BET jacket worn by Robert L. Johnson: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A BET bomber jacket owned by Robert L. Johnson. The black wool blend jacket has black leather sleeves and collar, black rib knit cuffs and hem. The front flaps have diagonal welt pocket with black leather trim on each side. The jacket has a black zipper down the front to close the two flaps. The BET logo is embroidered on the proper left breast in yellow across the top with a five-pointed star embroidered in yellow negative space forming the left edge of the letter [B] in [BET]. Embroidered below the bottom of the star is a red flourish next to white embroidered text that reads [jazz] and yellow embroidered text below that reads [THE CABLE / CHANNEL]. The interior of the jacket is quilted lining made of a black nylon shell with polyester filling. Three fabric tags are sewn into the lining along the proper right, interior welt pocket. At the top is a rectangular white tag featuring a blue and gray embroidered text [that reads [IDENTITY INC. / NEW YORK, N.Y.] with manufacturing information embroidered below. Below are two (2) white tags with black printed text. The top tag indicates the size, [L]. The tag below includes a list of materials and care instructions. Embroidered at the center of the back of the jacket is a large version of the BET logo, identical to the one on the front.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: ca. 1995
• Manufactured by: Identity Inc., American
• Owned by: Robert L. Johnson, American, born 1946
• Subject of: BET Networks, American, founded 2001
• Medium: wool (textile), leather and synthetic fiber
• Dimensions: H x W (flat): 29 5/16 × 29 15/16 in. (74.5 × 76 cm)
• Place collected: Bethesda, Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, North and Central America
• Place made: New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Athletes
• Topic: Basketball
• Topic: Black Enterprise
• Topic: Business
• Topic: Clothing and dress
• Topic: Sports
• Topic: Television
• Object number: 2020.16.5
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Robert L. Johnson, Founder of Black Entertainment Television (BET) and First African American Majority Owner of a National Basketball Association Team, The Charlotte Bobcats
• 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: © BET Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.