Evening gown belonging to Etta Moten Barnett: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

This is a tiered evening gown worn by Etta Moten Barnett. It is made of silky material cut on the bias with three diagonal tiers of cloth making up the bodice and the skirt. The dress has a white background with a print of dark pink flowers and green leaves twining around the body of the dress on the diagonal. On top of the print is embroidery and sequins in the same colors, emphasizing the outline of the designs. The twining floral patterns also edge along the dress’s scoop neckline and up the wide shoulder straps. The dress is self-lined. No tag was evident.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: ca. 1970
• Designed by: Unidentified
• Owned by: Etta Moten Barnett, American, 1901 - 2004
• Type: evening dresses
• Medium: cloth and plastic with thread , metal
• Dimensions: H x W: 59 1/16 × 16 5/8 in. (150 × 42.2 cm)
• Place used: Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Activism
• Topic: Actors
• Topic: Broadway Theatre
• Topic: Clothing and dress
• Topic: Fashion
• Topic: Singers (Musicians)
• Topic: Women
• Object number: A2022.13.1.24
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
• 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.