Images(4)

Costume, Theater

Object number2016.75.11

Date1941-1962

MediumSynthetic fabric; Synthetic metallic braid trim; Plastic; Metal

Credit LineTransfer from Library of Congress, Gift of Barbara Edwards Lee

DescriptionUniform tailcoat costume. Long-sleeve. Tailcoat is blue-purple fabric with lighter purple lining on the tails. Gold details include trim around the collar and cuffs, and embroidered fabric down the front panels. Garment closes down front with black hook-and-eye fasteners. Shoulder boards are not intact but threads remain where they were originally attached.Dimensions43 × 18 in. (109.2 × 45.7 cm)
Historical NotesPart of a collection of costumes from the National Negro Opera Company. The company was founded by Mary Caldwell Dawson in 1941 and was active until 1962. This costume would have been used in either a production of Verdi's La Traviata or Gounod's Faust. It would also have been used in scene performances during the Washington Festivals. Born in North Carolina, Mary Cardwell moved to Pittsburgh with her family in 1901, and first learned to sing in her church choir. She graduated from the New England Conservatory of Music with degrees in voice and piano in 1925 and aspired to a career in the opera. But she found few opportunities. She returned and settled in Pittsburgh after she got married, opening the Cardwell Dawson School of Music, from which she taught many fine vocalists. Seeking to create opportunities for her students, she first formed the nationally celebrated Cardwell Dawson Choir and toured the country in the 1930s. But convinced that African American singers needed the greater opportunities that an Opera Company could provide, she founded the National Negro Opera Company in 1941. .

Related institution National Negro Opera Company

Related person Mary Cardwell Dawson

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