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

Object Details

Manufactured by

Wilson Sporting Goods Co., American, founded 1914

Worn by

Ted Corbitt, American, 1919 - 2007

Caption

In the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, Ted Corbitt became the first African American to compete in the Olympic marathon.

Description

.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.

Credit Line

Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Gary Corbitt in memory of Ted Corbitt

1952

Object number

2015.182.3.1-.2

Restrictions & Rights

No Known Copyright Restrictions

Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.

Type

sweat pants

sweat shirts

sports uniforms

Medium

cotton, polyester, fleece, suede, metal, ink, elastic, and thread

Dimensions

H x W (.1 Warm-Up Jacket): 27 1/2 × 21 in. (69.9 × 53.3 cm)

H x W (.2 Warm-Up Sweatpants (folded)): 37 1/2 × 12 in. (95.3 × 30.5 cm)

H x W (.2 Warm-Up Sweatpants (open)): 37 1/2 × 17 in. (95.3 × 43.2 cm)

Place used

Helsinki, Uusimaa, Finland, Europe

See more items in

National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection

Classification

Clothing - Sports Uniforms

National Museum of African American History and Culture

Topic

African American

Clothing and dress

Olympics

Sports

Track and field

Record ID

nmaahc_2015.182.3.1-.2

Metadata Usage (text)

CC0

GUID (Link to Original Record)

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd550d63c8c-0491-474c-97e1-7e54ef7fea8a