Clothing & Accessories

Work, play, fashion, economic class, religious faith, even politics—all these aspects of American life and more are woven into clothing. The Museum cares for one of the nation's foremost collections of men's, women's, and children's garments and accessories—from wedding gowns and military uniforms to Halloween costumes and bathing suits.

The collections include work uniforms, academic gowns, clothing of presidents and first ladies, T-shirts bearing protest slogans, and a clean-room "bunny suit" from a manufacturer of computer microchips. Beyond garments, the collections encompass jewelry, handbags, hair dryers, dress forms, hatboxes, suitcases, salesmen's samples, and thousands of fashion prints, photographs, and original illustrations. The more than 30,000 artifacts here represent the changing appearance of Americans from the 1700s to the present day.

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1988
ID Number
1988.0570.01
catalog number
1988.0570.01
accession number
1988.0570
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1983
maker
Bock Jewelry Co.
ID Number
2012.0118.01
accession number
2012.0118
catalog number
2012.0118.01
This necktie was made by “Jane,” undetermined place and date. It is a hand-made necktie made of white fabric with a cream-colored fabric lining. This necktie was previously worn by jazz musician Adolphus "Doc" Cheatham.
Description

This necktie was made by “Jane,” undetermined place and date. It is a hand-made necktie made of white fabric with a cream-colored fabric lining. This necktie was previously worn by jazz musician Adolphus "Doc" Cheatham. There are numerous signatures in black ink on the front of the tie, one is dated “85.” There is an embroidered label:

FASHIONED
AND
HAND MADE BY
JANE

Adolphus Anthony “Doc” Cheatham (1905-1997), first learned to play saxophone as well as trumpet. Early in his career, Cheatham performed with the African American Vaudeville theater in Nashville. Around 1924, Cheatham moved to Chicago where he heard trumpeters King Oliver and Louis Armstrong, both would have a lifelong influence on Cheatham’s playing.

Cheatham performed with several jazz musicians including Benny Carter, Fletcher Henderson, and Benny Goodman throughout the 1930s to the 1960s. In the 1970s, Cheatham worked to improve his playing by recording and listening to himself. After the age of 70, Cheatham’s self-assessment work would result in him receiving his best acclamations and critical reviews.

Location
Currently not on view
date made
mid 1980s
user
Cheatham, Doc
ID Number
2002.0218.05
accession number
2002.0218
catalog number
2002.0218.05
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1980s
ID Number
2011.0136.01
catalog number
2011.0136.01
accession number
2011.0136
This sweatshirt is made of a white cotton/polyester blend.
Description

This sweatshirt is made of a white cotton/polyester blend. It is a long-sleeve sweatshirt with printed black letters:

IT’S TIME THE RARE BIRD CALLED A SINGER
HAD SOME TENDER LOVING CARE
SOCIETY OF SINGERS
[picture of songbird on microphone]

The Society of Singers was co-founded by Ginny Mancini and Donna (Fowler) Manners in 1984. It was a nonprofit charitable organization that was dedicated to helping professional singers. The main fundraising event was a ceremony presenting the Ella Award, named after its first recipient, Ella Fitzgerald, in 1989. Mike Love was the last recipient of the award in 2014. The organization ceased in 2017.

