Bonwit Teller hatbox belonging to Etta Moten Barnett: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

This is a Bonwit Teller hatbox (a) and lid (b). The hat box (a) has an off-white background with a pattern of large blue and purple floral with green foliage design. It has a cream-colored cord to fasten down the lid threaded into the body of the box to create a second loop as a carrying handle. Handwritten on the side of the box in black ink is text that reads "Black Felt Fedora with Veil." The box is empty. The lid (b) is plain off-white background with green text in the center that reads “BONWIT / TELLER.”

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: ca. 1960
• Manufactured by: Bonwit Teller , American, 1895 - 2000
• Owned by: Etta Moten Barnett, American, 1901 - 2004
• Type: hatboxes
• Medium: cardboard and cord (fiber product)
• Dimensions: Diameter: 11 1/8 × 6 7/8 in. (28.3 × 17.5 cm)
• Place used: 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: Women
• Object number: A2022.13.1.10ab
• 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: Unknown – Restrictions Possible Rights assessment and proper usage is the responsibility of the user.