Mae’s Millinery Shop Note Cards: 12 All-Occasion Cards That Celebrate the Legacy of Fashion Designer Mae Reeves

In collaboration with the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, this stylish, illustrated set of twelve note cards celebrates the life and work of Mae Reeves, one of Philadelphia’s first Black female business owners.

Mae Reeves was the founder of Mae’s Millinery Shop, the renowned hat design store that Mae started in 1940--a portion of which the Smithsonian recreated in the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Mae’s Millinery Shop Note Cards features illustrations of Mae Reeves’s most iconic ＂showstoppers,＂ as she called her hats--with twelve note cards (six designs that each repeat), envelopes, and a foldout pamphlet detailing the history of the hats and the impact Mae had on African American history.

Whether they were covered in vibrant flowers, adorned with delicate beading, or emblazoned with a brooch, the hats created in Reeves’s shop were nothing short of wearable art. Her shop served the nearby residents of Philadelphia as well as some of the most famous African American women of the day, such as Ella Fitzgerald, Eartha Kitt, Lena Horne, and more, who traveled to procure one of her legendary, custom-made hats. But Reeves was not solely a trendsetter in fashion. She was a business pioneer whose lasting legacy was to empower and enfranchise African American men and women across her beloved Philadelphia.

Now you can celebrate and honor Black history with this artful note card set featuring six full-color images of Reeves’s famous designs--a wonderful gift for a fashion-forward friend, history buff, or any trendsetter’s desk.

The National Museum of African American History and Culture is the only national museum devoted exclusively to the documentation of African American life, history, and culture. It was established by an Act of Congress in 2003, following decades of efforts to promote and highlight the contributions of African Americans. To date, the Museum has collected more than 40,000 artifacts and nearly 100,000 individuals have become members. The Museum opened to the public on September 24, 2016, as the nineteenth museum of the Smithsonian Institution.