Vera Whistler hat with pearl hat pins belonging to Etta Moten Barnett: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

This is a woven straw turban style hat (a) with two pearl hat pins (b,c). The hat (a) is made of woven black straw in a turban style. It has a faux wrap-around flap that accented with two identical hat pins. Each hat pin (b,c) is topped off by a large white faux pearl finial. Under the large pearl is a band of small rhinestones, followed by a smaller pearl. On the inside of the hat is a black grosgrain sweatband. Sewn into the sweatband is a white fabric label with black text that reads “VERA WHISTLER / ORIGINAL.” The interior of the hat is lined in black netting.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1930-1960
• Designed by: Vera Whistler, American
• Owned by: Etta Moten Barnett, American, 1901 - 2004
• Type: hatpins
• Type: hats
• Medium: a: straw , net (textile)
• Medium: b,c: beads with paste (glass) and metal
• Dimensions: H x W (a): 7 5/8 × 9 7/16 in. (19.3 × 24 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (b): 3 15/16 × 3/8 in. (10 × 1 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (c): 3 15/16 × 3/8 in. (10 × 1 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: Millinery
• Topic: Singers (Musicians)
• Object number: A2022.13.1.9a-c
• 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 Rights assessment and proper usage is the responsibility of the user.