A painted, wooden walking toy in the form of a caricatured porter. The figure has a black cartoonish face with white eyes, a large, red mouth and white teeth. The top of his head is also black, with two orange stripes on the proper left. He is painted wearing a red jacket, white shirt and a black tie. His legs are cylindrical and painted orange. The figure's proper right foot is missing. The proper left foot has a flat top and curved bottom with the front of the foot painted orange, and the back painted black. The back of his head is painted orange at the top with a red body and orange legs. There is a broken orange wooden post coming out of the porter's lower back.
Statement:
Objects depicting racist and/or stereotypical imagery or language may be offensive and disturbing, but the NMAAHC aims to include them in the Collection to present and preserve the historical context in which they were created and used. Objects of this type provide an important historical record from which to study and evaluate racism.
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of the Collection of James M. Caselli and Jonathan Mark Scharer
