"Mammy" Spoon Rest

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:

Ceramic spoon rest in the form of a black woman. This figure wears a red dress, white apron, and red head wrap. This piece hangs from the wall from the hole on the top of the head.

Product Origin:

Unknown.

Background:

The piece depicts the stereotypical “Aunt Jemima” figure.

To learn more about this caricature, read "The Mammy Caricature", "Overlooked No More: Nancy Green, the ‘Real Aunt Jemima’", and "Aunt Jemima and the long-overdue rebrand of racist stereotypes."

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.