Jig doll in the form of a caricatured porter
date: label: Date
content: ca. 1935
name: label: Created by
content: Unidentified
notes: label: Description
content: A wooden jig doll in the form of a caricatured porter. The doll has jointed limbs and "dances" when a levered paddle on the base is manually activated. The doll consists of four (4) pieces: doll, dowel, base, and hat.
label: Description
content: 2007.7.204a:
label: Description
content: A wooden jig doll in the form of a caricatured porter. His face is painted black, with white eyes and a wide, white mouth. A cylindrical wooden hat (2007.7.204d) sits atop the PR side of his head. The hat fits on top of a small dowel and can be removed. The doll has been painted wearing porter’s uniform: a red jacket over a white shirt and red tie. A red and white boutonniere has been painted over his proper left breast. The doll's arms are jointed at the shoulder and his legs are jointed at the hip and knees. His legs and feet are unpainted wood. A dowel has been inserted into a round hole in the bottom of the torso, attaching the legs.
label: Description
content: 2007.7.204b:
label: Description
content: A wooden dowel. Fits into a hole in the base and stands up vertically. The top fits into the doll, allowing the doll to stand above the wooden paddle (2007.7.204c).
label: Description
content: 2007.7.204c:
label: Description
content: A rectangular wooden base for the doll, with levered paddle. The base is painted red with a yellow semi-circle design. A rectangular wood block is attached to the base and acts as a fulcrum for the paddle. The paddle has a round face, painted brown and white. It has a round hole in the center that is aligned over a round hole in the base, into which a wooden dowel (2007.7.204b) is inserted. The paddle acts as a base for the figure, which "dances" when the lever is pressed up and down.
label: Description
content: 2007.7.204d:
label: Description
content: A cylindrical hat for doll. The hat is brown wood, with a red band painted around the bottom. There is a round hole in the bottom, which allows the hat to be inserted onto a dowel on the doll's head.
label: Statement
content: 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: label: Topic
content: African American
label: Topic
content: Caricature and cartoons
label: Topic
content: Stereotypes
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
label: Collection title
content: Collection of James M. Caselli and Jonathan Mark Scharer
label: Classification
content: Toys and Games
label: Classification
content: Racist and Stereotypical Objects
label: Exhibition
content: Defending Freedom, Defining Freedom: The Era of Segregation, 1876-1968
label: On View
content: NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Concourse 2, C 2053
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of the Collection of James M. Caselli and Jonathan Mark Scharer
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture
identifier: label: Object number
content: 2007.7.204a-d
objectType: label: Type
content: dolls
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: No Known Copyright Restrictions
label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: wood , paint and metal
label: Dimensions
content: H x W x D (2007.7.204a-d): 14 1/8 × 9 7/8 × 3 13/16 in. (35.9 × 25.1 × 9.7 cm)
label: Dimensions
content: H x W x D (2007.7.204a): 12 1/4 × 3 × 2 in. (31.1 × 7.6 × 5.1 cm)
label: Dimensions
content: H x W x D (2007.7.204a & d): 12 7/8 × 3 × 2 in. (32.7 × 7.6 × 5.1 cm)
label: Dimensions
content: H x W x D (2007.7.204b): 9 1/2 × 1/4 × 1/4 in. (24.1 × 0.6 × 0.6 cm)
label: Dimensions
content: H x W x D (2007.7.204c): 1 7/8 × 9 7/8 × 3 13/16 in. (4.8 × 25.1 × 9.7 cm)
label: Dimensions
content: H x W x D (2007.7.204d): 3/4 × 1 1/16 × 1 1/16 in. (1.9 × 2.7 × 2.7 cm)