Created by

Unidentified

Medium

cotton fabric and cotton batting

Dimensions

H x W x D (On form): 37 × 24 × 20 in. (94 × 61 × 50.8 cm)

Type

quilts

petticoats

Place used

United States, North and Central America

Date

1830s-1840s; repurposed 1890s

Description

This quilted petticoat may have been made from a repurposed wholecloth bedcover or refashioned from a once larger skirt. The front of the textile is faced with a small-scale printed floral vine design in white, yellow, purple, and red blossoms with green leaves on a light brown ground. The back of the textile is faced with an orange striped cotton. A layer of cotton batting was quilted between the front and back facing fabrics. It was hand quilted with off-white cotton thread in an offset grid pattern with a leafy vine border design. The floral printed fabric was turned and hand stitched to the back fabric as binding. The fabrics and quilted motifs indicate it was probably made in the 1830s or 1840s. The fabric may have been imported from France.

The cut textile is turned under and the edges left raw at the interior waistline of the petticoat and the cotton batting can be seen along these raw edges. A small piece of printed cotton with a small-scale repeating design of purple flowers on a yellow ground is stitched at the interior proper left front waist. A long length of off-white cotton twill tape is attached around the back waist to hold gathers in the petticoat. The twill tape remains loose on the front so that the front of the petticoat has a flat silhouette. The petticoat is closed by tying these loose lengths of twill tape at the front waist.The hem of the petticoat is the original binding of the bedcover and the quilted vine border of the bedcover is turned horizontal around the bottom of the petticoat. The textile was probably repurposed into its current form as a petticoat between the 1870s and 1890s due to the flat front and gathered back waist.

Topic

African American

Clothing and dress

Reconstruction (United States History, 1865-1877)

Slavery

United States--History--1865-1921

United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865

Credit Line

Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Aaron and Maureen Robinson and Family

Object number

2014.180.1

Restrictions & Rights

No Known Copyright Restrictions

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Classification

Slavery and Freedom Objects

Clothing-Historical

Data Source

National Museum of African American History and Culture

Photograph by

Unidentified

Subject of

Phillips, Rhoda, American, 1831 - 1906

Medium

silver amalgam, silver on copper photographic plates

Dimensions

H x W (Sheet): 2 x 2 1/2 in. (5.1 x 6.4 cm)

Type

daguerreotypes

Place captured

Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee, United States, North and Central America

Date

ca. 1850

Description

A 1/9th plate daguerreotype of Rhoda Phillips (1831-1906), a woman who was born into slavery. She wears a dress with a flower pattern, lace cuffs, and a lace collar. The case is contemporary and has velvet lining.

Topic

African American

Photography

Slavery

Credit Line

Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture

Object number

2011.34

Restrictions & Rights

Public domain

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Classification

Slavery and Freedom Objects

Media Arts-Photography

Data Source

National Museum of African American History and Culture

Published by

Douglass, Frederick, American, 1818 - 1895

Medium

ink on paper

Dimensions

H x W (open): 26 1/2 × 38 in. (67.3 × 96.5 cm)

H x W (closed): 26 1/2 × 19 1/8 in. (67.3 × 48.5 cm)

Type

newspapers

Place printed

Rochester, Monroe County, New York, United States, North and Central America

Date

July 28, 1854

Description

The July 28, 1854 issue of Frederick Douglass' Paper, a Rochester-based weekly newspaper published and edited by Frederick Douglass that centered on antislavery efforts and other social reform causes. The title [Frederick Douglass' Paper] is printed in large text across the top, just underneath the title are the issue details printed between two horizontal black lines: [Vol. VII, No. 32, ROCHESTER, N.Y. FRIDAY JULY 28, 1854., Whole Number 344]. The text of the paper is densely concentrated in seven vertical columns and there is both a vertical and horizontal crease through the center. An inscription of the name [Stephen Reeves] is written in black ink at the top right corner of the front page. The last page contains a large advertisement: "Call for a National Emigration Convention of Colored Men to be held in Cleveland Ohio" and is signed in print by Martin R. Delany.

