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Evening coat from the collection of Lucy Cordice

National Museum of African American History and Culture
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Object Details

Created by
Unidentified
Owned by
Lucy Louvinia Cordice, American, 1915 - 1995
Subject of
Black Fashion Museum, American, 1979 - 2007
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.
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
1870-1900
Object number
2007.3.2
Restrictions & Rights
No Known Copyright Restrictions
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Type
evening coats
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)
Place used
Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States, North and Central America
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Collection title
Black Fashion Museum Collection
Classification
Clothing-Fashion
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Topic
African American
Clothing and dress
Craftsmanship
Fashion
Women
Record ID
nmaahc_2007.3.2
Metadata Usage (text)
CC0
GUID (Link to Original Record)
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd5d23e2382-ef3e-4ff1-847e-f6f5cb5b0ecb
This image is in the public domain (free of copyright restrictions). You can copy, modify, and distribute this work without contacting the Smithsonian. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Open Access page.
International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
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