-Middy- still bank 1887

This cast iron "Middy" bank, made by an anonymous artist, is an unsettling object that would have been at home in a middle class household. The figure is based on a racial stereotype, a cultural practice that normalized the dehumanization of African Americans. The image creates meaning through its exaggeration of physical features. Consider how the figure is dressed and posed. What is the relationship between the child's demeanor and its potential as a receptacle for coins? What does it mean to teach children the value of saving with an object like this? Historical research, including analysis of the commercial and cultural context surrounding the production of such objects, is crucial to understanding the complex meanings they carry. The study of material culture invites us to ask difficult questions about how social norms are perpetuated through everyday objects.