Transcription Center Status

Transcribed by digital volunteers

Topic

African American

Antislavery

Education

International affairs

Mass media

Social reform

Credit Line

Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture

Object number

2014.63.10

Restrictions & Rights

Public domain

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Classification

Slavery and Freedom Objects

Documents and Published Materials-Published Works

Data Source

National Museum of African American History and Culture

Written by

Douglass, Frederick, American, 1818 - 1895

Brown, John, American, 1800 - 1859

Received by

Brown, Mary Ann, American, 1817 - 1884

Medium

ink on paper

Dimensions

H x W: 9 7/8 x 7 7/8 in. (25.1 x 20 cm)

Type

letters (correspondence)

Place made

Rochester, Monroe County, New York, United States, North and Central America

Date

January 30, 1858

Description

A letter written by John Brown and Frederick Douglass from Rochester, New York, on January 30, 1858, to Brown's wife and children. The letter is handwritten in black ink on the front and back sides of a single sheet of paper. The letter is first written by Brown, who does not sign his portion beyond "Your Affectionate Husband and Father." Brown writes of missing his wife and children very much, but of not being able to visit them. He also asks his daughter Ruth about her husband, Henry Thompson, becoming involved in Brown's "school," coded language for Brown's militant abolitionist dealings. He further speaks of recruiting his sons for his work and requests that the family write to him under the name "N. Hawkins: Care of Fred'k Douglas [sic] Esq'r Rochester N[.] Y." Douglass writes on the lower half of the verso page with his words oriented three different directions to fit the page. He speaks of his friendship with the Brown family and invites any of them to his home, where John Brown is staying, signing as "Fred. Douglass."

Transcription Center Status

Transcribed by digital volunteers

Topic

African American

Antislavery

Correspondence

Domestic life

Fatherhood

Government

Resistance

Slavery

Credit Line

Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture

Object number

2009.26.3

Restrictions & Rights

Public Domain

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Classification

Documents and Published Materials

Slavery and Freedom Objects

Data Source

National Museum of African American History and Culture

Photograph by

Brady, Mathew, American, 1822 - 1896

Manufactured by

McAllister, Thomas H., American, 1824 - 1898

Subject of

Price, Birch & Co., American, 1858 - 1861

United States Army, American, founded 1775

Medium

albumen, sodium chloride, silver nitrate, glass, metal, ink on paper, adhesive

Dimensions

H x W (image): 2 11/16 × 2 7/8 in. (6.8 × 7.3 cm)

H x W x D (slide and mount): 3 1/4 × 4 1/8 × 1/4 in. (8.2 × 10.5 × 0.6 cm)

Type

lantern slides

Place captured

Alexandria, Virginia, United States, North and Central America

Date

1862

Description

Lantern slide of the slave trading firm of Price, Birch, & Co. of Alexandria, Virginia. The slide depicts a three story building is set to the right of the slide. A sign on the building reads “PRICE BIRCH & CO. / DEALERS IN SLAVES.” A tree is at the center of the image. Arrayed in the foreground are a horse, covered wagon and 10 soldiers. The soldiers appear to be both white and African American, with a group of four black soldiers grouped together on the left and one standing alone back against the wall. All the men are in full uniform, including hats, rifles, and swords. Printed vertically on the left of the image is “T.H. McALLISTER, Manufacturing Optician,.” Printed vertically on the right side of the image is “49 NASSAU STREET, NEW YORK.” A paper label is adhered to the back of the slide. Handwritten vertically in ink is “0290 Price, Birch & Co.’s Slave Pen / Alex. Va” The slide is in a metal frame.

