q2K BHP
Black History Portal
THE BHP WIRE —
HIDDEN TRUTHS
GREENWOOD / BLACK WALL STREET WILMINGTON 1898 LITTLE ROCK NINE TUSKEGEE STUDY ROSEWOOD 1923 THE TUSKEGEE AIRMEN SENECA VILLAGE BLACK TOWNS GREENWOOD / BLACK WALL STREET WILMINGTON 1898 LITTLE ROCK NINE TUSKEGEE STUDY ROSEWOOD 1923 THE TUSKEGEE AIRMEN SENECA VILLAGE BLACK TOWNS
What's New!
THE JOURNEY THROUGH TIME
BHP HOME BEFORE AMERICA 1800–1936 1937–1957 1958–1980 1981–2000 2001–PRESENT

Explore Black History

Explore the people, places, events, achievements, struggles and stories that shaped our journey.

✊🏾

Civil Rights

Movements, leaders, victories and the continuing fight for equality.

⚙️

Black Inventors

Innovation, patents, science, technology and world-changing contributions.

🏆

Sports

Pioneers, champions, Negro Leagues, records, activism and excellence.

♟️

People

Meet the people whose lives, choices and achievements shaped the journey.

📍

Places

Black towns, communities, institutions and places where history happened.

📜

Events

Moments that changed communities, movements, institutions and the nation.

Enter a person, place, event, or topic.
MY'STORY

The MOVE Fire

This is a personal recollection on the Move fire on May 13, 1985 Philadelphia police fired thousands of rounds at the MOVE house, city officials approved dropping an explosive device on the roof, the resulting fire was allowed to burn, 11 people—including five children—died, and 61 homes were destroyed. Philadelphia City Council later called it a “brutal attack carried out by the City of Philadelphia on its own citizens” and acknowledged that no individual faced criminal consequences for the bombing. One timeline correction worth preserving for the BHP record: the major previous MOVE-police confrontation was August 8, 1978, about seven years before the bombing, not a year or two earlier. Officer James Ramp was killed, other police and firefighters were wounded, nine MOVE members were later convicted, and television cameras recorded police beating Delbert Africa during his arrest. The 1985 MOVE Commission later specifically criticized city planners for failing to adequately use lessons from that 1978 confrontation. And that actually strengthens the point you’re making: 1985 did not happen without precedent or institutional memory. There had already been a deadly confrontation with MOVE, years of conflict, negotiations and police involvement before Osage Avenue.

MORE →
BLACK FACTS
The Truths They Never Taught You...

Katherine Johnson — Mathematics to the Moon

Katherine Johnson’s mathematical calculations helped guide some of America’s most important early space missions while she confronted the racial and gender barriers faced by Black women in twentieth-century America.

MORE →
BHP gathered finds from its connected research sources. Showing the 4 strongest Black History matches.
← BACK TO RESULTS
NMAAHC

Dress designed by Ann Lowe

Date
1966
Designed by
Ann Lowe, American, 1898 - 1981
Worn by
Jennifer Peabody Marks, American
Subject of
Black Fashion Museum, American, 1979 - 2007
Description
White taffeta and organdy debutante dress designed by Ann Lowe. The dress has a fitted sleeveless bodice with a scooped front neckline and an empire waist, and a plunging V back. The dress is fitted with shaping seams through the natural waist with a full floor-length skirt that has a deep pleat at each back side near the center. The dress is made from white silk taffeta with white pleated organdy and white floral appliqué details. The entire bodice is covered in the pleated organdy, including the shoulder straps. A row of white embroidered flower passementerie in various shapes and sizes are appliquéd around the waistline. The bottom of the skirt features three (3) flounces of pleated organdy, each with the top seam covered in a row of the white embroidered flower passementerie. The dress closes at the center back with a zipper and one (1) hook-and-eye. One small flower passementerie closes over the zipper onto the proper left with one (1) metal snap.
The interior of the bodice is lined in the white silk taffeta, with the breast cups lined instead in a light weight nylon or rayon. A white ribbon interior waistband is sewn at the empire waist line, fastening at the center back with two (2) metal hook-and-eyes. The skirt is lined in white synthetic that is slightly stiff. A white fabric label with black embroidered text is sewn at the center front onto the interior waist band that reads "ANN LOWE / A. F. Chantilly, Inc. / NEW YORK" with a woman in a ball gown at the right.
Place made
New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
Topic
African American
Clothing and dress
Design
Fashion
Fashion design
Social life and customs
Women
See more items in
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Collection title
Black Fashion Museum Collection
Classification
Clothing - Fashion and Historical
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of the Black Fashion Museum founded by Lois K. Alexander-Lane
Data Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number
2007.3.29
Type
debutante dresses
Restrictions & Rights
No Known Copyright Restrictions
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
Medium
silk taffeta, silk organdy, passementerie, synthetic fiber, and metal fasteners
Dimensions
H x W (flat): 53 × 34 in. (134.6 × 86.4 cm)
Title
Object Name • Dress designed by Ann Lowe
Record ID
nmaahc_2007.3.29
Museum
NMAAHC
Title Sort
DRESS DESIGNED BY ANN LOWE
Source
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Metadata Usage
CC0
Date
1960s
Name
Lowe, Ann • Marks, Jennifer Peabody • Black Fashion Museum
Place
New York City • United States • North and Central America
Topic
Design • Women • Clothing and dress • Fashion • Society
Culture
African Americans
Geo Location
City • New York City • State • New York • Country • United States • Continent • North and Central America
Type
Dresses (garments)
Online Media Type
Images
Online Media Rights
No Known Copyright Restrictions

Media

Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture, Smithsonian Institution. Rights and restrictions shown above are supplied by the Smithsonian record.

No preview image
NMAAHC

Frank Lowe, 1973

Date: Date

Description

MORE →
NMAAHC

Beaded coat made by Ann Lowe

Date: Date

Description

MORE →
NMAAHC

Dress designed by Ann Lowe

Date: Date

Description

MORE →
No preview image
NMAAHC

Bridesmaid gown designed by Ann Lowe

Date: Date

Caption

MORE →
TOPIC OF THE DAY

Greenwood / Black Wall Street

Before the 1921 destruction of Tulsa’s Greenwood District, Black residents had created a remarkable center of business and community life. The district included stores, professional offices, entertainment venues and homes owned by Black citizens. Understanding Greenwood means learning what was built—not only what was burned.

MORE →
TRIVIA QUESTION OF THE DAY

Which heavyweight champion was known as the “Brown Bomber”?

Joe Louis.