Costume headpiece for Tin Man in The Wiz on Broadway: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

TheThis helmet headpiece is part of a costume worn by Tiger Haynes as Tin Man in "The Wiz: The Super Soul Musical 'Wizard of Oz'" on Broadway. The base of the headpiece is a gray twill canvas skullcap with a neckband and a chin strap. Attached to the crown of the skullcap is a silver-painted frying pan, molded from reinforced plastic. The rim of the pan is edged in leather. A bent panhandle protrudes from the pan at the proper right back side that has a length of cord glued to the underside. Metal coils and several layers of steel wool are glued underneath the frying pan all around the skullcap to look like hair. Over the proper right ear, a round metal shaker lid is glued to the skullcap. Over the proper left ear is glued a round metal mesh strainer with a blue plastic insert in the handle. Large, raised metal rivets are attached around the neckband. The neckband attaches with Velcro™ at the proper front center neck. The chin strap has a length of gray knit fabric sewn at the end and attaches under the chin with Velcro™ and a large hook-and-eye closure. There are two eyes for an adjustable fit.

The interior of the headpiece is lined at the crown and the front with black knit fabric. Plastic foam is glued around the outlines of both ear openings.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1975
• Designed by: Geoffrey Holder, Trinidadian American, 1930 - 2014
• Created by: Fred Nihda, 1931 - 1997
• Worn by: Tiger Haynes, American, 1914 - 1994
• Subject of: Black Fashion Museum, American, 1979 - 2007
• Type: headgear
• Medium: canvas, reinforced plastic, steel wool, metal, paint, synthetic fiber, Velcro™, leather, plastic foam, glue, plastic, and cord
• Dimensions: H x W x D: 10 1/2 x 10 1/2 x 12 in. (26.7 x 26.7 x 30.5 cm)
• 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: Men
• Topic: Musical Theatre
• Object number: 2007.3.7.1.1ab
• 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.