Topic

African American

American South

Business

Domestic slave trade

Photography

Slavery

United States Colored Troops

United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865

Credit Line

Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of the Liljenquist Family

Object number

2018.43.6

Restrictions & Rights

Public domain

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Collection title

Liljenquist Family Collection

Classification

Slavery and Freedom Objects

Media Arts-Photography

Data Source

National Museum of African American History and Culture

Created by

Unidentified

Medium

steel

Dimensions

H x W x D: 2 1/2 × 20 × 1 in. (6.4 × 50.8 × 2.5 cm)

Type

bayonets

Date

1861-1865

Description

This socket bayonet has been modified so that the point is curved into a hook. The letters "US" are engraved at the blade shoulder, just above the socket. The bayonet has a locking ring and bore socket typical of socket bayonets.

Topic

African American

Military

Slavery

United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865

Credit Line

Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift from the Liljenquist Family Collection

Object number

2015.222.12

Restrictions & Rights

No Known Copyright Restrictions

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Collection title

Liljenquist Family Collection

Classification

Slavery and Freedom Objects

Tools and Equipment-Military

Data Source

National Museum of African American History and Culture

Photograph by

Unidentified

Subject of

Bachus

Medium

collodion and silver on iron with lacquer, paper

Dimensions

H x W (2014.20.1.1a (tintype)): 3 11/16 × 2 1/2 in. (9.4 × 6.4 cm)

H x W (2014.20.1.1b (mat)): 4 13/16 × 3 1/16 in. (12.2 × 7.8 cm)

Type

tintypes

portraits

Date

1860s

Description

2014.20.1a: A matted tintype of Bachus, an enslaved man. The image is a studio portrait that features Bachus wearing a top hat, coat, waistcoat, pants, and boots. He holds a cane in his right hand and rests his left hand on a prop fence.

2014.20.1b: The tintype has a discolored paper mat with red borders. The back of the mat is red and there is no inscription.

Topic

African American

Photography

Slavery

Credit Line

Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of the Mary Moody Northen Endowment

Object number

2014.20.1.1ab

Restrictions & Rights

No Known Copyright Restrictions

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Classification

Slavery and Freedom Objects

Media Arts-Photography

Data Source

National Museum of African American History and Culture

Created by

Unidentified

Owned by

Howland, Emily, American, 1827 - 1929

Medium

collodion and silver on iron with lacquer

Dimensions

H x W (Image): 1 15/16 × 1 11/16 in. (4.9 × 4.3 cm)

H x W (Image and Mount): 3 7/8 × 2 5/16 in. (9.8 × 5.9 cm)

Type

tintypes

portraits

Place used

United States, North and Central America

Date

1865

Description

Tintype of Miss Allen shown in bust portrait. She is turned one quarter to her left, but is looking at the camera. Her cheeks are tinted pink. Her hair is parted at the center and gathered in a chignon at the nape of her neck. She wears a light colored blouse with a dark oval brooch pinned at her front neck. A long, dark, single strand beaded necklace is around her neck. The tintype is placed in its original "Potters Patent" die-cut paper frame, with an oval cut out to display the image. Around the cut out is a heavily ornate embossed frame.

Handwritten in graphite on the mount below the tintype is the text "Miss Allen Freedmen / teacher / 1865"

The tintype is housed in the album 2017.30. The album page has a triple-lined, gold border framing the print.

Topic

African American

Antislavery

Education

Photography

Reconstruction (United States History, 1865-1877)

United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865

Credit Line

Collection of the National Museum of African American History and Culture shared with the Library of Congress

Object number

2017.30.23

Restrictions & Rights

Public domain

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Collection title

Emily Howland Photograph Album

Classification

Slavery and Freedom Objects

Media Arts-Photography

Data Source

National Museum of African American History and Culture

Created by

Rogers, John, American, 1829 - 1904

Medium

paint on plaster

Dimensions

22 1/8 x 11 1/8 x 8 1/4 in. (56.2 x 28.3 x 21 cm)

