Crank toy in the form of two minstrel male dancers: Museum Object and Cultural History
Crank toy in the form of two minstrel male dancers: Date: late 19th-early 20th century. Created by: Unidentified. Type: mechanical toys.
The object in the museum catalogue
A crank toy in the form of two minstrel male dancers mounted atop a brown wooden box. The figures are metal and wood, and are connected by wire to a cylindrical metal spindle covered in red fabric that protrudes out from a round hole in the top of the box. The figures have identical fabric clothing: brown shirts, white bow ties, white belts, and tan pants. Both figures dimpled bald heads, round white eyes, large red mouths, widely spaced white teeth, elongated necks and have bare feet. An L-shaped silver metal crank extends out from one side of the box. The crank has a brown and black wooden handle.
Materials, dates and provenance
- Date: late 19th-early 20th century
- Created by: Unidentified
- Type: mechanical toys
- Medium: wood , cloth and metal
- Dimensions: 16 3/4 x 21 x 11 1/4 in. (42.5 x 53.3 x 28.6 cm)
- Topic: African American
- Topic: Caricature and cartoons
- Topic: Domestic life
- Topic: Stereotypes
- Object number: 2007.7.266
- 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
- Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture
Sources and reuse
Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The underlying object's rights statement is: No Known Copyright Restrictions Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
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