Black Folk Art or racist objects?

[GOPFighter]

My wife received a catalog the other day from a company she's never heard of before. At first she was excited because there were some nice rustic things for the kitchen that she really liked, then she came upon a section with slave Mammy items like a syrup dispenser, cookie jar, etc. They look like an older, very dark, slave "mammy". They remind you of the black jockeys that people used to have by their front door (most of which have now been repainted white).

A few pages later there are even more "Mammy" objects, the most offensive was a set of hand towels with stereotypical slave scenes (slave children in a watermelon patch, dancing, and eating big watermelons). The catalog describes these items as "black folk art."

By this time my wife was very upset, and she asked for my opinion. Here is the URL of the store: http://www.thecountryhouse.com/search.asp It's a search page. Type in mammy and you will see a couple of the items.

I found them offensive, too, and my first impression was that these items were meant to appeal to rural southerners who pine for the good ol' days, but I'm not 100% sure. What do you think?

[mark414]

1. holy shit

this reminds of the time, well, about a month ago, when i was at my girlfriend's house and she was watching some judy garland movie (with andy rooney) and all of a sudden judy danced onto the stage in black face.

that's fucked up.

[jmm]

2. In high school I knew a family that had

the salt and pepper shakers in that catalog. I babysat for their children. The father was a doctor and the mother was a psychologist. Both were from California but living in MA. They were proof that you can have education, money, have traveled the world and still an ignorant person who has led a sheltered life. I honestly don't think they understood how anyone could find them offensive. I asked the mother about them and she said it reminded her of an Aunt Jemima bottle.

[msgadget]

3. I don't know anyone who collects them

and I'd think anyone who did would collect the orignal artifacts not silk-screened dishtowels. Years ago I called a crafts catalog with a similar complaint and the surprised clerk apologized profusely and said they'd received many requests for such, that folk art was becoming popular. I don't much like folk art so it's hard for me to say if it's a racist thing or a purely folk-art loving thing.

[GOPFighter]

5. Good point

True collectors would only be interested in the originals...not copies. Then who would want to buy these items?

[SemperEadem]

23. I do.. and she's black

she's got a whole collection of the authentic stuff, not the reproductions. It's not something I would collect, that's for sure, but she says that they've got monetary value. Go figure.

[FrenchieCat]

4. A few Black Friends of mine

collect them. I don't quite understand it...but it seems that if you are Black, there is no stigma attached in owning those.

Maybe it's like the "N" word. Maybe owing it and doing with it what you choose gives some an element of power and satisfaction to redress a previous era.

[msgadget]

6. I can understand

collections but these items are just tacky! :silly:

[Logansquare]

7. That is NOT "Black Folk Art"

"Reproduction Jim Crow memorabilia" would be the correct label. I can understand collecting the originals in order to preserve the history of how African Americans were treated; creating new copies is not right.

[American liberal]

8. ditto

It's offensive to me. Thanks for the link so I can complain to the company.

[dolo amber]

18. Wouldn't Black Folk art

be Folk art as done by Black folks? I'm not trying to be a smartass, but that's just how I'd read it.

Not that I'd know, but I highly doubt the items in that catalogue were made by black folks. :shrug:

[GOPFighter]

9. Thanks for your comments

My first impression was that these items were not "black folk art" but racist objects meant for people who long for the good ol' days. After reading the comments here, I will write a letter to the company strongly objecting to these items.

GOPFighter

[Swamp Rat]

10. NONE of what they sell is art!

It's all crap and some of it is racist crap.

[ecstatic]

11. hmmmm

-- <sarcasm>Gee, this doesn't look racist at all</sarcasm>:grr:

[Southpaw Bookworm]

12. In an article from the Washington Post today

Regarding a local woman who participated in that Wife Swap show on Fox, who traded places with a white woman in Natchez, MS:



http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A64717-2004Dec14.html

[qanda]

14. I saw the black woman on the local news

She couldn't believe they had a mammy cookie jar. Some people just don't get it. I think some white people are surprised that blacks don't enjoy being reminded of racism. The black woman also said the white family was surprised that there were so many successful black people around. Go figure-- All blacks aren't poor and uneducated.

