- Created by
- Unidentified
- Date
- ca. 1920-1940s
- Medium
- wood, bristle, paint and cloth
- Dimensions
- 7 x 3 1/4 x 3 1/4 in. (17.8 x 8.3 x 8.3 cm)
- Description
- A long-bristled clothes brush with a handle in the form of a caricatured woman. The woman’s head and body are two, round wood shapes. Her face is painted black with white eyes and a red mouth and she is wearing a yellow hat. A discolored white ribbon is tied around the neck in a bow. Her body is painted yellow. A scalloped edged black collar has been painted around the neck. There are five (5) circular buttons painted down the center of the body. Tan bristles are attached through numerous holes in the bottom of the handle, forming her skirt.
- 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
- Racist and Stereotypical Objects
- Type
- clothes brushes
- 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
- 2007.7.52
- Restrictions & Rights
- No Known Copyright Restrictions
- Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.