figurine

figurine

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Description
In the United States manufacturers and advertisers solidified, circulated, and sustained racial stereotypes through millions of objects and images produced and sold during the 19th and 20th centuries. These distorted images reinforced discrimination and segregation, casting people of color not as producers or consumers, but as servants and second-class citizens. Manufacturers, advertisers, and retailers designed these images and objects to make white consumers feel secure about their social status. With the power to amuse and to sell, these things remained rooted in American commerce and lived as a divisive and harmful part of American culture into the late 20th century.
This object is part of the manufacturing, business, and advertising collections. We're currently doing more research on the individual stories of design, production and consumption of these objects. Stay tuned for a more detailed accounting of the history of this collection.
Location
Currently not on view
Object Name
Figurine
Measurements
overall: 21 cm x 15 cm x 15 cm; 8 1/4 in x 5 7/8 in x 5 7/8 in
ID Number
1996.0143.09
accession number
1996.0143
catalog number
1996.0143.09
See more items in
Work and Industry: Business and Retail
Data Source
National Museum of American History
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