Images(3)

Costume, Theater

Object number2016.75.27 a,b

Date1941-1962

MediumCotton; Synthetic fabric; Silk; Thread

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

DescriptionDress costume. Green satin ankle-length dress with elbow-length sleeves. Bodice has square bib design with cream-colored chest bordered with floral patterned fabric. Sleeves have cream-colored puffed top section, floral fabric central band, and green brocade bottom section. Matching floral fabric band around waist and bottom of skirt. Floral fabric has maroon border and blue background with green, maroon, yellow, pink, and cream flower and leaf designs. Top of back is green brocade fabric. Sixteen hook-and-eye fasteners down back opening. Green silk chiffon lining was removed and retained.DimensionsHeight x Width (Width between shoulder seams): 53 x 19 in. (134.6 x 48.3 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. 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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