The Lawn Jockey, Again

The blog posts I've written about the lawn jockey are some of the most read, most popular and likely most controversial.  I understand why people today get upset about this icon but two things immediately come to mind.  First, none of us can alter the past and our nation's history and tolerance or intolerance of civil rights. It is what it is, we cannot change the past, period.   Second, I look at the icon of the lawn jockey as a piece of social history and how this unlikely figure became such an integral part of the cultural history in the South during it's time period. So please don't read into any of these posts from any other angle. 

Every now and then I go out and peruse the internet and see what I can find.  I'd love to know if anyone has ever seen a book on this topic. If you have one I'd love to borrow it.  If you see one please buy it and I can reimburse you. I have looked high and low, far and wide to no avail.  But I get intrigued when I find pieces out there like this one and I wonder how and why......

This is a small dish for sale on Etsy.

See it here

This fabric is also on Etsy from the 1950's.

See it here.

You see old advertisements with the lawn jockey prominently displayed, maybe as if to denote wealth or status?  I wonder....

 

And you still see the Jocko's for sale, the real ones.  This one appears to be the real thing.

The controversy still reigns but if you read the history, you may come to understand that these icons have an historic past that is worth preserving and it has nothing to do IMHO with supporting slavery or advocating or not advocating civil rights for all of our citizens.  Embrace the past and learn from it.

Here is some recent controversy.

If you would like to learn about the history of the lawn jockey read this posts.  Part two is here.