Cuban Rumba Dress: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

This is a Bata Cubana, or Cuban Rumba dress, donated to the Smithsonian by Celia Cruz, the great Cuban salsa singer in 1997. An adaptation of the traditional Cuban rumba dress, it was made in the United States by Cuban-born designer José Arteaga. The Bata Cubana has its roots in the 19th century, with origins as diverse as the multicultural makeup of the people of Cuba. It brings together influences from Spanish, French, and African culture and dress, combining theater, fiesta, and the spectacle of carnival with slave and gypsy dress. The Bata Cubana is a garment worn for performance on stage or cabaret. Celia Cruz's Bata Cubana is made of orange polyester satin, trimmed with white nylon eyelet along ruffle-edges and eyelet beading along seams with inserted orange ribbon. The Bata Cubana was Celia's preferred performance costume.

Materials, dates and provenance

• date made: 1973 - 1987
• Associated Name: Cruz, Celia
• designer: Arteaga, Enrique
• Object Name: dress
• Physical Description: red (overall color)
• Physical Description: polyester (overall material)
• Measurements: overall: 55 in x 50 in x 93 in; 139.7 cm x 127 cm x 236.22 cm
• Place Made: United States
• ID Number: 1997.0291.01
• accession number: 1997.0291
• Credit Line: Gift of Celia Cruz
• 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.