Zwart. Sambo, Tien kleine negertjes, Pijpje Drop, Pompernikkel en anderen (review)

Netherlands

The depiction of Black people has been an important part of Western children's literature. In nineteenth- and twentieth-century Netherlands, characters like "Sambo" or "Moortje" or the term "nigger" [sic] were very common to designate stereotypes of Black people. This study about the iconography of Blacks in Dutch children's literature traces the development from ethnic caricatures and racial stereotypes to a more nuanced portrayal of Black people. The opening chapter discusses Black characters from North America and England, such as "Golliwog," a Black rag doll with wild hair and dressed in red pants and a blue coat, or the notorious, but popular song, Tien kleine Negertjes (Ten Little Niggers) [sic]. Germany's main contribution was "The story of the inky boys" from Heinrich Hoffmann's picture book Struwwelpeter (Slovenly Peter), in which a Black boy, "Moriaantje" (Little Blackamoor) in the Dutch version, is being bullied by a group of white boys. Although they are punished for ostracizing him, the story leaves no doubt that being Black was considered a humiliating blemish. Against the backdrop of these widespread stereotypes, the authors sketch the specifically Dutch view of Black people in children's books published between 1880 and 1980, analyzing many examples. They argue that most authors and illustrators who perpetuated Black racial stereotypes did so less out of consciously held racist convictions than out of plain passive ignorance. Concentrating on "mission" books, which were strongly moral in their tone, the fifth chapter convincingly illustrates how children's books were also used as an educational medium for social indoctrination and reform. Without claiming to be an exhaustive study, this well-designed book is a source of intriguing information. Thanks to the numerous, well-chosen reproductions, it offers an illuminating and at times startling panorama of the Black archetypes prevalent in Dutch society from the second half of the nineteenth well into the twentieth century as reflected in the art of children's book illustration.