Red suit owned by James Brown: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A red jumpsuit with a red vest worn by James Brown. The jumpsuit (2008.7.3.1) is red with long sleeves. The sleeves have geometric square patterns from shoulder to cuff in gold printed fabric. The vest (2008.7.3.2) is knee length and has two geometric square patterns running vertically on the front. It also has two buttons and a plunging collar. The designs begin at hem of the vest and extend to where the cuffs of the jumpsuit would begin when worn.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1970-1989
• Created by: Unidentified
• Owned by: James Brown, American, 1933 - 2006
• Type: jump suits
• Type: vests (main garments)
• Medium: synthetic fiber
• Dimensions: H x W (2008.7.3.1): 59 1/2 × 56 1/2 in. (151.1 × 143.5 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (2008.7.3.2): 41 1/2 × 23 1/4 in. (105.4 × 59.1 cm)
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Clothing and dress
• Topic: Funk (Music)
• Topic: Soul (Music)
• Object number: 2008.7.3.1-.2
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
• 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.