Black top hat from Hello Dolly worn by Cab Callaway: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A black top hat from Hello Dolly worn by Cab Callaway. The top hat is plain black in color and features a black ribbon hat band at the base of the crown. The hat band terminates in a flat bow on the proper left side. The interior of the hat is lined with a black, satin finished fabric. At the top of the interior crown is a gold stamped illustration with faded text above and below. The illustration features two figures standing on a shield. Stamped around the shield are gold illustrations of a heart, an acorn, a strawberry, and an orange. The interior hatband is constructed with faux leather.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1967-1970
• Manufactured by: Unidentified
• Worn by: Cab Calloway, American, 1907 - 1994
• Type: top hats
• Medium: ribbon on silk (fiber) with textile materials and leather
• Dimensions: H x W x D: 5 1/2 × 9 5/8 × 12 3/16 in. (14 × 24.5 × 31 cm)
• Place used: Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Band (Music)
• Topic: Broadway Theatre
• Topic: Clothing and dress
• Topic: Composers (Musicians)
• Topic: Conductors (Musicians)
• Topic: Costume
• Topic: Dance
• Object number: A2015.273.1.11
• 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: No known copyright restrictions Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.