Dinah Bank
Identifier
KKBOC0018
Title
Dinah Bank
Description
Castiron coin bank made to resemble blackface caricature of a black person woman. The figure has an arm outstretched which acts as a lever. When raised, the arm 'opens' the figure's mouth (by removing the 'tongue') and causes its eyes to roll back in its head. The figure wears a gold dress, gold earings, and a gold necklace, and has wide red lips and white teeth. Different to the previous coin bank, this figure's hand has space for a coin, and when raised to the mouth, it appears that a coin placed in the hand would slide directly into the mouth. On the back is stamped the name "Dinah" and on the bottom is imprinted "J.E.Stevens.1890.PAT103."
Creator
J. E. Stevens
Type
Koloniale Boekjes en Artefacten
Relation
Collection of colonial booklets, memorabilia, etc. from around the world.
Source
The Black Archives
Format
Piggy Bank
Subject
Black Woman Caricature
Coverage
Gold Dress, Gold Hoop Earrings, Gold Necklace
Date
c.1890-1911
Physical Dimensions
14x14x16
Country of Production
USA
Place of Production
Cromwell
Keywords
Piggy Bank, Caricature, Woman, Americana
Copyright
J. E. Stevens
Rightholder
J. E. Stevens
Archived By
Richard Weaver
Oral History
Doing research during the archiving process - Richard discovered that there is a strange connection between the US and UK makers of these racist castiron piggy banks, where both J.E.Stevens and John Harper & Co are using the same exact stylings and moulds for their designs despite being separated and patented by both companies.
Bibliography
https://www.carters.com.au/index.cfm/index/13476-money-boxes-money-safes-john-harper-and-co-england/
https://www.mechanicalbanks.org/sy/schreckinger-text.htm
https://www.mechanicalbanks.org/sy/schreckinger-text.htm
Collection
Citation
J. E. Stevens, “Dinah Bank,” The Black Archives, accessed February 7, 2025, https://collection.theblackarchives.nl/items/show/19.