Alpha Kappa Alpha varsity cardigan belonging to Etta Moten Barnett: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

This is an Alpha Kappa Alpha varsity cardigan belonging to Etta Moten Barnett. It is a pink wool vee-neck cardigan with bright green trim and brown plastic buttons. The green trim is at the neckline, along the front opening, the cuffs and in three bands around the upper arms. On each arm is an elbow patch in green with pink vertical letters that read “A / K /A.” The cardigan has two front pockets at waist level. There are no flaps on the openings and the pockets are lined in green. On the proper right front cardigan breast are the varsity letters “A /K / A” placed on the diagonal. The letters are pink with green trim. On the proper left front breast is a patch of a pink ivy leaf with the letters “A /K /A” in each point and a sorority symbol in the middle. The ivy leaf is outlined in green and has white polka dots around the edge. Below the ivy leaf patch is a patch of a twinning vine of ivy in green. On the back of the cardigan are green letters applied as a large patch. The letters read “ALPHA / KAPPA / ALPHA / SORORITY INC.” Sewn on the inside of the neckline is a cloth tag with brown text that reads “100% Pure Wool -Dry Clean Only / CHICAGO / KNITTING MILLS / 4440 W. DIVERSEY – CHICAGO, ILL. / NAME_____.”

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1968-1984
• Manufactured by: Chicago Knitting Mills, American, founded 1968
• Subject of: Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, founded 1908
• Owned by: Etta Moten Barnett, American, 1901 - 2004
• Type: sweaters
• Medium: wool (textile) with plastic
• Dimensions: H x W: 25 3/8 × 17 1/8 in. (64.5 × 43.5 cm)
• Place made: Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Activism
• Topic: Actors
• Topic: Broadway Theatre
• Topic: Clothing and dress
• Topic: Fashion
• Topic: Singers (Musicians)
• Topic: Sororities
• Object number: A2022.13.1.26
• 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 underlying object's rights statement is: © Alpha Kappa Alpha Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.