Costume headpiece for Glinda the Good Witch in The Wiz on Broadway: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

This headdress is part of a costume worn by Dee Dee Bridgewater as the character Glinda in the Broadway production of "The Wiz". Twelve (12) synthetic straw braids are affixed to a brown synthetic fabric skullcap lined with a black synthetic lining fabric. The braids are reinforced with internal wire so they extend up from the crown of the wearer's head. The braids are strung together and braced by two (2) wire circles so that they fan up and away from the cap. Some of the braids are stitched to the cap in a swirling pattern so that they curl down into eight (8) loops around the wearer's head, making three (3) loops in the front, three (3) loops in the back, and one (1) loop on each side. Pink and magenta rhinestone disks of varying sizes are affixed to the cap and to the ends of the braids. The ends of the braids are also adorned with charms and chains made from a gold-colored base metal. A light brown elastic chin strap is stitched into the interior of the cap.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Designed by: Geoffrey Holder, Trinidadian American, 1930 - 2014
• Created by: Grace Costumes Inc., American, founded 1961
• Worn by: Dee Dee Bridgewater, American, born 1950
• Subject of: Black Fashion Museum, American, 1979 - 2007
• Type: headdresses
• Medium: synthetic fiber, straw, wire, rhinestones, metal, and elastic
• Dimensions: On form: 21 × 13 × 20 in. (53.3 × 33 × 50.8 cm)
• Dimensions: On form - including gown (a) with train: 92 × 50 × 28 in. (233.7 × 127 × 71.1 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W x D (In box): 22 × 18 × 7 in. (55.9 × 45.7 × 17.8 cm)
• Place used: New York City, New York County, New York, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Actors
• Topic: Clothing and dress
• Topic: Costume
• Topic: Costume design
• Topic: Design
• Topic: Musical Theatre
• Object number: 2007.3.11.2
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of the Black Fashion Museum founded by Lois K. Alexander-Lane
• 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.