Coons and Melons

Source catalog description

This description refers to material held by Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Visual details below describe the original material.

An albumen print on cabinet card depicting two (2) African American boys eating watermelon. The photograph shows the boys seated on either side of a wooden crate; the text "Coons and Melons" appears in the image on the side of the crate. Each boy holds a partially eaten slice of watermelon. Four (4) additional slices sit on the crate and more rest in front. Both boys are wearing hats, long-sleeved shirts, vests, and short pants. Their clothing is ragged, their legs appear dirty, and their feet are bare. The photograph is faded with a yellowish tint and mounted on a cabinet card that has a hole at the center just above the image.

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