Warm-up sweat suit for the 1952 Helsinki XV Olympics worn by Ted Corbitt

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.

In the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, Ted Corbitt became the first African American to compete in the Olympic marathon. .1) A navy blue sweatshirt with red and white details. The sweatshirt has a spread collar and a gold colored metal quarter zipper at the neckline. The cuffs and the bottom of the sweatshirt are ribbed. They are red with two thin off white lines going around them. The front of the sweatshirt reads [USA] in red suede letters with an off white border. There are two yellowing white tags sewn inside the sweatshirt on the back collar. The small square tag on the proper right reads [36] in black thread. The rectangle tag on the proper left of the square tag has red and black text sewn into it. The edges of the tag are sticking up and some of the thread is coming loose. There are also yellow spots from age and brown spots from dirt. At the bottom of the tag there is a section that was torn off. It is greenish-blue around the edges. The text reads [Wilson / SPORTS EQUIPMENT / MADE IN U.S.A. / WIILSON / S(PO)RTING GOODS]. There is a rectangular white piece of cloth sewn onto the back near the top. It has faded black numbers which read [999]. The cloth is yellowing from age. There is navy blue fleece lining the sweatshirt. .2) A pair of navy blue sweatpants with red and white details. The navy sweatpants have a cinched elastic waistband and are cinched at the ankles as well. There are two white stripes going down the outer side of each pant leg. There is a red stripe in between the white stripes. There is a zipper going up the pant leg next to the outer white stripe. It goes around 6 inches up the leg starting at the ankle. The inside of the sweatpants is lined in navy fleece. There are two white tags sewn inside the sweatpants at the waist. The rectangle tag on the proper right side has red and black text sewn into it. The text reads [Wilson / SPORTS EQUIPMENT / MADE IN U.S.A. / WIILSON / SPORTING GOODS]. The small square tag on the proper left side reads [30] in black thread.

Catalog date

1952

Recorded places

Helsinki, Uusimaa, Finland, Europe

Recorded subjects

African American; Clothing and dress; Olympics; Sports; Track and field

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