On View
Segregation Gallery
Exhibition
Defending Freedom, Defining Freedom: The Era of Segregation, 1876-1968
Created by
Unidentified
Date
1922
Medium
metal
Dimensions
8 7/8 x 7 3/8 x 3 5/8 in. (22.5 x 18.7 x 9.2 cm)
Description
A metal candleholder in the form of a caricatured woman. The figure is cut out in the silhouette, with incised details. The woman is wearing a kerchief with a pattern of repeated circles around her head. She is also wearing a long-sleeved top, and skirt or apron with a pattern of circles and triangles. She holds a candle cup in her right hand. She stands on a metal base in the shape of an oval with pointed ends. The base has a design of short horizontal lines incised throughout the center and raised circles around the edges. There are two (2) strips of tan carpet adhered to the underside of the base.
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.
Collection title
Collection of James M. Caselli and Jonathan Mark Scharer
Classification
Tools and Equipment-Domestic
Racist and Stereotypical Objects
Type
candleholders
Topic
Caricature and cartoons
Domestic life
Stereotypes
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
2007.7.253
Restrictions & Rights
No Known Copyright Restrictions
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd539a8ccf1-597b-47e0-9705-bcc21180e05c

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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