Representing Blackness in the White Imagination: Images of ‘Happy Darkeys’ in Popular Culture, 1893–1917
- 1 September 1992
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Taylor & Francis in Visual Sociology
- Vol. 7 (2) , 3-21
- https://doi.org/10.1080/14725869208583700
Abstract
This paper is a study of American postcards which represent African Americans as “happy Darkeys.” 1 suggest that the oppressive visual metaphor of other‐as‐child positioned black subjects in a racist regime of representation which constructed subjectivities for those depicted and identities for their viewers. I then describe the distinguishing characteristics of these images, analyze the meanings they convey, and the social uses that they serve.Keywords
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