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Museum object · Decorative Arts, Craft, and Design

Costume design drawing by Judy Dearing for Nelson in Porgy and Bess

1995

Smithsonian NMAAHC collection

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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.

A costume design drawing by Judy Dearing for the character Nelson in the musical Porgy and Bess. The drawing depicts a man standing with his left hand in his pocket and his right hand hanging behind his right side. He wears a mustard yellow derby hat with a dark brown hat band, and a three-piece plaid suit consisting of a light brown and dark brown single-breasted jacket, a light brown and mustard yellow vest, and mustard and dark brown pegged pants. He wears a white dress shirt and a medium brown bowtie under his vest, and white and dark brown oxford shoes. The man and his clothing are outlined in graphite with an unidentified pigment shading. The stamp for the United Scenic Artists Local 829 is in black ink in the lower left facing corner, with Dearing's signature in black ink below the stamp. The reverse is blank.

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: 2014.128.8

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