Type

sculpture

Place made

New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America

Date

1864

Description

A cast and painted plaster sculptural group depicting an escaped enslaved man helping a wounded Union soldier. This genre scene depicts an injured soldier leaning against the formerly enslaved man, his head resting on the other man's shoulder. The soldier's right arm is wrapped in a tourniquet and hangs limply at his side. The formerly enslaved man stands tall, looking off into the distance, while he holds the scout's left arm and guides him forward with his right arm supporting the soldier's waist. The scout has a mustache and is in uniform, wearing a jacket and boots with a bag, cartridge box and a canteen, while the formerly enslaved man is bearded and barefoot, and is wearing a shirt tucked into pants, both of which are torn and tattered. The men are walking through long grasses and swamp plants. Next to the formerly enslaved man's left foot is a copperhead snake coiled to strike. At the front of the sculpture base is etched: [JOHN ROGERS / NEW YORK / THE WOUNDED SCOUT. / A FRIEND IN THE SWAMP.]. Inscribed on the verso of the base is: [PATENTED JUNE 28 1864]. On the bottom of the base is an incomplete inscription [REK].

Topic

African American

Antislavery

Art

Emancipation

Military

Politics (Practical)

Race relations

United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865

Credit Line

Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture

Object number

2011.155.289

Restrictions & Rights

Public Domain

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Classification

Visual Arts

Slavery and Freedom Objects

Data Source

National Museum of African American History and Culture

Published by

Wm. A. Pond & Co., American, founded 1871

Created by

Braham, David, British, 1834 - 1905

Written by

Harrigan, Edward, American, 1844 - 1911

Subject of

Hart, Tony, American, 1855 - 1891

Medium

ink on paper

Dimensions

H x W: 13 3/8 x 10 1/4 in. (34 x 26 cm)

Type

sheet music

Date

1876

Description

Sheet music with cover with title "Slavery Days Song and Chorus Sung by Harrigan & Hart" and Cover illustrated with two seated men and basket of cotton.

printed ink on paper

Topic

African American

Minstrel (Music)

Slavery

Stereotypes

Credit Line

Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift from the Liljenquist Family Collection

Object number

2011.51.16

Restrictions & Rights

Public domain

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Collection title

Liljenquist Family Collection

Classification

Slavery and Freedom Objects

Documents and Published Materials-Sheet music

Data Source

National Museum of African American History and Culture

Manufactured by

Unidentified

Medium

iron

Dimensions

H x W x D: 48 × 2 × 3 in. (121.9 × 5.1 × 7.6 cm)

Type

pothooks

Place used

Virginia Beach, Virginia, United States, North and Central America

Date

19th century

Caption

This cooking pot hook came from a slave cabin that once stood on the Brock Plantation in the Princess Anne (Pungo/Backbay) area of Virginia Beach.

Description

A wrought iron cooking pot hook. The artifact has a large hook on one end with a smaller hook facing the opposite direction on the other end. The hook has nine holes along its length. The artifact has a pitted surface with spots of corrosion.

Topic

African American

Cooking and dining

Domestic life

Foodways

Labor

Slavery

Credit Line

Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of the Brock Family

Object number

2017.39.1

Restrictions & Rights

No Known Copyright Restrictions

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Classification

Slavery and Freedom Objects

Tools and Equipment-Culinary

Data Source

National Museum of African American History and Culture

Manufactured by

Unidentified

Medium

iron

Dimensions

H x W x D: 30 1/2 × 1 1/2 × 2 1/2 in. (77.5 × 3.8 × 6.4 cm)

Type

pothooks

Place used

Virginia Beach, Virginia, United States, North and Central America

Date

19th century

Description

A wrought iron cooking pot hook. The artifact has eight holes along its length and a large hook on one end. The other end is bent and flattened with a hole at the end. Another hooked piece of metal runs through this hole allowing the pot hook’s length to be adjusted using the eight holes in the larger piece of metal. The artifact has a pitted surface with spots of corrosion.

Topic

African American

Cooking and dining

Domestic life

Foodways

Labor

Slavery

Credit Line

Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of the Brock Family

Object number

2017.39.2

Restrictions & Rights

No Known Copyright Restrictions

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Classification

Slavery and Freedom Objects

Tools and Equipment-Culinary

Data Source

National Museum of African American History and Culture

Manufactured by

Unidentified

Medium

iron

Dimensions

H x W x D: 3 3/4 × 2 1/2 × 1 3/4 in. (9.5 × 6.4 × 4.4 cm)

Type

irons

Place collected

Deltaville, Middlesex County, Virginia, United States, North and Central America

Date

Late 19th century

Description

A small marquise shaped flat iron with handle. The metal sadiron is made from a single piece of iron. The object is heavily corroded. No identifying marks are visible.

