Bowtie, worn by Frank Sinatra: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

Black bowtie worn by Frank Sinatra, c. 1942. Frank Sinatra - vocalist, actor and lyricist of Italian ancestry - rose to international stardom in the 1940s and remained a stellar performer into the mature years of his career. Sinatra's first success came in 1937 as the lead vocalist of the Hoboken Four, winners on the Major Bowes Amateur Hour radio program. Harry James hired Sinatra in 1939, launching Sinatra's career as a band singer. With Tommy Dorsey's Orchestra in early 1940, Sinatra's popularity with bobby-soxers reached phenomenal proportions. Before long, the radio and phonograph listening world were made aware of his impressive talent. Leaving Dorsey late in 1942, he worked as a single in theaters and clubs and had his own radio show in 1943, becoming the featured vocalist on radio's "Your Hit Parade" in 1944 and 1947-1949.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date made: 1942
• Object Name: tie
• Physical Description: black (overall color)
• Measurements: overall: 46 in x 3 1/2 in; 116.84 cm x 8.89 cm
• Measurements: overall: 46 in x 3 1/2 in; 116.84 cm x 8.89 cm
• general subject association: Costume
• general subject association: Music
• ID Number: 1982.0512.02
• accession number: 1982.0512
• catalog number: 1982.0512.02
• Credit Line: Gift of Frank Sinatra
• Data Source: National Museum of American History

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of American History through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed.