Skip to content

Museum object · Clothing - Costume

Pair of gray Capezio dance shoes worn by Cab Calloway

mid 20th-late 20th century

Fair Lawn, Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, North and Central America

COLLECTION RECORDImage not availableExplore the catalog description and source record.
Visit the source record ↗

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.

A pair of gray, Capezio, dance shoes worn by Cab Calloway. The exterior upper shoe and tongue are constructed with a dove gray canvas. There are worn patches on the canvas on both shoes mostly near the welts. There is also a worn patch along the top edge of the heel on the right shoe. The toe boxes are rounded. The shoes are double stitched around the outlines of the toe boxes and have a single seam down the center lines of the heels. The lace guards feature matching gray, metal eyelets that are strung with flat, white, string laces. The left shoelace is missing one aglet. The heels are constructed from stacked leather. The shoes’ soles are constructed from tan leather and have black scuff marks. Adhered to the sole on the left shoe is a round, green, fluorescent sticker with handwritten black ink text on it that reads [231].

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: A2015.273.1.12ab

Continue exploring Series 1

Arts, Music & Culture →Everyday Life & Community →

Explore all Series 1 cards →