Clothes brush in the form of "Mammy"
date: label: Date
content: ca. 1935
name: label: Manufactured by
content: Rhody Brush Company, American
notes: label: Description
content: A Rhody Brush Company "Mammy" clothes brush with red blouse and a skirt dotted with red polka dots. The long-bristled palm brush has a handle in the doll-like form of a "Mammy." The handle is painted wood, carved to resemble the head and torso of a woman and the bristle brush forms her skirt. The figure's head is painted black with white eyes, a white nose, and a wide red mouth. Her hat is painted red. The figure is armless but has a painted on red blouse with five (5) circular white buttons and a white scalloped collar. Tied around the neck of the figure is a yellow bow. Natural bristles are attached through numerous holes in the bottom of the body. The bristle skirt is dotted with red polka dots.
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.
place: label: Place made
content: Woonsocket, Providence County, Rhode Island, United States, North and Central America
topic: label: Topic
content: African American
label: Topic
content: Domestic life
label: Topic
content: Stereotypes
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
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: 2007.7.53
objectType: label: Type
content: clothes brushes
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 , bristle and cloth
label: Dimensions
content: H x W x D: 7 1/16 × 2 3/4 × 3 1/4 in. (18 × 7 × 8.3 cm)