Gold and white Vera Whistler hat with hatbox belonging to Etta Moten Barnett: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

This is a Vera Whistler gold and white fabric hat (.1) and hatbox (.2ab). The hat (.1) has a gold-colored crown. The gold fabric around the forehead is sewn in tight horizontal gathers. The rest of the crown material is smooth. A brim composed of white fabric flares out and up from the crown. It reaches a high peak in the front of the hat and gradually slopes down on both sides to meet at a lower point at the back of the hat. The interior is lined in dark red shiny fabric. There is a fabric tag sewn to the interior of the grosgrain sweatband. The tag is white with red text that reads “VERA WHISTLER / ORIGINALS.” There is a small white paper sales tag attached to the interior by a string. The hatbox (.2a) is an off-white-colored circular box with a gold cord to fasten down the lid threaded into the body of the box to create a second loop as a carrying handle. The lid (.2b) is plain off-white background with gold text in the center that reads “VERA / WHISTLER / ORIGINALS / JULIUS LEWIS.”

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1950-1980
• Designed by: Vera Whistler, American
• Manufactured by: Julius Lewis, American, founded 1900
• Owned by: Etta Moten Barnett, American, 1901 - 2004
• Type: hats
• Type: hatboxes
• Medium: cloth
• Dimensions: H x W x D: 5 7/8 × 7 1/2 × 7 1/2 in. (15 × 19 × 19 cm)
• Place purchased: Memphis, Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, North and Central America
• 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: Millinery
• Topic: Singers (Musicians)
• Object number: A2022.13.1.30.1-.2ab
• 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.