Boy Eating Watermelon Bank

This catalog is an ongoing project as we continue adding new pieces and researching listed items. If you have any information about an object in this collection, please reach out to us at info@aahafauquier.org

Description:

Cast iron bank in the form of a little black boy. This figure wears a white shirt and white bottoms with a tan hat. He sits on a white pot and eats a slice of watermelon.

Product Origin:

Unknown.

Background:

To learn more about this caricature read "The Picaninny Caricature"

To learn more about the significance of watermelon imagery read "How Watermelon’s Reputation Got Tangled in Racism" and “How Watermelons Became a Racist Trope”

Statement: We understand these objects may inflict offense through their embodiment of racist ideology by depicting stereotypical and discriminatory imagery and language. However, we hope to educate our community and encourage personal reflection through interacting and understanding the historical context of these objects, rather than ignoring them.