Bidspirit auction | I Always Did 'Spise a

I Always Did 'Spise a Mule - Iron Mechanical Bank - Boy Seated on Bench Version. In Conventional Base Colors. By the J. & E. Stevens Company. Cromwell, Connecticut - Ca 1897. At first glance, the imagery portrayed in the 'Spise banks may seem innocuous, however, there's actually much more at play once you scratch the surface. A young man has sat down on a bench to give his mule some form of disciplinary action. He boldly emphasizes his lesson with the use of a rigid stick. But the mule outwits the boy by swinging his hind legs around and kicking him in the face, flipping him onto his back. Every child who played with this bank in the late 19th century would have clearly understood its narrative implications. That even a beast as lowly as a mule was brighter than a black boy. Shameful really, but one must really view such objects through the lens of cultural history. The Robert Brady Collection. Condition: Mint with the Original Wood Box.