Eye mask beloning to Etta Moten Barnett: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

This is a pink cloth and lace eye mask belonging to Etta Moten Barnett. The mask consists of pink silky material on the front and pink velvet material in the back, edged with white lace. It is in the shape of a narrow cat’s eye mask. Two closed eyelids with pink eyeshadow and long eyelashes are painted on the front. There is a small applique of flowers at each corner. There is a pink silk ribbon at the left and right corner for tying the mask.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1950-2004
• Manufactured by: Unidentified
• Owned by: Etta Moten Barnett, American, 1901 - 2004
• Type: visors
• Medium: cloth with lace and ribbon
• Dimensions: H x W: 3 3/8 × 1 in. (8.5 × 2.6 cm)
• Place used: Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Activism
• Topic: Actors
• Topic: Broadway Theatre
• Topic: Domestic life
• Topic: Singers (Musicians)
• Topic: Women
• Object number: A2022.13.1.55
• 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.