Hatbox belonging to Etta Moten Barnett: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

This is a hatbox (a) with lid (b) owned by Etta Moten Barnett. The hatbox is an off-white colored circular box with a pink cord to fasten down the lid threaded into the body of the box to create a second loop as a carrying handle. The lid is off-white with pink text in the center that reads “VERA / WHISTLER / ORIGINALS / JULIUS LEWIS / Memphis.”

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1950-2004
• Manufactured by: Julius Lewis, American, founded 1900
• Subject of: Vera Whistler, American
• Owned by: Etta Moten Barnett, American, 1901 - 2004
• Type: hatboxes
• Medium: cardboard and string (fiber product)
• Dimensions: H x W x D: 6 7/8 × 15 9/16 × 15 9/16 in. (17.5 × 39.5 × 39.5 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: Singers (Musicians)
• Topic: Women
• Object number: A2022.13.1.114ab
• 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.