Explore Black History

ca. 1972

A brown,gold, and beige knitted pullover letterman sweater for the Iota Phi Theta Fraternity. Deep V-neck front, lined with gold coloring (v-neck so deep it cuts through the bordered coloring). Three horizontal stripes from PL and PR of the V-neck, on front, reaching to the shoulder seams of the sweater (brown on top, gold in middle, brown on bottom). These three lines continue onto the top of the back of the sweater. On the front of the sweater, on the PL chest, there is a brown patch with text stitched on in gold color, reading [D. G. Slick] positioned diagonally pointing up towards the PL shoulder. In the middle of the front, there is a large patch, colored brown and gold depicting the Iota Phi Theta fraternity crest (mainly brown with details in gold). The bottom, above the clinched waist, of the front of the sweater, has a large patch sewn horizontally across it, brown with gold stitching, reading [Who's the Greatest?]. Bottom of sweater, along all front, sides, and back of the bottom hem, is clinched (vertical lines running along hem creating an elastic stretch that fits to the wears form tightly), mainly brown, with a single horizontal line of gold along the very bottom. The back of the sweater has the same crimson lines (one large one around the neck line, and three (3) horizontally across the top of the back). A large patch, brown with brown and gold stitching reading [Iota Phi Theta/Fraternity Inc.] in cursive is across the shoulder blades, centered. Underneath that are two (2) other large patches, brown wiht gold stitching, top one reading [Morgan State] and the bottom one reading [College]. There are five (5) 5-point star patchs (brown outlines with gold stitching) making a semi-circle around the bottom of the "Morgan State" and "College" patches. The clinched bottom is the same as the front. There is a patch sewn, vertically, on the clinched waist on the PL side of the sweater, brown with gold stitching reading [Edgar Johnson]. The PR and PL sleeves, long-sleeve, are mainly beige with three (3) horizontal strips of coloring (brown on top, gold in middle, brown on bottom) running around the bicep of the arm. The PL sleeve has a single patch right under the shoulder and a little above the bicep, of a 5-point star (brown border with gold stitching), with [69] written in black market in the middle of the patch. Both sleeves are clinched at the wrist, mainly brown with a single horizontal gold line at the very bottom of the wrist. A tag on the interior of the back of the neck line, cream with crimson type, reads [100% PURE WOOL - DRY CLEAN ONLY/LOGAN/Knitting Mills/6038 W. MADISON ST. CHICAGO, ILL.] with depictions of a cheerleading microphone, wings, and unidentified objects on the right and left of the text.

National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection

Clothing - Fashion and Historical

Making a Way Out of No Way

NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Community/Third Floor, 3 050

Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc.

National Museum of African American History and Culture

2014.191.4

pullovers

wool and elastic

H x W (Flat): 29 1/2 × 21 1/4 in. (74.9 × 54 cm)
H x W x D (On form): 29 1/2 × 24 × 15 in. (74.9 × 61 × 38.1 cm)

Object Name • Letterman sweater for Iota Phi Theta Fraternity

nmaahc_2014.191.4

NMAAHC

LETTERMAN SWEATER FOR IOTA PHI THETA FRATERNITY

National Museum of African American History and Culture

CC0

1960s • 1970s

Morgan State University • Logan Knitting Mills Inc. • Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc.

Chicago • United States • Illinois • North and Central America • Cook County

Education • Clothing and dress • HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) • Associations and institutions • Fraternities

NMAAHC • Making a Way Out of No Way

City • Chicago • County • Cook County • State • Illinois • Country • United States • Continent • North and Central America

Yes

Images

Limited Use