Head (Top of Hitching Post) c. 1937

Milton Grubstein rendered this drawing, "Head (Top of Hitching Post)," in graphite and colored pencil. The image is a profile view of a sculpture, likely made of bronze or dark stone, depicting the head of an African-American man. The title suggests that this head was once used as a decorative element on a hitching post, which is a post to which horses were tied. Such objects, especially when depicting people of color, existed within a troubling history of racist caricature and the dehumanization of enslaved people. The hitching post and related images were common in the United States, particularly in the South. The rise and fall of Jim Crow laws, and their associated imagery, were a dark chapter in American history, lasting from the late 19th century to the mid-20th century. Understanding the history and social context of objects like these requires careful research into period sources, including photographs, advertisements, and other ephemera that reflect the attitudes and beliefs of the time.