Costume headpiece for the Wizard in The Wiz on Broadway: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

This cream headpiece with goggles and rhinestone decorations is part of a costume worn by André De Shields as the Wizard in "The Wiz: The Super Soul Musical 'Wonderful Wizard of Oz'" on Broadway. The crown of the headpiece is constructed of panels of cream twill synthetic fiber that form a skullcap. Three (3) rows of silver rhinestones are sewn along the proper left, center, and proper right seam lines extending all the way from the front of the skullcap to the back. Two (2) smaller sets of three (3) silver rhinestones are sewn between the longer rows, above the goggle openings at the proper front. Altogether, there are forty-eight (48) total silver rhinestone settings on the headpiece. The goggles are constructed of cream satin weave synthetic fiber that covers a stiff shaping material. Thirty-three (33) dark green flat rhinestones are sewn around the eye openings. The headpiece is fastened in place with a chin strap, made of the same cream twill synthetic fiber as the skullcap, which closes with Velcro™ at the proper left side near the wearer's chin. The interior of the cap is made from a single piece of cotton batting, with the cream exterior fabric hand sewn around the interior edge of the crown to attach the batting. There is an additional strip of cotton batting on the interior of the goggles to protect the bridge of the wearer's nose.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1975
• Designed by: Geoffrey Holder, Trinidadian American, 1930 - 2014
• Created by: Grace Costumes Inc., American, founded 1961
• Worn by: André De Shields, American, born 1946
• Subject of: Black Fashion Museum, American, 1979 - 2007
• Type: headdresses
• Medium: synthetic fiber, batting, rhinestones, and Velcro™
• Dimensions: H x W x D (On form): 9 × 7 × 10 in. (22.9 × 17.8 × 25.4 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W x D (Off form): 7 1/8 × 7 5/8 × 8 in. (18.1 × 19.4 × 20.3 cm)
• Dimensions: (Circumference): 24 in.
• Place used: New York City, Manhattan, 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: 2007.3.8.3
• 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.