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Museum object · Clothing - Fashion and Historical

Mahogany crop top designed by Arthur McGee

mid 20th-late 20th century

New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America

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Source catalog description

This description refers to material held by Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Visual details below describe the original material.

Mahogany glazed twill cotton crop top designed by Arthur McGee. The top is made from two (2) eight (8) inch wide strips of the fabric seamed at the middle and with slanted ends. Two (2) thin loops made from the fabric are sewn near the center seam to form straps. The wearer threads their arms through the straps and then wraps the fabric around the bust and ties it. It is unclear if the center seam is meant to be at the center back or center front of the wearer's body. The fabric is long enough to be wrapped more than once around the body, or wrapped once and the ends left as long ties. The glazed cotton has an iridescent and metallic quality. The top is not lined and there are no labels.

Sources & collection details

Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture — original record ↗

Source collection ↗

Catalog metadata · CC0 · Source checked 2026-10-13

Catalog reference: 2007.3.70.1

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