Pocket ashtray belonging to Etta Moten Barnett: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

This is a pocket ashtray belonging to Etta Moten Barnett. It consists of a small silver colored metal box with a hinged lid. At the top end of the box is a short metal projection, probably for use as a handle. The metal projection is gold colored and is shaped roughly spindle shaped with a round finial at the end. On the lid of the box is a scene of San Francisco etched into gold colored metal. There is a street scene with tall buildings on either side and two streetcars down the center. In the background is the Golden Gate Bridge. Text arches over the scene in a gold colored banner that reads “SAN FRANCISCO.” Under it is etched the word "CALIFORNIA." There is a tiny catch to depress on the bottom end of the box, causing the lid to flip up. On the inside of the box is a small gold colored cradle attached to the side for resting the cigarette.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: ca. 1950
• Manufactured by: Unidentified
• Owned by: Etta Moten Barnett, American, 1901 - 2004
• Type: ashtrays
• Medium: metal
• Dimensions: H x W x D: 2 1/2 × 1 7/16 × 1/2 in. (6.4 × 3.7 × 1.2 cm)
• Place used: San Francisco, California, 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: A2022.13.1.68
• 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: No known copyright restrictions Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.