A photograph taken around 1900 of a parade “float” in Pitman, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. Note that the occupant of the float and rider on the horse are in “black-face.” None of those pictured are identified and the actual occasion for the parade is unknown.
White men and women who blackened their faces and paraded emphasizing negative stereotypical behavior that they attributed to African Americans for the purpose of getting laughs, were often the most prominent people in the community.
This photo was found in the Larona Heim Collection at the Hermitage, Pitman, and is identified as #17.
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