On View
Segregation Gallery
Exhibition
Defending Freedom, Defining Freedom: The Era of Segregation, 1876-1968
Manufactured by
British Made Toys & Games, British
Date
20th century
Medium
cotton (textile) with plaster and paint
Dimensions
H x W x D (Overall): 19 3/16 × 9 × 8 7/16 in. (48.8 × 22.8 × 21.5 cm)
H x W x D (Mask): 9 1/16 × 8 × 3 15/16 in. (23 × 20.3 × 10 cm)
Description
A painted blackface mask. The mask is constructed from two layers of cotton voile with and an internal layer of plaster cloth sandwiched in between that shapes the mask. The plaster cloth is white, the top layer is black cotton voile, and the bottom layer white cotton voile. Hood is black cotton voile. The facial features and ears of the mask are painted. The mask has large, prominent eyes that are stenciled white circles with blue irises and black pupils. There are eye holes at the center of each pupil. The eyebrows, eye wrinkles, and forehead lines are hand painted in white. There are two holes at the mask's nostrils and a semicircular opening at the mouth. The stenciled mouth is painted wide and red. The mask is bald and its ears protrude on either side. A black hood constructed from black cotton voile is attached to the back of the mask. Inside the mask is a white label with a manufacturer's logo, a bulldog with its front proper left paw wrapped around a flag attached to a pole. The flag and the front paws of the dog are draped over a white oval with black printed text inside the oval that reads [BRITISH MADE / TOYS & GAMES] across the top and the bottom and [TRADE MARK] printed in small type across the center.
Statement
Objects depicting racist and/or stereotypical imagery or language may be offensive and disturbing, but the NMAAHC aims to include them in the Collection to present and preserve the historical context in which they were created and used. Objects of this type provide an important historical record from which to study and evaluate racism.
Place made
England, Europe
Classification
Racist and Stereotypical Objects
Clothing - Costume
Type
masks (costume)
Topic
Blackface
Caricature and cartoons
Clothing and dress
Costume
Stereotypes
Theatre
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of the Collection of James M. Caselli and Jonathan Mark Scharer
Object number
2007.7.228.1
Restrictions & Rights
Unknown - Restrictions Possible
Rights assessment and proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd5e25ce04b-89f3-426d-91f7-be300ba481d4

Cataloging is an ongoing process and we may update this record as we conduct additional research and review. If you have more information about this object, please contact us at NMAAHCDigiTeam@si.edu

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