Spray bottle with case belonging to Etta Moten Barnett: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

This is a small personal spray bottle (a) and its accompanying faux leather carry case (b) owned by Etta Moten Barnett. The spray bottle (a) has a narrow cylindrical body made of silver-colored metal. The top part that contains the spray mechanism is made of black plastic. The spray mechanism works by depressing the flat head of the mechanism to activate the spray. The bottle has a small black faux leather carrying case (b). It is rectangular with one short end open to slide the bottle inside. There is a short flap with a scalloped edge that can be closed over the opening. There are black drawstrings around the opening. However, when the bottle is in the case the bottle is too long to close the flap, suggesting that the case may not have been original to the spray bottle. There are no manufacturer’s tags or marks on either object.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1950-2004
• Manufactured by: Unidentified
• Owned by: Etta Moten Barnett, American, 1901 - 2004
• Type: bags (containers)
• Type: atomizers
• Medium: a: metal and plastic
• Medium: b: cloth
• Dimensions: H x W x D (a): 4 1/16 × 7/8 × 7/8 in. (10.3 × 2.2 × 2.2 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (b): 5 1/8 × 1 7/8 in. (13 × 4.8 cm)
• 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: A2022.13.1.112ab
• 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.