Ca-Va Seul 'Negrita' Metal Polish

Ca-Va Seul_5.JPG
Ca-Va Seul_6.JPG
Ca-Va Seul_7.JPG

Identifier

TBAFB0009

Title

Ca-Va Seul 'Negrita' Metal Polish

Description

Cylindrical metal bottle of stove metal polish with a black background and red and white colouration. The manufacturer's name "Ca-Va Seul" is present with white lettering (Translation - "That Goes Without Saying") along with the word "Negrita" which is placed above an image of a Black caricatured man wearing a lobbyboy high-collared shirt with the letters "CVS" printed on the collar. The design and styling of the tin is distinctively 1960's minimalist, and the image of the black caricatured man is noticably smaller than previous iterations made by Ca-Va Seul in response to changing political attitudes and the process of decolonization ongoing in Africa at the time. As a product of Belgium, the design is mirrored on the other side but in French rather than Dutch. Below the image of the black man is a distinguisher "No 3A" which signifies the type of stove cleaner it is.

Creator

Ca-Va Seul

Type

Metal Bottle

Relation

Facing Blackness is a multimedia exhibition that takes the public through the obscure history of portraying Black people from the colonial period to contemporary society. Using unique archive material and visual art, we show how anti-black racism became part of the Dutch 'cultural archive' and our everyday ideas, customs and utensils. On the other hand, the exhibition shows how there has always been 'everyday resistance' to various forms of racism and how Black people themselves have given and continue to give meaning to their culture and identity.

Source

The Black Archives

Format

Stove Polish

Subject

Black Man, Black Caricature

Coverage

Shirt

Date

c.1960's

Physical Dimensions

5x5x11

Country of Production

Belgium

Place of Production

Vilvoorde

Keywords

Caricature, Black Man, Metal Polish, Stove, Advertising

Rightholder

Ca-Va Seul

Archived By

Richard Weaver

Oral History

After Richard asked for more information from the company, the website discussing the history and local heritage of 'Ca-Va Seul' was deleted. Richard then found a snapshot of the deleted webpage through an Internet archive. [See: Bibliography]

Bibliography

https://web.archive.org/web/20210814175344/http://www.retroscoop.com/industrieel.php?artikel=74

Citation

Ca-Va Seul, “Ca-Va Seul 'Negrita' Metal Polish,” The Black Archives, accessed November 2, 2024, https://collection.theblackarchives.nl/items/show/3443.
Click Here to Provide a Correction or Suggestion for this Item!