Costume, Theater
Costume, Theater
Costume, Theater

Costume, Theater

Object number2016.75.28
Date1941-1962
MediumSatin; Fabric; Tulle; Plastic; Metal
Credit LineTransfer from Library of Congress, Gift of Barbara Edwards Lee
DescriptionTutu costume. Pink satin bodice with straps, silver-blue sequins across chest, and white zipper down back opening. Three-layered pink tulle skirt. DimensionsHeight x Width (Width at skirt bottom): 28.5 x 30 in. (72.4 x 76.2 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 was possibly used in a production of Verdi's La Traviata. 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.
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