Hello, Dolly Dress: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

One of the most distinctive comediennes of her generation, Carol Channing (b. 1921) catapulted to stardom as the baby-voiced heroine of the musical Gentlemen Prefer Blondes(1949). Nearly two decades later, her performance as the resourceful Dolly Gallagher Levi in Hello, Dolly! (1964) reaffirmed her standing as a theatrical superstar. Her return to the role of Dolly in various revivals of the show has made the part undoubtedly hers. This red satin, sequin-bedecked costume, designed by Freddy Wittop, was worn by Channing in the vibrant production number built around the show's title song.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date made: 1994
• wearer: Channing, Carol
• maker: Grace Costumes
• designer: Wittop, Freddy
• Object Name: dress
• Physical Description: satin (overall material)
• Physical Description: red (overall color)
• Measurements: overall: 155 cm x 75 cm; 61 in x 29 1/2 in
• Place Made: United States: New York, New York City
• Subject: Musical Theater
• ID Number: 1997.0232.01
• accession number: 1997.0232
• catalog number: 2002.0232.27
• Credit Line: Manny Kladitis
• Data Source: National Museum of American History

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of American History through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed.