Necklace worn on Soul Train by dancer Johnette "Suki" Dodson: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

This necklace was worn as part of a costume along with a handmade faux fur garment (.1ab) and a pair of black fishnet stockings (.2) by dancer Johnette “Suki” Dodson on the television show Soul Train in the early 2000s. This choker style necklace is made of large metal and plastic beads strung on a thick brown synthetic woven cord. The necklace features a large, oblong metal bead at center and two (2) large black beads, one on the left and one on the right, with additional smaller metal beads symmetrically strung in between the large beads. The beads are strung only partway up the necklace, leaving the brown cord visible on each side. The cord is finished with two (2) coiled metal crimps on each end. The final coils of the outermost crimps are bent perpendicularly to form a hook and eye clasp.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 2001-2004
• Created by: Unidentified
• Worn by: Johnette Dodson, American
• Subject of: Soul Train, American, 1971 - 2006
• Type: necklaces
• Medium: metal, plastic and synthetic fiber
• Dimensions: H x W x D (Flat): 7 × 5 × 1 1/4 in. (17.8 × 12.7 × 3.2 cm)
• Dimensions: Circumference: 16 1/2 in. (41.9 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W x D (On form): 3 1/2 × 5 × 6 in. (8.9 × 12.7 × 15.2 cm)
• Place used: Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Beauty culture
• Topic: Clothing and dress
• Topic: Costume
• Topic: Dance
• Topic: Design
• Topic: Fashion
• Topic: Music
• Object number: 2014.227.4.3
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Johnette Dodson known by her stage name "Suki"
• 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.