Black Collectibles
Mass produced in the U.S. and abroad from the 1880's to the late 1950's, images of Black people, almost
universally derogatory, were circulated in the form of kitchen implements,
cartoons, children's toys and games, advertisements, sheet music, tourist souvenirs and many other items. Used
routinely and in some cases, daily, from early youth, Americans grew to accept the cruelly exaggerated, servile roles
portrayed in these objects. Relevant for teaching anthropology, sociology, American studies, and American
history. By Dr. Kenneth W. Goings