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

The object in the museum catalogue

A pair of white, Capezio dance shoes worn by Cab Calloway. The exterior upper shoe and tongue are constructed with white leather. The toe boxes are rounded. The shoes are double stitched around the outlines of the toe boxes and have a single seam down the center lines of the heels. The lace guards feature matching punched eyelets that are strung with flat, white, string laces. The heels are constructed from stacked leather held in place with metal nails. The shoes’ soles are constructed from tan leather and have black scuff marks. On the soles, nears both heels, is black, handwritten text that reads [Calloway]. Printed on the white insoles is gold brown text that reads [“ON-STAGE” / CAPEZIO], and, smaller text below reads [THE DANCER’S COBBLER SINCE 1887 / MAN-MADE INNERSOLE & SOCK LINING]. Next to the text is an illustration of a pair of ballet shoes on top of a foot stool. The shoes are lined with white synthetic fabric and 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 (textile)
• Dimensions: H x W x D (A2015.273.1.14a): 3 9/16 × 3 11/16 × 11 5/16 in. (9 × 9.3 × 28.7 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W x D (A2015.273.1.14b): 3 9/16 × 3 11/16 × 11 5/16 in. (9 × 9.3 × 28.7 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: A2015.273.1.14ab
• 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.