Topic

African American

Domestic life

Emancipation

Labor

Slavery

Credit Line

Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Leonard H. Powell

Object number

2017.95

Restrictions & Rights

No Known Copyright Restrictions

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Classification

Slavery and Freedom Objects

Tools and Equipment-Domestic

Data Source

National Museum of African American History and Culture

Photograph by

Unidentified

Created by

Littlefield, Parsons & Co., American, 1858 - 1866

Medium

collodion and silver on glass photographic plates

Dimensions

Closed: 3 × 2 5/8 × 7/8 in. (7.6 × 6.7 × 2.2 cm)

Open: 3 × 5 1/8 × 9/16 in. (7.6 × 13 × 1.4 cm)

3 x 5 in. (7.6 x 12.7 cm)

Type

ambrotypes

portraits

Date

1861-1865

Description

A black-and-white photograph of a man from the waist up. He wears a button-down coat and a kepi and holds a rifle against his left soldier. Image is in a full case with blue velvet.

Topic

African American

Military

Photography

Slavery

United States Colored Troops

United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865

Credit Line

Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture

Object number

2008.9.2

Restrictions & Rights

Public domain

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Classification

Slavery and Freedom Objects

Media Arts-Photography

Exhibition

Double Victory: The African American Military Experience

On View

NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Community/Third Floor, 3 053

Data Source

National Museum of African American History and Culture

Written by

Douglass, Frederick, American, 1818 - 1895

Published by

Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society, American, founded 1835

Subject of

Garrison, William Lloyd, American, 1805 - 1879

Phillips, Wendell, American, 1811 - 1884

Medium

ink on paper, cardboard

Dimensions

H x W x D: 7 x 4 1/2 x 5 in. (17.8 x 11.4 x 12.7 cm)

H x W x D (open at 90 degrees): 7 × 5 × 4 7/8 in. (17.8 × 12.7 × 12.4 cm)

H x W x D (open at 60 degrees): 7 × 5 × 4 1/4 in. (17.8 × 12.7 × 10.8 cm)

Type

narratives

hardcover books

Place printed

Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States, North and Central America

Date

1845

Description

A first edition copy of the memoir and antislavery book Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, Written by Himself. The hardcover book has a brown cover with an imprinted decorative border and scrollwork. The title is stamped in gold lettering in the center: [NARRATIVE OF THE LIFE / OF / FREDERICK DOUGLASS]. The frontispiece illustration is a portrait of Douglass, seated at a table, wearing jacket, vest, and tie, with his hands crossed in his lap. The first page prints the full title in alternating large and small type: [NARRATIVE / OF THE / LIFE / OF / FREDERICK DOUGLASS, / AN / AMERICAN SLAVE. / WRITTEN BY HIMSELF]. The last part of the title appears between two horizontal lines. At the bottom center is the publishing information: [BOSTON: / PUBLISHED AT THE ANTI-SLAVERY OFFICE, / No. 25 CORNHILL / 1845.]. The book has a preface written by William Lloyd Garrison and a prefatory letter by Wendell Phillips. There are 125 pages.

Topic

African American

Antislavery

Freedom

Identity

Literature

Men

Resistance

Slavery

United States--History--1815-1861

Credit Line

Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Elizabeth Cassell

Object number

2011.43.1

Restrictions & Rights

Public domain

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Classification

Slavery and Freedom Objects

Documents and Published Materials-Published Works

Exhibition

Slavery and Freedom

On View

NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Concourse 3, C3 053

Data Source

National Museum of African American History and Culture

Created by

Lieutenant Hawker, Henry Samuel, English, 1816 - 1889

Medium

watercolor on paper (fiber product)

Dimensions

H x W: 11 3/8 x 17 1/8 in. (28.9 x 43.5 cm)

Type

watercolors

Place depicted

Jamaica, Caribbean, North and Central America

Portugal, Europe

Date

May 1838

Caption

The slave ship Diligente was engaged in the illegal slave trade when it was seized in 1838. A lieutenant in the British Royal Navy painted this scene from the ship. He captured the trauma of the Middle Passage in images of malnutrition and overcrowding.

