Kennebec Spruce Gum, American, c. 1900 - 1970 Search this
Medium:
ink on cardboard
Dimensions:
H x W x D: 11/16 × 2 9/16 × 1 in. (1.7 × 6.5 × 2.5 cm)
Type:
packaging
Place made:
Five Islands, Sagadahoc County, Maine, United States, North and Central America
Date:
1900-1940
Description:
This is the packaging box for a pack of Kennebec Spruce Gum. The box consists of rectangular brown cardboard with green text and a red logo of a Native American figure. Text is written on all four sides that state, [Kennebec / Spruce Gum / Made of gum base], [edible softening agents. / Rolled in cornstarch. / PRICE 10 CENTS], [PUT UP BY / C.A. McMAHAN Co. / FIVE ISLANDS, MAINE] and [FROM THE . . . /FORESTS OF MAINE]. The red logo is a silhouette of a Native American figure wearing a long, feathered war bonnet and carrying a stick in one raised hand and a hatchet in the other. One foot is raised as if dancing. One end of the box is missing.
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.
