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Anti Italian CartoonsLate 19th - Early 20th Century

A very incomplete review of anti Italian propaganda in American press during the years of the great migration

(1880-1910)

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This cartoon appeared in the New Orleans periodical “The Mascot” in 1886. New Orleans was the first American city to witness mass immigration of Italians, mostly from Sicily.The five vignettes give a vivid image of the reputation that accompanied Italians.1)“A Nuisance to Pedestrians.” Loafers hanging out in the streets.2)“Their Sleeping Apartments.” Men living in overcrowded, dirty, boarding rooms.3)“Afternoon’s Pleasant Diversions.” Assaulting and mugging a passerby, threatening him with huge knives.4)“The Way to Dispose of Them.” This is getting serious: they are placed in a cage and lowered into the river. This is the method used in the past to get rid of rats, stray dogs and other unwanted animals.5)“The Way to Arrest Them.” Beat them up and throw them into paddy wagons. (Intersting aside: The term “Patty” wagon was coined in NYC. They were used to carry away drunkards passed out in the street. The term “Patty” is a non-too-subtle hint to Irish people.

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The Italian represented here, a shoeshine, has obvious ape-like features. Italians in those years were classified as “non-white.” Not quite black, they nevertheless were not considered white. Large contingents of Italians were “hired” to replace slave labor in Southern states after the end of the Civil War (1860-1865) and the Proclamation of Emancipation.

Notice the representation of the white client as a skeptic, disenchanted debonnaire dandy (an ante-litteram ‘trust fund baby’?)

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Uncle Sam watches rats arriving to the American shore from “the slums of Europe.” They carry subversive markings such as bandanas, masks and knives between the teeth. The writings on their hats read “Socialist, Anarchy, Mafia.”

In the upper left corner is the image of President McKinley who served from 1897 to 1901 and was an ardent supporter of open immigration and civil rights for new immigrants. He was assassinated after six months in his second term by a Polish-American anarchist.

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The “Black Hand” in reality never existed. It was a colorful name invented and used by the press and politicians to excite people. It refers to the general activities of low level extortions practiced by gangs of immigrants mostly at the expense of their own fellow countrymen. Some of these gangs had loose agreements about the “territory” where they operated. As always in these circumstance, some more ambitious and aggressive members they got into turf wars with acts of violence, intimidation and assassinations.

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Again the symbol of the “Black Hand” appears on the box carried by the character in the cartoon. “Black Hand” was to be understood as a reference to Italian criminals. In this case an American citizen complains with Uncle Sam, protesting the fact that Italians apparently didn’t pay taxes.

12The “padrone.” i.e. “the boss.

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Hanging out on a street corner while the good folks are going to work.

“Wop” is said to derive from southern Italian “guappo,” itself a derivation from the Spanish “guapo” (handsome.) In Italian the term came to mean “thug, hoodlum, gangster.”

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Organ grinders were primarily Italian. Notice the reaction of the good citizen and the howling dog in the presence of this infernal machine. The Italian player is represented with dark skin.

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The invasion of the organ grinders. In the middle of the street a louse is represented, suggesting an identification between the characters and this symbol of filth and a parasitic lifestyle.

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Typical characterization of Italian men, with thick mustache (professional organ grinders.)

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Woman and children begging in front of a church. Although the image is generic, he captions identify them as Italian.

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Again, the caption transforms an harmless image into anti-Italian propaganda.

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There is nothing inherently “mafioso” in this broom maker (mistakenly labeled as “cobbler”.)

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Anti Italian propaganda. On the left: citizens wonder how all these new immigrants are going to survive. Center: a couple of years later they are shown ostentatious and tacky in their new wealth.

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Europeans rejoice at the foolish American Pied Piper who is luring the worst of the worst, liberating Europe from the plague of the “Black Hand.”