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Track cleats worn by Tommie Smith for the 1968 Olympics

African American Museum

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    Object Details

    Manufactured by

    PUMA, German, founded 1948

    Worn by

    Tommie Smith, American, born 1944

    Description

    A pair of Tommie Smith's track cleats.
    The main parts of the shoes are made of a red suede. There are off white stripes on both sides of the shoes. The stripes are wider near the fronts of the shoes and get thinner as the move towards the backs of the shoes. There is off white trim around the tops of the shoes. There is an off-white leather section on the fronts of the shoes with four straps attached to a piece of Velcro. There is an off-white shape on the backs of the shoes above the heels.
    The top 1/4 of the bottoms of the shoes are off white suede with seven (7) metal spikes. There are some dark areas of discoloration around the spikes. The bottom 3/4 is a yellow textured leather.
    There are some loose threads on the straps of the shoes. The soles of the shoes are off white. There are blue numbers stamped along the insides of the shoes. They are a size 10 1/2 and there are several other numbers that follow.

    Credit Line

    Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Tommie and Delois Smith

    Date

    1968

    Object number

    2016.110.2ab

    Restrictions & Rights

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

    Type

    cleats
    sports uniforms

    Medium

    suede, rubber, leather, metal, Velcro (TM), and ink

    Dimensions

    H x W x D (a: left cleat): 3 1/2 × 4 × 11 in. (8.9 × 10.2 × 27.9 cm)
    H x W x D (b: right cleat): 3 1/2 × 4 × 11 in. (8.9 × 10.2 × 27.9 cm)

    Place used

    Mexico City, Mexico, Latin America, North and Central America

    See more items in

    National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection

    Classification

    Clothing - Sports Uniforms

    Exhibition

    Sports: Leveling the Playing Field

    On View

    NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Community/Third Floor, 3 052

    Data Source

    National Museum of African American History and Culture

    Topic

    African American
    Activism
    Athletes
    Black power
    Civil Rights
    Clothing and dress
    Olympics
    Sports
    Track and field

    Metadata Usage

    CC0

    Link to Original Record

    http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd54caf2acf-dc68-44ed-b36f-ef3b0d72a344

    Record ID

    nmaahc_2016.110.2ab

    Discover More

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    Fabulous Footwear: A Walk Through Fashion and Culture

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