Cape for The Wiz costume worn by André De Shields: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

Cape from The Wiz costume ensemble worn by André De Shields in the original 1975 Broadway production. The exterior of the cape is made of a cream synthetic fiber. The cape has an oversized stand-up collar, with squared tips made of a stiff plastic or paper and covered in cream satin synthetic fabric. Monofilament is used to attach the corners of the collar to the body of the cape so it stands up and curls over the back of the head. The cape is lined with a red satin synthetic fiber. A white grosgrain ribbon attaches to the top to tie the cape in place around the wearer's neck. There are stains throughout.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1975
• Created by: Unidentified
• Designed by: Geoffrey Holder, Trinidadian American, 1930 - 2014
• Worn by: André De Shields, American, born 1946
• Type: capes (outerwear)
• Medium: polyester with ribbon, monofilament and canvas
• Dimensions: H x W (flat): 82 × 115 in. (208.3 × 292.1 cm)
• Place used: New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Actors
• Topic: Broadway Theatre
• Topic: Clothing and dress
• Topic: Costume
• Topic: Costume design
• Topic: Design
• Topic: Entertainers
• Object number: 2018.1.3.2
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of André De Shields
• 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.