Cuff links for Ain't Misbehavin' costume worn by André De Shields: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

Cuff links from Ain't Misbehavin' costume ensemble for Act II worn by André De Shields during the 1982 NBC TV special. The head of the cufflink has a central brown rhinestone surrounded by smaller yellow rhinestones to look like a flower. A pattern of metal surrounds the central flower in leaf designs and ends in an outer circle of yellow rhinestones. The head connects to a metal mesh chain that ends in a metal loop to connect to the cuff link. Both metal loops are attached to the chain by hot melt adhesive. The head also connects to the post and a toggle closure. Both heads are attached to the toggle closure by hot melt adhesive. The manufacturer's name is inscribed on the base of the toggle, [SWANK / FO]. One of the cuff links, (.1a) metal chain has completely broken and is reattached by metal wire. However, the metal wire has multiple areas of loss and the cufflink is fragile.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1982
• Created by: SWANK, American, founded 1897
• Worn by: André De Shields, American, born 1946
• Type: cuff links
• Medium: metal, rhinestone and hot-melt adhesive
• Dimensions: H x W x D: 3 1/2 × 1 1/2 × 1 in. (8.9 × 3.8 × 2.5 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: Entertainers
• Topic: Musical Theatre
• Topic: Television
• Object number: 2018.1.2.6.1ab
• 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: Unknown - Restrictions Possible Rights assessment and proper usage is the responsibility of the user.