Opera glasses and case belonging to Etta Moten Barnett: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

These are opera glasses (a) in a case (b). The opera glasses are gold and black with black crystals covering the body of the glasses and the attached handle. The attached handle is hinged so that it can be folded flat along the glasses. The objective lenses, bell and bridge are gold. The bridge does not hinge. The eye cups are black. The focus wheel is white. There is text carved into the bridge that reads “MIGNON 25X.” The case (b) is black satin with a black beaded exterior, that closes with a gold snap. The largest compartment holds the opera glasses. There are multiple smaller interior compartments that close with a gold magnetic fastener. Sewn into the smallest pocket is a white fabric tag with gold text that reads " MADE IN JAPAN / by hand / SCHILDKRAUT BROS."

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: ca. 1950
• Manufactured by: Schildkraut Bros.
• Owned by: Etta Moten Barnett, American, 1901 - 2004
• Type: opera glasses
• Type: cases (containers)
• Medium: a: glass , metal , crystal (material by form) , plastic
• Medium: b: beads , silk (fiber)
• Dimensions: H x W x D (a: ): 1 9/16 × 4 1/16 × 1 15/16 in. (4 × 10.3 × 5 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W x D (b: ): 1 3/16 × 6 5/16 × 3 3/4 in. (3 × 16 × 9.5 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: A2022.13.1.17ab
• 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 Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.