Deck of playing cards from the travel wardrobe trunk used by Cab Calloway: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A deck of Bee playing cards from the travel wardrobe trunk used by Cab Calloway. The deck is housed in a thin, white, cardboard box with blue text and graphics on the front, back, and side edges. On the front of the pack, printed inside a thin blue frame accented with white dots is a blue banner with large white text that reads [“Bee”] with small additional white text above that reads [REG. U.S. PAT. OFF.]. Below is a blue and white graphic of a bee. At the top is blue text that reads [No. 92 / CLUB SPECIAL] with a graphic of a blue ribbon dividing the text. Printed below the banner is additional blue text that reads [PLAYING CARDS / STANDARD] above a graphic of two branches of laurel branches divided by a small banner with white text that reads [MADE IN U.S.A.]. The back of the packet features a blue art deco style frame with a rectangular graphic of blue diamonds above text that reads [BACK NO 67 / EXTRA SELECTED / FOR CLUB SPECIAL]. The box is partially wrapped with a clear cellophane wrapping. Inside the box is a complete standard 52-card deck of French-suited playing cards and a single joker card, all with a blue diamond pattern back. Also included is a joker card, as well as a card advertising a Euchre set, and a [Guarantee] card which double as two extra joker cards; all with blue diamond pattern backs. The last card is an advertisement for a travel club membership on one side and an advertisement for U.S. Playing Card Company publications on the other.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: late 20th century
• Manufactured by: The United States Playing Card Company, American, founded 1867
• Owned by: Cab Calloway, American, 1907 - 1994
• Type: packs of cards
• Medium: ink on paper (fiber product) with cardboard and plastic
• Dimensions: H x W x D: 3 9/16 × 2 9/16 × 11/16 in. (9 × 6.5 × 1.7 cm)
• Place made: Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Amusements
• Topic: Band (Music)
• Topic: Clothing and dress
• Topic: Conductors (Musicians)
• Topic: Costume
• Topic: Entertainers
• Topic: Jazz (Music)
• Object number: A2015.273.1.1.4
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Cabella Calloway Langsam
• 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: © The United States Playing Card Company Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.