Banjo-Playing Minstrel
Manufacturer
Vichy, Gustave
(French, 1839 - 1904)
Dateca. 1890
OriginFrance
MediumPapier-maché, glass eyes, metal, wood, feathers, fabric
Dimensions30 1/2 in. (77.5 cm)
ClassificationsAutomaton
Credit LineGift of Carolyn K. and Richard F. Barry III
Object number2017.206
Label TextGustave Vichy (French, 1839-1904)
Automaton: Banjo-Player
Papier-maché, glass eyes, metal, wood, feathers, fabric, about 1890
Gift of Carolyn K. and Richard F. Barry III
This French musician strums a banjo with his right hand, while blinking, turning and nodding his head, and moving his mouth as though singing. The inclusion of the banjo, an instrumental form thought to have originated in Central and West Africa and then transported via the slave trade first to the Caribbean and then to the United States and Europe, reinforces to modern viewers his central placement at the intersection of African, American, and French cultures.
Slavery was abolished in the French colonies in 1848. This musician would have been
immediately recognizable to French audiences as a bon noir (good black person) or bon nègre (good negroe), a cheerful and sometimes overly exuberant performer typically associated with dance halls and cabarets.
Status
Not on view
