Collectible Aunt Jemima

Aunt Jemima's long history, including doll families, recipe books, kitchen utensils, menus, coloring books, and cooking sets for children can give glimpses into over a century of America's cultural history. The complete story of Aunt Jemima's Pancake Mix, the myth of Aunt Jemima herself, and the stories of the real women who portrayed her are told.

The cheerful design of household items which depict black people have made them collectible to a wide group today. Prompted by nostalgia and memories of warm households peopled by loving black hands, these kitchen tools with cute expressions so pleasant to have around are used as decorations in many homes. And in the collecting world, they are becoming popular. The legend which started Aunt Jemima pancakes is told and illustrated with many different variations of her image. Over 250 colour photographs of spice shakers, tea sets, toys, match safes, books, ash trays, advertising cards, wall plaques, vases, etc. depict the diversity of items made with images of black people as the main design. Patent drawings of many designs are reproduced here from the archives of the U.S. Design Patents office. A price guide is included for quick references.

Mammy and Uncle Mose examines the production and consumption of black collectibles and memorabilia from the 1880s to the late 1950s. Black collectibles - objects made in or with the image of a black person - were everyday items such as advertising cards, housewares (salt and pepper shakers, cookie jars, spoon rests, etc.), toys and games, postcards, souvenirs, and decorative knick-knacks. These objects were almost universally derogatory, with racially exaggerated features that helped ""prove"" that African Americans were ""different"" and ""inferior."" These items of material culture were props that helped reinforce the ""new"" racist ideology that began emerging after Reconstruction. Then, as the nation changed, the images created of black people by white people changed. From the 1880s to the 1930s, black people were portrayed as very dark, bug-eyed, nappy-headed, childlike, stupid, lazy, deferential - but happy! From the 1930s to the late 1950s, racial attitudes shifted again: African Americans, while still portrayed as happy servants, had ""brighter"" skin tones, and images of black women were slimmed down. By contextualizing ""black collectibles"" within America's complex social history, Kenneth W. Goings has opened a fascinating perspective on American history.

From the end of the slave era to the culmination of the Civil Rights movement, advertising portrayed blacks as Aunt Jemimas, Uncle Bens, and Rastuses, and the author explores the psychological impact of these portrayals. With the advent of the Civil Rights movement, organizations such as CORE and the NAACP voiced their opposition and became active in the elimination of such advertising. In the final chapters, the volume examines the reactions of consumers to integrated advertising and the current role of blacks in advertising.

Winner, James Beard Foundation Book Award, 2016 Art of Eating Prize, 2015 BCALA Outstanding Contribution to Publishing Citation, Black Caucus of the American Library Association, 2016 Women of African descent have contributed to America’s food culture for centuries, but their rich and varied involvement is still overshadowed by the demeaning stereotype of an illiterate “Aunt Jemima” who cooked mostly by natural instinct. To discover the true role of black women in the creation of American, and especially southern, cuisine, Toni Tipton-Martin has spent years amassing one of the world’s largest private collections of cookbooks published by African American authors, looking for evidence of their impact on American food, families, and communities and for ways we might use that knowledge to inspire community wellness of every kind. The Jemima Code presents more than 150 black cookbooks that range from a rare 1827 house servant’s manual, the first book published by an African American in the trade, to modern classics by authors such as Edna Lewis and Vertamae Grosvenor. The books are arranged chronologically and illustrated with photos of their covers; many also display selected interior pages, including recipes. Tipton-Martin provides notes on the authors and their contributions and the significance of each book, while her chapter introductions summarize the cultural history reflected in the books that follow. These cookbooks offer firsthand evidence that African Americans cooked creative masterpieces from meager provisions, educated young chefs, operated food businesses, and nourished the African American community through the long struggle for human rights. The Jemima Code transforms America’s most maligned kitchen servant into an inspirational and powerful model of culinary wisdom and cultural authority.

Fun in the Fifties Kitchen That was the marketing strategy of the companies producing the wide range of gadgets and products designed to make life in the kitchen much easier and a whole lot more colorful. Take this period tour full of '50s flair from teleservers for snacking to barbeque equipment for family gatherings to appetizer sets for entertaining. Coverage Includes: • Clocks, salt and pepper shakers, Lustro-Ware, cookie cutters and cake molds • Collectible advertising premiums from products such as Aunt Jermima and Planters • 1,000 photos and prices • Manufacturers such as: Ekco, Foley, Plas-tex, Rubbermaid and Rival