Music box with articulated wooden figures
date: label: Date
content: late 19th century
name: label: Created by
content: American Mechanical Toy Co., American, founded 1868
notes: label: Description
content: A wooden music box with two (2) articulated female figures on top made by the American Mechanical Toy Co. The box (a) is rectangular with a stepped wooden base and a flat wooden lid (b) with rounded edges. A decal with a blond girl in a blue dress is adhered to the front side of the box. Inside the box is a metal music box mechanism, with the metal key protruding from the back side of the box and a metal gear lock protruding from the proper left side of the box. Two (2) metal rods extend above the lid that are attached to the mechanism inside. An articulated wooden figure of a topless woman wearing a short cream lace skirt is attached between the legs to the top of each rod. The woman at the proper left (c) wear a lace headpiece while the woman at the proper right (d) has a red paste and white feathered headpiece. The woman on the left has a bright blue ribbon around her waist, while the woman on the right has the remnants of a pale blue ribbon at her waist. Each woman is painted black with white gloves and stockings, and black shoes. Metal pins are attached at the neck, shoulders, things, and ankles of the figures so that they have articulated movements. Stamped in black ink on the underside of the lid (b) is the text: AMERICAN MECHANICAL / TOY CO. NY.
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: New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
topic: label: Topic
content: African American
label: Topic
content: Amusements
label: Topic
content: Caricature and cartoons
label: Topic
content: Music
label: Topic
content: Stereotypes
label: Topic
content: U.S. History, 1865-1921
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
label: Collection title
content: Liljenquist Family Collection
label: Classification
content: Toys and Games
label: Classification
content: Racist and Stereotypical Objects
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift from the Liljenquist Family Collection
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture
identifier: label: Object number
content: 2016.166.38a-d
objectType: label: Type
content: music boxes
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, metal, and cloth
label: Dimensions
content: H x W x D: 9 1/4 × 6 3/8 × 3 1/2 in. (23.5 × 16.2 × 8.9 cm)