Boy Eating Watermelon Doorstop

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 doorstop in the form of a little black boy. This figure wears a yellow top and blue pants. He sits with his knees bent with half of a hollow watermelon held between them. The boy holds a slice of watermelon to his mouth, which is open in a wide smile.

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.