Ullman Manufacturing Company, American, 1899 - 1915 Search this
Medium:
ink on paper (fiber product) with metal
Dimensions:
H x W x D: 3 1/2 × 3 1/2 × 3/8 in. (8.9 × 8.9 × 0.9 cm)
Type:
buttons (information artifacts)
Place made:
New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
Date:
ca. 1905
Description:
A pinback button manufactured by the Ullman Manufacturing Company. The button is round and predominately white with a painted illustration and printed text on the front. At the center of the button is an illustration of a woman with the body of a bird. The figure's body is depicted in profile with the face turned slightly towards the viewer. She is wearing a large, pink, Edwardian style hat with the ruffled brim and large red flowers above and below the brim. The woman's hair is curled around her face and her lips are painted red. The figure's neck merges into the bird body. The figure's wings are at her side and she holds a white and red fan to her face with her proper left foot. She is standing in a grassy field and there is green foliage in the background. Black printed text above and below image of bird reads, [NATURAL HISTORY SERIES / -BIRDS-] and [THE BLACKBIRD / HABITAT - COONLAND]. The back of the button is silver toned with a pinback and a "C" clasp.
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 of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of the Collection of James M. Caselli and Jonathan Mark Scharer