Designed by
Rodgers, Aggie Guerard, American, born 1943
Manufactured by
Palace Costume Company, American, founded 1990
Worn by
Goldberg, Whoopi, American, born 1955
Subject of
Walker, Alice, American, born 1944
Date
1985
Medium
cotton with mother of pearl buttons and metal closures
Dimensions
H x W x D (On form): 50 3/4 × 19 1/4 × 15 in. (128.9 × 48.9 × 38.1 cm)
Description
Light pink dress worn by Whoopi Goldberg as the character Celie Harris Johnson in the film "The Color Purple." The ankle-length dress with three-quarter length tapered sleeves, gathered waist, and full skirt is made from a pale pink cotton with details in a pink, white, and gray woven striped check. The spread collar with a long square back, the cuffs of the sleeves, the waist band, the two (2) patch pockets on each front side hip of the skirt, and a center panel on the front skirt are all made of the striped check fabric. The collar is trimmed with cream floral lace with a scalloped edge. The dress closes down the center front with two (2) small round mother of pearl buttons with a star design and one (1) metal hook-and-eye fastener at the neck, and at the front waistband with one (1) metal hook-and-eye fastener, two (2) medium round mother of pearl buttons, and four (4) metal snaps. A slit is left open below the waistband closure on the proper left side of the skirt. The dress is not lined. Two labels are sewn at the interior center back neck; the bottom is a white cloth label with illegible black handwritten text above brown printed text reading "Palace Costume Co."; the top label is a white cloth label with a barcode adhered to the front of it and printed text above the barcode reading "PALACE COSTUME CO." and text below the barcode reading "37005001".
Place used
North Carolina, United States, North and Central America
California, United States, North and Central America
Classification
Clothing - Costume
Type
dresses
Topic
Actors
Clothing and dress
Costume
Costume design
Design
Families
Film
Gender
LGBTQ
Literature
Sexuality
Violence
Women
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number
2014.184.4
Restrictions & Rights
No Known Copyright Restrictions
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd532526e45-9d10-4719-8eea-38fcc3093b5d

Cataloging is an ongoing process and we may update this record as we conduct additional research and review. If you have more information about this object, please contact us at NMAAHCDigiTeam@si.edu

Share this page