|Title||ABC in Dixie: a plantation alphabet (V) |
|Author||Bonte, Louise Quarles; Bonte, George Willard, 1873- |
|Publisher Location||England--London |
|Publication Date||ca. 1900 |
|Image Production Process||Relief prints|
|Notes||Relief illustrations, color printed in Bavaria.|
An alphabet book with rhymes written in imitation of southern Black English of the 19th century and illustrations that depict a variety of stereotyped plantation characters.
"V is fer Victor who b'longed ter Mars Lee en after de wah went up No'th en wuz free." [V is for Victor who belonged to Mars Lee and after the war went up North and was free.] The illustration depicts a man wearing patched clothing and shoes, and carrying a knapsack and walking stick. His clothing and unsmiling demeanor are in stark contrast to the nicer clothes and grins of the other former slaves depicted in the book who decided to remain and work on the plantation after the war and emancipation.
|Contextual Notes||Right after the Civil War, books were published that attempted to refute the "immorality" of slavery. These books were often illustrated with photographs of former slaves dressed in outlandish costumes looking happy and content. Texts purported to document the kind and reasonable treatment of slaves in the South. All of these books relied on racial stereotypes. Racial stereotypes persisted in the United States long after the Civil War and these children's books were also especially popular in England. At about this same time, silent movies were showing white actors in blackface and featuring minstrel shows.|
George Willard Bonte was an artist well-known for his portraits and Louise Quarles Bonte was an artist well-known for her miniatures.
|Subjects (LCSH)||African Americans -- Southern States -- Caricatures and cartoons |
|Category||Discrimination and bigotry|
|Digital Collection||Children's Historical Literature Collection |
|Digital ID Number||CHL1127 |
|Repository||University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections Division |
|Repository Collection||Children's Historical Literature Collection. PE1155.B59 1900z |
|Physical Description|| p.: illustrated; 28.5 x 24 cm. |
|Digital Reproduction Information||Photographed from original book in TIFF format using a Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi/EOS 400D, resized and enhanced using Adobe Photoshop, and imported as JPEG2000 using Contentdm's software JPEG2000 Extension. 2009. |
|Exhibit Checklist||Exhibit checklist L.139 |