Blackface “Mammy” Caricature – Dennison Handle Paper Mask (1906–1915)

Rare lithographed Dennison handle mask, produced between 1906 and 1915, shortly after Dennison’s 1906 patent for the “handle mask” format (U.S. Patent 835486).

Manufactured by the Dennison Manufacturing Company of Framingham, Massachusetts, these early masks allowed the wearer to hold the mask to the face rather than tie it on — a novelty design that appeared in party guides, department stores, and early Halloween catalogues.

Design & Imagery

This mask depicts the turn-of-the-century Blackface “Mammy” character, a deeply stereotyped portrayal of African American women that appeared widely in American advertising, minstrel culture, and household product branding from the late 19th into the early 20th century.

Rendered in rich multi-stone chromolithography, the piece displays deep coloration that remains vivid more than a century later. These early lithographed masks represent important — though troubling — artifacts of how racial caricature was normalized in early American print culture, advertising, and holiday imagery.

Historical Context

At the time this mask was produced, stereotyped depictions of African Americans were widely used in minstrelsy, advertising, and party imagery. Dennison’s early Halloween and party supplies often reflected these same popular tropes, making surviving examples significant documents of American cultural history.

Dennison’s handle masks are among the earliest mass-produced U.S. masquerade masks, bridging party culture, early Halloween traditions, advertising, and print innovation.

Rarity & Survival

Handle masks from this era (1906–1915) are exceedingly fragile, and very few have survived in collectible condition. This example retains strong chromolithographed color and only minor wear appropriate for its age. These early Dennison racial caricature masks are seldom found on the market and are highly sought after by collectors of early Halloween ephemera, Black Americana, and pre-1920s lithographed paper items.

Measures 13 x 10 inches.

A rare and visually striking early Dennison survivor, representing both an important artifact of early party-goods history and a documented piece of racialized imagery from the period.