Front apron piece for Bahamas Junkanoo Revue costume: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

The front decorative apron piece of a man's costume for the Bahamas Junkanoo Revue, a junkanoo troupe in Miami, Florida.

The front apron of the costume features a circular and swirling blue and white design with red and gold accents. When worn, it appears from mid-torso to below the knees. The design swirls out from a center gold-colored metallic sphere trimmed in rings of blue and gold beading interspersed with a ring of red triangles with teardrop-shaped gemstones. Another gold metallic sphere appears at top center, also trimmed in rings of blue, red and gold metallic beading. In between the center circle and the top sphere are two glittery swirl or paisley designs on either side, also trimmed in blue, gold, and red beading. Two more paisleys swirl out beneath the center circle with an intricately beaded arc between them, edged in triangular shapes. The bottom points of the triangles on each side hit just below the wearer's knees, with the center triangular point reaching almost to the ankles. The front apron has a metal hook attachment on the back which secures it to the front of the costume.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 2015
• Designed by: Wilshire Dames, Bahamian
• Type: ceremonial costume
• Medium: cardboard, sequin, paper, paint, Glass bead, metal, glitter, plastic, and glue
• Dimensions: H x W: 34 1/2 × 17 1/2 in. (87.6 × 44.5 cm)
• Place made: Miami, Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States, North and Central America
• Cultural Place: Bahamas, Caribbean, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: African diaspora
• Topic: Clothing and dress
• Topic: Costume
• Topic: Costume design
• Topic: Dance
• Topic: Folklife
• Topic: Holidays and festivals
• Object number: 2015.140.4
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
• 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: Unknown - Restrictions Possible Rights assessment and proper usage is the responsibility of the user.