Location
Currently not on view
manufacturing date
1989
wearer
Fitzgerald, Ella
ID Number
1996.0342.018
accession number
1996.0342
catalog number
1996.0342.018
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1980s
ID Number
2011.0135.02
catalog number
2011.0135.02
accession number
2011.0135
This red knit cardigan was worn by Fred Rogers, creator and host of the children's program, Mister Rogers' Neighborhood (PBS, 1968-2001).
Description
This red knit cardigan was worn by Fred Rogers, creator and host of the children's program, Mister Rogers' Neighborhood (PBS, 1968-2001). For more than thirty years, Rogers began each episode by changing into a sweater and tennis shoes and singing, "Won't you be my neighbor?"
An ordained Presbyterian minister, Rogers dedicated his television career to promoting children's emotional and moral well-being. His show, with its friendly conversational style and trips to the Neighborhood of Make-Believe, encouraged young viewers to feel loved, respected, and special.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
ca 1968 - 1984
wearer
Rogers, Fred
maker
Flagg, Nancy
ID Number
1984.0219.01
accession number
1984.0219
catalog number
1984.0219.01
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1980
1980-1985
wearer
Gonzales, Rebecca
maker
Salazar, Jose Luis
manufacturer of fabric
Liberty & Co.
ID Number
2009.0252.01
catalog number
2009.0252.01
accession number
2009.0252
Eduardo Kachskovsky wore this jacket when working for KMEX-TV in LA. He started at the station in the as an editor and photographer in 1980 and eventually became Vice President of Production.
Description
Eduardo Kachskovsky wore this jacket when working for KMEX-TV in LA. He started at the station in the as an editor and photographer in 1980 and eventually became Vice President of Production. In his thirty years of service at the station, he saw every aspect of the work and created many live events. The collection includes not only this jacket but press badges documenting his work at events and archival records of his career.
In the 1950s, consumers made television the centerpiece of the home, fueling competition among broadcasters to create new products, new programming, new stations, and even new networks. Innovators, such as those behind the creation of independent Spanish-language stations and eventually the Spanish International Network (SIN), challenged established broadcasting companies by creating new programming in Spanish and catering to underserved audiences. Established in the early 1960s, SIN knit together independents and created new stations to serve a national audience. With a complex business and legal history, SIN eventually became Univision in the 1980s. In the decades after 1980, Spanish-language programing options grew with recognition of Latinx communities as powerful consumer groups and the advent of new broadcasting technologies such as cable and digital TV.
Description (Spanish)
Eduardo Kachskovsky uso esta chaqueta cuando trabajaba para KMEX-TV en Los Ángeles. Comenzó en la estación como editor y fotógrafo en 1980 y finalmente se convirtió en vicepresidente de producción. A sus treinta años de servicio en la estación, participó en todos los aspectos del trabajo y creó numerosos eventos en vivo. La colección incluye esta chaqueta y también insignias de prensa que documentan su trabajo en eventos, así como registros de archivo relativos a su carrera.
En la década de 1950, los consumidores hicieron de la televisión un componente central de sus hogares, fomentando la competencia entre las difusoras para crear nuevos productos, nueva programación, nuevas estaciones, e incluso nuevas redes. Los innovadores, como los creadores de los canales independientes de habla hispana y el Spanish International Network (SIN), desafiaron a las emisoras establecidas creando nuevos programas en español centradas en audiencias históricamente ignoradas. Establecido a principios de los sesenta, SIN unió a difusoras independentes y creó nuevas estaciones para responder a una audiencia nacional. Tras una compleja trayectoria empresarial y legal, SIN se convertiría en Univisión en la década de 1980. Durante las próximas décadas, las opciones de programación en español crecieron gracias al reconocimiento de la comunidad Latinx, como poderoso grupo de consumidores, y a la introducción de nuevas tecnologías de difusión, como el cable y la televisión digital.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1970s - early 1980s
DELETE
1970 - 1983
referenced
Spanish International Network
ID Number
2017.0341.01
catalog number
2017.0341.01
accession number
2017.0341
B-Girl Laneski, (born Lane Davey), wore these shoes around 1984-1985. She was born in Nashville, Tennessee in 1970. Later moving to Seattle, she enrolled in a breakdancing class in 1983, taught by the Seattle Circuit Breakers.
Description (Brief)
B-Girl Laneski, (born Lane Davey), wore these shoes around 1984-1985. She was born in Nashville, Tennessee in 1970. Later moving to Seattle, she enrolled in a breakdancing class in 1983, taught by the Seattle Circuit Breakers. The group was impressed with her dancing skills and subsequently gave her the name LaneSki. A pioneer in the male dominated Hip Hop world, Laneski was one of the first female breakdancers to master and develop many of the dance moves created in the early 1980s. These Three Stripe Basketball model sneakers were popular with hip hop artists such as Run-DMC in the 1980s.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1984
user
B-Girl Laneski
maker
Adidas
ID Number
2006.0192.02
accession number
2006.0192
catalog number
2006.0192.02
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1981
recipient
Robinson, Jr., Franklin A.
distributor
Catholic University of America
ID Number
2011.0093.06
accession number
2011.0093
catalog number
2011.0093.06
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1984
maker
Zalesky, Roy Joseph
ID Number
2017.0306.0028
catalog number
2017.0306.0028
accession number
2017.0306
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1984
maker
Zalesky, Roy Joseph
ID Number
2017.0306.0093