[GOPFighter]

15. We were cracking up over that article at work today!

"In Mitchellville, Justine and Javier were liberated from chores and bedtime, as Burkhalter brought in a maid to clean house... Tension rose when Burkhalter assigned Carl, a doorman at the Omni Shoreham Hotel, to do all of the children's household chores."

What a contrast between their lifestyles!

(BTW, my wife's family used to own land in Mitchelville-before it got developed)

[qanda]

16. My sister and her husband live in Mitchellville

I wonder if this woman lives in her neighborhood of Lake Arbor.

[Name removed]

13. Deleted message

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[itzamirakul]

17. Among other forms of art...

I am a cloth doll artist. I, too, was surprised at the great number of people who love and will buy "Mammy" dolls. Just check out ebay...there are always scores of this type of doll available.

Some doll artists have learned to make these dolls and then "age" them and sell them as 100 year-old "originals." So collectors would be wise to be aware of this practice.

The true folkart beauty of the originals is that they were made from whatever materials the creator had available. Used clothing, wood, twigs, straw, etc. were all a part of the creation. It was the fact that some loving mom or grandmom who had very little to work with, still managed to make a toy for her child.

When I was very young, my own grandma used to tie knots in her hanky at church and make an instant doll for me to play with so that I would sit still and be quiet during what seemed to be an interminably long sermon. Creativity knows no bounds.

I have never made this type of doll since I prefer making glamour dolls (and I am an "equal-opportunity" dollmaker.) www.culturaltreazures.8k.com

But, I must admit, I have been tempted, because there is something very beautiful about many of them...despite the obvious exaggerations.

The strangest part of all of this is that white people love the black mammy dolls, while it has been shown that little black girls will choose a white doll over a black doll regardless of how beautiful the black doll is. Something subliminal is going on here. :)

[GOPFighter]

20. :...interminably long sermon" LOL

Yeah, been there!

I doubt if my wife would have been offended if these dolls had been originals...true antiques. I just don't like the idea of whites, especially southern whites, purchasing and displaying these dolls. It smacks too much of celebrating "the good ol' days."

[itzamirakul]

22. BINGO! You hit the nail right on the head...

It reminds them of the "good old days," and we have to recognize that to THEM those WERE the "good old days." Nothing to do but sit in a rocker on the porch and sip mint julips, if you were rich.

If you were poor (and even some of the poorest whites did manage to "own" slaves) then at least you could say that SOMEONE was lower down the ladder than you were. You know, the whites might be suffering and starving, but they could always say, "At least I ain't a n......"

Those dolls represent a time that, to THEM, was a "better" time. They either don't care or never stop to think how it might make a black person feel. You know what they say...."Get over it."

And if Progressives, both white and of many colors, don't wake up...the Republicans are leading us right back to that "good old time."

[Beware the Beast Man]

19. I STILL see lawn jockeys every now and then.

Not the new, PC ones either. It's like an advertisement for racism.

[kwassa]

21. My mother-in-law collects figurines like these

and she is black. She collects a million other things, too.

There was actually a fad among the young urban black professionals a few years back to collect figurines like these as an ironic statement and as just a general interest in the historical record of black Americans.

Here is a web site that discusses collecting these:

http://www.collectingchannel.com/cdsDetFeat.asp?PID=40325&CID=64

excerpt:

Like many other professional dealers, we deal in black memorabilia; in fact, it's one of our specialties, and we are particularly proud of our collection of aqua tinted woodcuts from the 1800s. We have all aspects of it-the good, the bad and the ugly-from the derogatory and stereotypical to items reflecting today's trendsetters and heroes. This covers the history, the days of segregation and the white/black relationship during slavery, the fight for freedom, segregation, "Black Power" and the continuing struggle by all of us to eradicate bias.

Our customers are black and white, blue collar and white collar, rich and poor. They come from every walk of life but all share a common understanding and respect for conserving historical facts. Prior to the last decade, most collectors and dealers in black memorabilia were white, but today the majority is African American. The collectibles market has opened up to include today's stars and athletes as well as handcrafted items. Other, more sophisticated articles relate to a serious study of the African American experience, such as slave items, documents, photographic and art collections, literature and political pieces. This later market segment is both the least commercial and the most expensive area to collect.