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Green coat worn by Oprah Winfrey as Sofia in The Color Purple

African American Museum

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    Object Details

    Designed by

    Aggie Guerard Rodgers, American, born 1943

    Manufactured by

    Palace Costume Company, American, founded 1990

    Worn by

    Oprah Winfrey, American, born 1954

    Subject of

    Alice Walker, American, born 1944

    Description

    Green coat worn by Oprah Winfrey as the character Sofia Johnson in the film "The Color Purple." The full-length, long-sleeved, single-breasted coat is made from a dark green wool tweed plaid. The coat closes at the front with five (5) large round olive fabric-covered buttons that fasten using loops of black cord sewn to the edge of the proper right front. The front sides are turned open and stitched down near the and along the outer edges, making the button and loop closure non-functioning. A wide band of olive wool with stumpwork embroidery in olive rayon of a highly stylized leafy vine design is sewn around the front sides and around the collar, and is cut to follow the tapering of the turned front and the rounded notches at the turned collar. This same olive embroidered band is sewn around the cuff of both sleeves, which are also turned. The sleeves are slightly gathered using a length of the wool plaid attached at the exterior of each sleeve just above the cuff with two (2) round olive fabric-covered buttons, with the strips lined in green rayon. There are two (2) inset pockets, one on each exterior hip of the coat, with notched flaps made of the green plaid and light brown wool lining.
    The coat is fully lined with a green cotton and rayon blend. There is a deep patch pocket made of the lining with an elastic top opening sewn to the interior proper right side of the coat. A long strip of black fabric is attached from shoulder to shoulder across the back neck of the coat, with long ends left loose. There is a barcode label adhered to the black strip at the center back neck with printed text above the barcode reading "PALACE COSTUME CO." and text below the barcode reading "37192643". A second label is sewn at the interior center back neck underneath the black strip made of off-white fabric with dark brown printed text reading "Palace Costume Co."

    Credit Line

    Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture

    Date

    1985

    Object number

    2014.184.1.2

    Restrictions & Rights

    No Known Copyright Restrictions
    Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.

    Type

    coats

    Medium

    wool, cotton/rayon blend, elastic, and plastic buttons

    Dimensions

    H x W x D (On form): 55 3/4 × 26 × 19 in. (141.6 × 66 × 48.3 cm)

    Place used

    North Carolina, United States, North and Central America
    California, United States, North and Central America

    See more items in

    National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection

    Classification

    Clothing - Costume

    Data Source

    National Museum of African American History and Culture

    Topic

    African American
    Actors
    Clothing and dress
    Costume
    Costume design
    Design
    Families
    Film
    Gender
    LGBTQ
    Literature
    Sexuality
    Violence
    Women

    Metadata Usage

    CC0

    Link to Original Record

    http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd592dc0e7d-7633-4c3b-bc41-9e050cd21e55

    Record ID

    nmaahc_2014.184.1.2

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