Head from a Ball Toss Game

C. W. F. Dare Company, active New York City ca. 1870-ca. 1879 · after 1878

Props like this carved head were used until the 1930s at Coney Island's Steeplechase Park for a game known as "African Dodger." Originally, players threw balls at a black man and were rewarded for direct hits. Wooden heads eventually replaced live targets. This grotesquely carved head reflects a dark history of racism and objectification.Exhibition Label, Smithsonian American Art Museum, 2006