Grey tail coat worn by Cab Calloway: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A silvery gray swallow-tailed coat worn by Cab Calloway. The coat is made of a medium weight slubbed twill fabric with silver satin peaked lapels and straight cuffless sleeves. There are two (2) decorative silver satin-covered buttons, one at each outside wrist. The coat does not close in the front, but there are six (6) decorative silver satin-covered buttons, three on each front side. The tails of the coat are rounded on the outside edge with a squared corner at the center vent. There are two (2) decorative silver satin-covered buttons on the back, one at each center seam of the tails. The coat body and sleeves are lined with silver synthetic fabric, while the underside of the tails are self-lined. There are two interior inset pockets, one at each front side breast, lined with a white open weave nylon fabric. There is a hanger loop at the interior center back neck made of maroon fabric with yellow embroidered text reading "After Six / COUTURE / MADE IN U.S.A.". An additional designer's label, also maroon with yellow text, is sewn below the interior proper left breast pocket that reads, "After / Six / COUTURE". A manufacturer's label with size 48R and care instructions is sewn inside the proper right interior breast pocket. Below this tag is a union label for the Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union (ACTWU).

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1976-1995
• Designed by: After Six, Inc., American, founded 1903
• Worn by: Cab Calloway, American, 1907 - 1994
• Type: tail coats
• Medium: synthetic fiber
• Dimensions: H x W x D (On form): 43 1/4 × 26 × 13 in. (109.9 × 66 × 33 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (flat): 42 3/4 × 18 3/4 in. (108.6 × 47.6 cm)
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Clothing and dress
• Topic: Composers (Musicians)
• Topic: Conductors (Musicians)
• Topic: Costume
• Topic: Costume design
• Topic: Dance
• Topic: Design
• Object number: 2013.237.3.1
• 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 displayed image also has an explicit CC0 designation. The underlying object's rights statement is: No Known Copyright Restrictions Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.