Source: Nancy Bercaw, Curator, Slavery and Freedom

Description

A watercolor painting of a slave ship showing five crew members with multiple enslaved persons crowded on the weather deck. A Portuguese flag flies from the ship and the sketched outline of another ship is visible in the background.

Topic

African American

Africa

Art

Law

Military

Slavery

Trans Atlantic slave trade

Credit Line

Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture

Object number

2010.21.2ab

Restrictions & Rights

Public domain

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Classification

Visual Arts

Slavery and Freedom Objects

Data Source

National Museum of African American History and Culture

Created by

Nast, Thomas, American, 1840 - 1902

Medium

ink on newsprint

Dimensions

H x W: 18 5/8 x 13 in. (47.3 x 33 cm)

Type

clippings

Place made

Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, North and Central America

Date

October 8, 1868

Description

A rare broadside supplement to the Cincinnati Gazette, "Patience on a Monument," shows a freed slave sitting atop a monument that lists evils perpetrated against blacks. A dead woman and children lie at the bottom of the monument, while violence and fires rage in the background.

Topic

African American

Emancipation

Race relations

Reconstruction (United States History, 1865-1877)

Violence

Credit Line

Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture

Object number

2010.77.5

Restrictions & Rights

Public domain

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Classification

Visual Arts

Slavery and Freedom Objects

Data Source

National Museum of African American History and Culture

Created by

Price, Louvenia, American, 1857 - 1935

Subject of

Black Fashion Museum, American, 1979 - 2007

Medium

silk velvet, silk satin, fur, and metal

Dimensions

H x W x D (On Form): 54 × 26 × 19 1/2 in. (137.2 × 66 × 49.5 cm)

H x W x D (In box): 52 × 22 × 6 in. (132.1 × 55.9 × 15.2 cm)

Type

evening coats

Place made

Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States, North and Central America

Date

1870-1900

Caption

This wearable work of art was handed down to the maker's descendants. Louvenia Price, who was born enslaved, continued to work as a seamstress after she was emancipated. Price made this cape for her own use.

Description

This mid-calf length evening coat is made of a deep teal silk velvet with brown fur cuffs and a black silk satin lining. A decorative black silk cord is sewn to the exterior of the garment to form swirls, floral motifs, feather motifs, and other designs popular in the late Victorian period. The sleeves begin near the wearer's elbow, creating a cape-like silhouette from the proper front. The coat closes along the proper center front with a series of hook-and-eye closures, with the hooks and the eyes alternating along the proper left and proper right sides of the opening. The proper back is shaped to accommodate a large bustle. The band collar also contains applied braid designs, and closes at the proper front neck with two (2) hook-and-eye closures. The interior fabric is quilted in a diagonal pattern, but the quilting does not show through to the exterior of the garment. There is one set-in pocket on the proper left front of the interior. Attached at the center back of the interior are two accordion-like fabric pieces and two long black ribbons, likely used to adjust the fit at the waist line and to secure the coat to the wearer's body.

