Grey trousers worn by Cab Calloway: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

Gray men's dress pants worn by Cab Calloway. The pants are made from a gray brushed twill wool and synthetic blend fabric and have a straight cut leg. The pants close at the center front with a zipper and two (2) metal hook-and-eyes. There are adjustable waist tabs at each side, both fastening in place with a silver metal belt loop with pressure clasp.The pants have two (2) side pockets inset into the side seams of the legs, and two inset (2) back pockets. The proper left back pocket closes with one (1) round gray plastic button. The waistband and pockets are lined with black synthetic fabric, while the rest of the pants are unlined. There is a white tag with black printed text sewn to the interior proper left back of the waist band containing size, care instructions, and the designer "after Six FORMALS".

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: mid 20th-late 20th century
• Designed by: After Six, Inc., American, founded 1903
• Worn by: Cab Calloway, American, 1907 - 1994
• Type: trousers
• Medium: wool and synthetic blend fiber with metal closures
• Dimensions: H x W x D (On form): 42 3/4 × 16 × 11 1/2 in. (108.6 × 40.6 × 29.2 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (flat): 43 3/4 × 18 3/4 in. (111.1 × 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: 2013.237.3.2
• 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.