Skip to main content Smithsonian Institution

Catalog Data

Manufactured by:
British Made Toys & Games, British  Search this
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)
Type:
masks (costume)
Place made:
England, Europe
Date:
20th century
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.
Topic:
African American  Search this
Blackface  Search this
Caricature and cartoons  Search this
Clothing and dress  Search this
Costume  Search this
Stereotypes  Search this
Theatre  Search this
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.
See more items in:
National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
Classification:
Clothing-Costume
Racist and Stereotypical Objects
Exhibition:
Defending Freedom, Defining Freedom: The Era of Segregation, 1876-1968
On View:
NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Concourse 2, C 2053
Data Source:
National Museum of African American History and Culture
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd5e25ce04b-89f3-426d-91f7-be300ba481d4
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:nmaahc_2007.7.228.1