Chicago Tribune – Aretha Franklin’s inauguration hat has taken on a life of its own. Now the Smithsonian Institution wants to put it in an exhibit.
The Queen of Soul is considering a Smithsonian request to donate the gray wool hat that caused such a sensation at the Jan. 20 swearing-in of President Barack Obama.
The hat, dominated by an oversized bow adorned with Swarovski crystals, would be displayed alongside several other memorable items from the inauguration, including First Lady Michelle Obama’s inaugural gown.
“I am considering it,” Franklin said in a news release. “It would be hard to part with my chapeau since it was such a crowning moment in history. I would like to smile every time I look back at it and remember what a great moment it was in American and African-American history.”
Amazing that a Hat is almost upstaging our first African-American President. I wonder who or what will get the first wax figure at Madame Tussauds. And I’m not talking about Obama.
