Fuchsia handkerchief from the travel wardrobe trunk used by Cab Calloway: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A fuchsia handkerchief from the travel wardrobe trunk used by Cab Calloway. The fuchsia handkerchief is square in shape and constructed from a plain woven cotton and polyester blend. Adhered to the edge of one side is a silver foil sticker that is roughly rectangular in shape with a triangular tab extending from the center of the bottom edge. Blue text printed on the adhesive label reads [65% DACRON ® POLYESTER • 35% COTTON / PERMANENT PRESS / MACHINE WASHABLE NEEDS NO IRONING] with the brand name, [DESCO], printed in stylized lettering below.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: before 1962
• Manufactured by: Desco, American
• Worn by: Cab Calloway, American, 1907 - 1994
• Type: handkerchiefs
• Medium: polyester and cotton (fiber)
• Dimensions: H x W x D: 17 11/16 × 17 5/16 × 1/16 in. (44.9 × 43.9 × 0.1 cm)
• Place made: 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: A2015.273.1.1.45
• 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.