Topic

African American

Clothing and dress

Emancipation

Fashion

Freedom

Slavery

Women

Credit Line

Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of the Black Fashion Museum founded by Lois K. Alexander-Lane

Object number

2007.3.2

Restrictions & Rights

No Known Copyright Restrictions

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Collection title

Black Fashion Museum Collection

Classification

Slavery and Freedom Objects

Clothing-Fashion

Data Source

National Museum of African American History and Culture

Created by

Unidentified Woman or Women

Subject of

Black Fashion Museum, American, 1979 - 2007

Medium

cotton (textile), muslin

Dimensions

H x W x D (On Form): 47 1/2 x 23 x 20 in. (120.7 x 58.4 x 50.8 cm)

Waist: 25 1/2 in. (64.8 cm)

H x W (In box, padded out): 45 1/4 × 22 × 9 1/2 in. (114.9 × 55.9 × 24.1 cm)

Type

dresses

Place made

Staunton, Augusta County, Virginia, United States, North and Central America

Date

1845-1865

Description

This is a handstitched long-sleeved dress with a full skirt made from a balanced plain-weave printed cotton. The sleeves are gathered at the back shoulder seam and the shoulder seam is dropped in the back. The bodice is gathered at the front waist and has a neck band with no collar. Both the neck band and the waist band are fussy cut to display the printed design. Piping is attached at the armholes and along the bottom of the waistband. The skirt is gathered at the front hips and the back with a flat panel along the center front waist. On the proper back bodice, three (3) glass buttons are sewn on the left side of the back opening (placket), with four (4) button holes on the right side. At the waist, two (2) decorative buttons are sewn on the right side of the opening, without corresponding button holes on the left side. The hem is turned up 3 1/2". The bodice and sleeves are lined with muslin, while the skirt is unlined. The printed pattern on the fabric is four (4) colors and black, with a base color of reddish brown, on top of which is a repeating pattern of columns of red roses alternating with columns of diamonds and clubs on a cream background inside a black, orange, and red border.

Topic

African American

Clothing and dress

Slavery

Credit Line

Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of the Black Fashion Museum founded by Lois K. Alexander-Lane

Object number

2007.3.4

Restrictions & Rights

Public domain

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Collection title

Black Fashion Museum Collection

Classification

Slavery and Freedom Objects

Clothing-Historical

Exhibition

Slavery and Freedom

On View

NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Concourse 3, C3 053

Data Source

National Museum of African American History and Culture

Created by

Unidentified

Worn by

Shirley, Lucy Lee, American, 1855 - 1929

Subject of

Black Fashion Museum, American, 1979 - 2007

Medium

bast fiber, wool textile, and synthetic fiber

Dimensions

H x W (Flat): 18 × 33 1/2 in. (45.7 × 85.1 cm)

Waist: 24 1/2 in. (62.2 cm)

Type

skirts

Place used

Leesburg, Loudoun County, Virginia, United States, North and Central America

Date

ca. 1860

Description

A child's circular skirt in a floral print with a pleated flounce on the hem. The main fabric is a plain weave natural fiber fabric with a cream ground and a repeating pattern of small four-petal flowers in red, purple, blue, and tan. The skirt is predominantly hand-sewn. It has a waistband made from an undyed bast fiber fabric with the floral print gathered and whip stitched to the waistband. The skirt is more closely gathered on the back. There is a slit at the center back that divides the waistband completely. There is no attached closure method, but rust staining at the back opening of the waistband suggests the skirt was pinned to close. The bottom of the skirt has an extra flounce of the floral print that has a series of pleats around the skirt in sets of three alternating with straight sections. This flounce is machine-sewn at the top and 1 1/2 inches from the bottom using blue thread that is possibly a synthetic fiber. The bottom and top edges of the flounce are bound with blue fabric sewn on the bias. The interior of the skirt is lined only behind the extra flounce with a hand-pinked undyed bast fiber fabric. There is a previous repair on the back proper right side of the skirt where a panel of light brown synthetic fabric is hand sewn on the interior of the skirt from the gathering at the waist to the top of the older linen lining on the bottom.

Topic

African American

Children

Clothing and dress

Slavery

Credit Line

Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of the Black Fashion Museum founded by Lois K. Alexander-Lane

Object number

2007.3.5

Restrictions & Rights

No Known Copyright Restrictions

See more items in

National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection

Collection title

Black Fashion Museum Collection

Classification

Slavery and Freedom Objects

Clothing-Historical

Exhibition

Slavery and Freedom

On View

NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Concourse 3, C3 053

Data Source

National Museum of African American History and Culture