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African American
Stereotypes:
Essays and Images
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| All races have been caricatured in the
US, but none so frequently and vehemently
as Americans of African decent. It's probable
that more stereotyped popular culture was
produced about African Americans than all
of the other races combined. Numerous caricatures
evolved out of the days of slavery, including
the Mammy, the Tom, the Coon, the Brute,
and the Pickaninny. Advertising in particular
played a huge role in perpetuating these
caricatures. Others appeared during the
Jim Crow era, and numerous additional ones
continue to be created today. This brief
introduction summarizes the main African
American caricatures and provides links
to more thorough essays from the Jim Crow
Museum. |
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| This section displays images of African
Americans artistically rendered in 19th
Century engravings and prints, and in early
1900s newspaper cartoons. Many of the engravings
romanticized the Old South way of life by
showing happy, contented slaves. These images
would become prevalent in the early days
of filmmaking as well. Other images in this
section show the derogatory way that Blacks
were caricatured as coons and pickaninnies
in early newspaper cartoons and comic strips. |
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| The late 19th Century saw the rise of
product advertising in the United States.
One common form of advertising was the Victorian
trade card; postcard-sized cardboard ads
that were given out at merchant stores and
in mailings. Victorian trade cards often
sported interesting graphics or puzzles,
sometimes having nothing to do with the
product being advertised. These cards were
highly collectible and often turn up at
auctions and estate sales today, pasted
into old albums. Victorian trade cards and
other product advertising presented White
American with a shared set of values and
desires, set apart from minorities by their
"other" status. Advertising and
products from this time period frequently
popularized stereotypes and caricatures
through racial imagery. Black mammys and
toms became common marketing tools in the
early 20th Century. Meant to inspire confidence
and brand loyalty, several became American
icons and are still around today. |
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Minstrel Shows &
Coon Songs
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[planned for the future]
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| Although postcards had been
around since 1861, they became extremely
popular following the 1893 World's Columbian
Exposition in Chicago. Sendings had to write
on the front of the postcard until 1907,
when the "divided back" card created
space next to the address area for a written
message. Due to their extreme popularity
and their tendency to often incorporate
humor into their messages, postcards were
prolific distributors of racist imagery.
A few stereoviews and greeting cards are
also included in this section. |
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| Because of their impressionable
age, children are most vulnerable to the
messages imbedded in popular culture. This
section deals exclusively with items that
were designed and marketed for the American
child consumer, including toys, books, dolls,
and other play items. Most recently, racist
imagery has been imported from Japan in
the form of Animae and Maga-related pop
culture. Ironically, much of this imagery
was first exported to Japan in the 20th
Century and is now coming back home. |
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African Americans
in Comic Books
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| Comic books also were designed and marketed
for children. However, because of their
former status as a popular culture phenomena,
and their unique artistic storytelling format,
they will be considered separately from
the other items that targeted children.
The AHC is currently collecting, digitizing,
organizing, and editing comic book sources
from 1938 to the present for a future essay
on the history of African Americans in comic
books. |
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| This small collection features images
of some of the more famous Black celebrities
in the first half of the 20th Century. Many
Caucasian Americans formed their impressions
of Black people from such notables as boxer
Jack Johnson and actor Stepin' Fetchit,
who made a career for himself mastering
the coon role in films. Other Black celebrities
weren't Black at all, but White actors in
"blackface," a makeup made of
burnt cork. For more on this phenomeon,
see the section on minstrel music and coon
songs above. |
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| African American caricatures were commonly
distributed through the manufacturing and
sale of everyday household items, especially
in items made for the kitchen. Most common
were the mammy and tom caricatures, whose
simple, desexualized appearance suggested
trustworthiness in areas of domestic &
servant labor. Other items reflected the
mainstream acceptance of the derogatory
coon caricature. Racist cookie jars, salt
& pepper shakers, and many other household
items can still be found in many older American
households today. |
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| This small collection shows images of
adult books and magazines that reflect African
American stereotypes. |
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| While some items may not intend to offend
and may unintentionally stereotype, novelty
items are specifically designed to employ
racist caricatures as a humorous, novelty
device. These items tend to be purchased
because of the extreme imagery, or because
they are seen by the consumer as being funny
and "cute." Novelty items often
represent the most naked racism in American
consumer society. |
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| Analysis of a large collection of artifacts
with racist African American imagery reveals
several common themes. One is the linking
of Black people in a negative way to chicken
and watermelon. The connecting of Blacks
to chicken and watermelon was done in a
way to dehumanize Blacks and subject them
to ridicule. This process helped contribute
to prejudice and discrimination. |
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| Analysis of a large collection of artifacts
with racist African American imagery reveals
several common themes. One is the portrayal
of Black people, especially (often naked)
children, as food for alligators. Imagery
of Blacks as "alligator bait"
can be found on prints, postcards, and even
in product advertising. Some modern-day
items still connect Black people to hungry
alligators. |
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| The United States does not have a monopoly
on racist imagery of Black people. Other
Anglo-dominated countries such an the United
Kingdom and Australia also produced large
quantities of racist artifacts. In particular,
these countries embrace the Golliwog caricature
as a kind of childhood companion similar
to the American child's "teddy bear."
Many citizens of these countries vigorously
defend their gollies, despite the negative
history of the caricature and its demeaning
qualities. |
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