Straw cowboy hat with feathered hat band worn by Arthur Lee: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

This straw cowboy hat with a feathered hat band was worn by Arthur Lee. The woven straw is molded in place so that the crown has a triangular indentation, the sides of the brim are turned up, and the back edge of the brim points slightly downward. Reddish brown, black, and cream feathers are attached completely around the hat band, with a circular feather design at the center front of the band. The hat has an interior band made from synthetic black fabric. A black fabric label with gold embroidery is sewn at the center back of the interior band that reads "Hand Made / In The U.S.A. / M / SHADY BRADY". A circular black leather label with pinked edges and a gold embossed logo is attached at the interior center crown. The gold logo depicts a man in a cowboy hat giving a thumbs-up gesture with his left hand above the words "SHADY BRADY".

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: ca. 2000
• Designed by: Shady Brady Hat Company, American, founded 1976
• Worn by: Arthur Lee, American, 1945 - 2006
• Type: cowboy hats
• Medium: straw, feathers, and synthetic fiber
• Dimensions: H x W x D: 5 × 9 1/2 × 14 in. (12.7 × 24.1 × 35.6 cm)
• Place made: Ukiah, Mendocino county, California, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Clothing and dress
• Topic: Instrumentalists (Musicians)
• Topic: Rock and roll (Music)
• Topic: Singers (Musicians)
• Object number: 2014.41.3
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Diane Lee in memory of Arthur Taylor Lee
• 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.