Images(5)

Costume, Performance

Object number2021.124.1

Manufacturer London Fog

Trademarked by Londontown Corporation

OriginUnited States of America

MediumDacron polyester; Cotton; Elastic; Metal; Plastic

Credit LineGift of Joe Negri

DescriptionTelevision costume jacket. Baby blue polyester and cotton collared jacket. Long sleeves with two blue plastic buttons on each cuff. Metal zipper down front opening with two blue plastic buttons at top. One hip pocket on each side. Two elastic panels on back of waistline. Proper left chest has yellow embroidered crown with Roman numerals.DimensionsHeight x Width (Width at waist): 25.875 × 21.25 in. (65.7 × 54 cm)
InscriptionsProper left chest has yellow embroidered crown with "XIII" at center.
MarksEmbroidered white label inside collar at back center has text including "LONDON / FOG / weatherwear / of distinction / TRADEMARKS OF / LONDONTOWN CORPORATION / LONDON BALTIMORE / NEW YORK"; label has two white tags suspended from bottom of label: proper right tag has text "38 / REG." and proper left tag has text "MADE IN U.S.A."

White embroidered label inside jacket at bottom of proper right seam has text on front "SHELL / 65% DACRON POLYESTER / 35% COMBED COTTON / by REEVES / [care instructions]" and care instructions continue on the back of the tag.
Historical Notes"Handyman Negri" jacket worn by Joseph Negri on the television program Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. Negri wore this jacket with a crown logo designed by the Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood production team for decades. Joseph Negri, a renowned jazz guitarist, was born in the Mount Washington neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He demonstrated a gift for music at a young age and performed in acts on the amateur circuit. As a fifteen-year-old, he joined the musicians’ union and went professional with the Shep Fields Orchestra at seventeen. After WWII, Negri worked as a musical director at WTAE in the 1950s, which is where he first worked with Fred Rogers. Rogers left WTAE and developed his program Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, which aired on WQED from 1968-2001. He asked Joseph to portray a character named Handyman Negri, a general contractor who worked in the Land of Make-Believe, mostly for King Friday. Negri had a long and successful career as a professional musician and worked as a music teacher at the Manchester Craftsman Guild, Duquesne University, and the University of Pittsburgh.

Previous owner Joseph Negri (born 1926)

Related person Fred McFeely Rogers

Related institution WQED

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