Off-white oxford shoes worn by Cab Calloway: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A pair of off-white men's oxford shoes worn by Cab Calloway. The uppers are made from off-white leather with a plain oxford vamp and closed lacing. The soles of the shoes are brown leather with a stacked heel. Off-white cotton shoelaces with metal aglets are laced and tied in a bow over the tongue. The off-white insole is stamped with gold text that reads: " 'ON-STAGE' Fashion / by CAPEZIO / NEW YORK CHICAGO HOLLYWOOD / MAN-MADE INNERSOLE & SOCK LINING". On the interior inside of the left shoe (a) and the exterior inside of the right shoe (b) is handwritten text in black ink reading: "9 1/2 B / 7470".

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: mid 20th-late 20th century
• Manufactured by: Capezio, American, founded 1887
• Worn by: Cab Calloway, American, 1907 - 1994
• Type: oxfords
• Medium: leather, synthetic fibers, metal, and cotton shoelaces
• Dimensions: H x W x D (Each): 3 1/2 × 3 1/2 × 11 in. (8.9 × 8.9 × 27.9 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W x D (Together): 3 1/2 × 7 1/2 × 11 in. (8.9 × 19.1 × 27.9 cm)
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Clothing and dress
• Topic: Composers (Musicians)
• Topic: Conductors (Musicians)
• Topic: Costume
• Topic: Dance
• Topic: Jazz (Music)
• Topic: Singers (Musicians)
• Object number: 2013.237.1ab
• 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.