catalog number
2017.0306.0093
accession number
2017.0306
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1984
maker
Zalesky, Roy Joseph
ID Number
2017.0306.0032
accession number
2017.0306
catalog number
2017.0306.0032
These shoes were made by Puma, circa 1984. The Dassler Brothers Shoe Factory was founded by Rudolph and Adolph Dassler, in Herzogenaurach, Germany in 1924.
Description (Brief)
These shoes were made by Puma, circa 1984. The Dassler Brothers Shoe Factory was founded by Rudolph and Adolph Dassler, in Herzogenaurach, Germany in 1924. The company manufactured track shoes for professional athletes and by 1948, split into two companies, Puma and Adidas.
These Puma Clyde model shoes, named after New York Knicks basketball star Walt “Clyde” Frazier who wore and endorsed them, were popular with graffiti artists in the 1970s and later with hip hop artists in the 1980s.
B-Girl Laneski, (born Lane Davey), wore these shoes around 1984-1985. She was born in Nashville, Tennessee in 1970. Later moving to Seattle, she enrolled in a breakdancing class in 1983, taught by the Seattle Circuit Breakers. The group was impressed with her dancing skills and subsequently gave her the name LaneSki. A pioneer in the male dominated Hip Hop world, Laneski was one of the first female breakdancers to master and develop many of the dance moves created in the early 1980s.
Location
Currently on loan
date made
1984
user
B-Girl Laneski
maker
Puma
ID Number
2006.0192.01
accession number
2006.0192
catalog number
2006.0192.01
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
circa 1980
referenced
Reagan, Ronald Wilson
ID Number
2018.0001.08
accession number
2018.0001
catalog number
2018.0001.08
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1985 circa
ID Number
2017.0175.01
catalog number
2017.0175.01
accession number
2017.0175
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1985 circa
ID Number
2017.0175.02
catalog number
2017.0175.02
accession number
2017.0175
This headwrap dating between 1972 and 1984 was worn by Fath Davis Ruffins, an African American woman in Washington, DC.
Description
This headwrap dating between 1972 and 1984 was worn by Fath Davis Ruffins, an African American woman in Washington, DC. Ruffins bought the fabric for this headwrap and matching dress, which is also in the Smithsonian collections, at an African shop on Georgia Avenue in Washington, DC. It was made in 1972 but was worn as part of a summer "dress-up" outfit through 1984. Elaborately tied headwraps were worn by young African American women during this period to acknowledge their West African ancestral roots.
The flat cotton rectangular panel is a large floral "Java Print" in three shades of green with yellow accents on a cream background with a dark green with yellow floral design border. The forty-six inch long rectangle is narrower on one short side (twenty inches) than the other (inches) with stitched edges. "Guaranteed Dutch Java Print" is stamped on the selvage.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1972-1984
used by
Ruffins, Fath Davis
maker
Ruffins, Fath Davis
ID Number
1992.0456.001
accession number
1992.0456
catalog number
1992.0456.001
The slogan on this button refers to James G. Watt, who was named Secretary of the Interior by President Ronald Reagan in 1981.
Description
The slogan on this button refers to James G. Watt, who was named Secretary of the Interior by President Ronald Reagan in 1981. Due to controversial positions regarding the commercial development of federal lands, environmental groups such as the Sierra Club, National Audubon Society, and Friends of the Earth criticized Watt during his tenure and called for his ouster. Watt resigned in 1983 after making inappropriate comments before Congress regarding the makeup of his department.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1981-1983
ID Number
2003.0014.1528
accession number
2003.0014
catalog number
2003.0014.1528
Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
ca 1980
maker
Donnelly/Colt
ID Number
2003.0317.167
catalog number
2003.0317.167
accession number
2003.0317
Like the preservation of wilderness areas, the protection of rural landscapes–including family farms–has been an important element of the environmental movement. The American Farmland Trust, an organization founded in 1980, produced this button.Currently not on view
Description
Like the preservation of wilderness areas, the protection of rural landscapes–including family farms–has been an important element of the environmental movement. The American Farmland Trust, an organization founded in 1980, produced this button.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
after 1980
ID Number
2003.0014.1174
catalog number
2003.0014.1174
accession number
2003.0014
This button was produced by Horn Badge Co. of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for the tenth anniversary of Earth Day.Currently not on view
Description
This button was produced by Horn Badge Co. of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for the tenth anniversary of Earth Day.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1980
maker
Horn Co.
ID Number
2003.0014.1178
catalog number
2003.0014.1178
accession number
2003.0014
This button depicts the polar bear, one of the most beloved species on the planet.
Description
This button depicts the polar bear, one of the most beloved species on the planet. It, along with the whale, gorilla, and elephant, is sometimes referred to as “charismatic megafauna” because of its popularity with humans.
Environmental groups have often used charismatic megafauna in campaigns to increase public awareness about conservation efforts. By employing people’s inherent interest in these animals, they are able to attract attention towards needs which might otherwise have been disregarded. For example the polar bear has been used to highlight issues ranging from wilderness preservation to climate change.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1987
ID Number
2003.0014.0976
accession number
2003.0014
catalog number
2003.0014.0976

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