Yoffee, William M. Collection

Scope Note

The William M. Yoffee Collection primarily consists of items directly related to black culture in the United States and United Kingdom. Many of these items, including children’s books, comics, and figurines, reflect racist stereotypes perpetuated against black people in these countries throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. Other parts of the collection reflect the achievements of African-American cultural production, including musical records, narrative storytelling in audio format, and print publications. Also included are other items related to American history or children’s literature, such as a copy of the first publication of the Bill of Rights from 1789 and a children’s bookshelf from 1971. The collection is organized chronologically and by item size.

Stereotypical, racist characters documented in this collection include “Little Black Sambo,” later changed to “Little Brave Sambo,” the subject of children’s books by Helen Bannerman beginning in 1899 in England (Box 1); “Pore Lil Mose,” appearing in comics by Richard F. Outcault beginning in 1899 in New York (Boxes 2-3); “Golliwogg,” created by Florence K. Upton and Bertha Upton in 1895 in England (Box 1); the related “Golly” character used widely in advertising from 1910-2002 by Robertson’s, a British marmalade and fruit preserves company (Box 1 Folder 1 and Box 4); and “Amos ‘n’ Andy,” the subjects of a popular but controversial radio show in the United States from 1928-1960 and television show from 1943-1955 (Box 5).

Items related to African-American cultural production include vinyl records by Mahalia Jackson, Josh White, and Freddie Mitchell (Box 2); cassette tapes that record “Gullah stories,” narratives told by South Carolina-born Tita Heins or “Aunt Tita” (Box 1); and a calendar related to Bert Andrews’ 1989 photo-essay “In the Shadow of the Great White Way: Images from the Black Theatre,” celebrating the achievements of black stage actors in New York City (Box 2).