“MINUTE MAID” Articulated Figure

Copied Unidentified, "MINUTE MAID" Articulated Figure, ca. 1950s, "Minute Maid" orange juice can, carved and painted wood, and turned iron, 10 1⁄2 x 3 1⁄2 x 2 3⁄4 in. (26.7 x 9.0 x 7.0 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson, 1986.65.277

Artwork Details

Title
“MINUTE MAID” Articulated Figure
Artist
Unidentified
Date
ca. 1950s
Location
Dimensions
10 1⁄2 x 3 1⁄2 x 2 3⁄4 in. (26.7 x 9.0 x 7.0 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson
Mediums
Mediums Description
"Minute Maid" orange juice can, carved and painted wood, and turned iron
Classifications
Keywords
  • Dress — accessory — hat
  • Figure male — full length
  • Object — fruit — orange
Object Number
1986.65.277
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1986.65.277

Artwork Description

This figure is similar to Southern minstrel dancing dolls, or “limberjacks,” which were loosely jointed and attached to a stick. Owners of these dolls placed them on a thin board, which they tapped with their fingers to make the figures dance. An unknown artist made this doll from found objects, perhaps to resemble the singer Bing Crosby. (American Folk Art: The Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. Collection, 1981)