Pair of blue gray Capezio dance shoes worn by Cab Calloway: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A pair of blue gray, size 9.5, Capezio dance shoes worn by Cab Calloway. The exterior upper shoe and tongue are constructed with a blue gray leather. The toe boxes are rounded. The shoes are double stitched around the outlines of the toe boxes and have single seams down the center lines of the heels. The lace guards feature punched eyelets. The left shoe is strung with a flat, white, string lace. The heels are constructed from stacked leather that matches the color of the bodies of the shoes. The shoes’ soles are constructed from tan leather and have black scuff marks. Stamped text on the bottom of each sole reads [Capezio / [---?] / MAND MADE] and [9 1/2]. Adhered to the sole on the right shoe is a round, green, fluorescent sticker with handwritten black ink text on it that reads [231]. The shoes interior and insoles are lined with plain, light tan leather.

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 fiber and cotton (fiber)
• Dimensions: H x W x D (A2015.273.1.13a): 3 1/2 × 3 15/16 × 11 1/8 in. (8.9 × 10 × 28.3 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W x D (A2015.273.1.13b): 3 1/8 × 3 15/16 × 11 in. (8 × 10 × 28 cm)
• Place made: Fair Lawn, Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Band (Music)
• Topic: Clothing and dress
• Topic: Composers (Musicians)
• Topic: Conductors (Musicians)
• Topic: Costume
• Topic: Dance
• Topic: Jazz (Music)
• Object number: A2015.273.1.13ab
• 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: Unknown – Restrictions Possible Rights assessment and proper usage is the responsibility of the user.