Pointe shoe and tights worn by Emiko Flanagan of Dance Theatre of Harlem: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

.1: One (1) ballet pointe shoe custom-colored with cosmetics to a light tan to match the skin tone of the dancer. The exterior of the shoe is made of satin fabric and has a leather sole. A drawstring runs around the top of the foot opening and is tied in a bow at the vamp. A length of custom-colored elastic tape is hand sewn to the shoe on either side of the back seam. Two lengths of custom-colored satin ribbon are hand sewn to the binding, one each on the left and right side quarters of the shoe. The leather sole has hatch marks on the front half and impressed text at the heel that reads: "5 1/2 / XXXX / M / Grishko / MADE IN RUSSIA". Uneven wear on the platform of the toe box indicates this shoe was worn on the left foot. The fabric-covered shank is broken at the arch of the foot with evidence of adhesive on the fabric cover surrounding the break.

.2: Pair of dance tights, size large/extra-large, with inherent holes in feet that are custom-dyed to a light tan to match the skin tone of the dancer. The foot holes allow the tights to be worn covering the foot and toes, with the hole at the ball of the foot, or worn footless with the foot portion rolled at the ankle. The tights have an elastic waistband with the clothing designer logo woven within the waistband that repeats "Capezio". A clothing tag is attached at the back of the waist with the care instructions, size, and materials. On the back of the tag is hand-written text in black ink reading "EF / 13-1".

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 2013-2014
• Created by: Grishko, Russian, founded 1988
• Manufactured by: Capezio, American, founded 1887
• Worn by: Emiko Flanagan, American
• Subject of: Dance Theatre of Harlem, American, founded 1969
• Type: toe shoes
• Type: tights (opaque stockings)
• Medium: Shoe: satin cloth and ribbons, elastic, leather, paper, cloth, adhesive, and cosmetics;
• Medium: Tights: nylon, spandex, and dye
• Dimensions: H x W x D (.1 without ribbons extended): 9 1/4 × 3 3/8 × 4 1/8 in. (23.5 × 8.6 × 10.5 cm)
• Dimensions: L (.1 PL ribbon): 18 15/16 in. (48.1 cm)
• Dimensions: L (.1 PR ribbon): 19 1/8 in. (48.6 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W x D (.2 on form): 23 × 5 1/2 × 4 1/2 in. (58.4 × 14 × 11.4 cm)
• Dimensions: L x W (.2 flat): 29 × 7 7/8 in. (73.7 × 20 cm)
• Place used: New York City, Manhattan, New York, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Ballet
• Topic: Clothing and dress
• Topic: Costume
• Object number: 2015.19.1.1-.2
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of the Dance Theatre of Harlem
• 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 displayed image also has an explicit CC0 designation. The underlying object's rights statement is: No Known Copyright Restrictions Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.