has a silver tone metal strap adjuster and a hook at the end of the strap that clips to an eye just behind the bow tie. Sewn to the tie strap is a white fabric tag with black embroidered text on the front that reads [after / Six® / MADE IN U.S.A.] and is blank on the back.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: ca. 1984
• Manufactured by: After Six, Inc., American, founded 1903
• Worn by: Cab Calloway, American, 1907 - 1994
• Type: bow ties
• Medium: satin with thread and metal
• Dimensions: H x W x D: 1 7/8 × 17 3/4 × 3/4 in. (4.8 × 45.1 × 1.9 cm)
• Place made: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 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: A2015.273.1.1.55.5
• 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.