Lanyard worn by Baba Chuck: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A lanyard necklace attached to a large Africa-shaped pendant (A2018.98.1.2.1) worn by dancer Charles Rudolph Davis, also known as Baba Chuck. The lanyard is black and is constructed from round braided nylon. The lanyard is attached to the pendant by two (2) lanyard hooks clipped to the bail of the pendant. The silver toned landyard hooks are looped through the ends of each hook and the loops are held in place with silver toned metal crimps.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: late 20th-early 21st century
• Manufactured by: Unidentified
• Owned by: Charles Rudolph Davis, American, 1937 - 2017
• Type: necklaces
• Medium: synthetic fiber and metal
• Dimensions: H x W x D (Overall with pendant): 23 5/8 × 3 1/4 × 7/16 in. (60 × 8.3 × 1.1 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W x D (Doubled and attached to pendant at bail): 16 15/16 × 7/16 × 7/16 in. (43 × 1.1 × 1.1 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W x D (Full length): 33 7/8 × 7/16 × 7/16 in. (86 × 1.1 × 1.1 cm)
• Place used: United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: African diaspora
• Topic: Fashion
• Topic: Identity
• Topic: Modern dance
• Object number: A2018.98.1.2.2
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Ngoma & Normadien Woolbright in memory of Dr. Chuck Davis
• 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.