Creepy.. What is it?

[nopeseeya]

Some kind of broken clip? Looks like a sailor stepping on womans hair and reaching to pull it?
Found in California. Late 1880s early 1900s
Any ideas on it?

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[Kray Gelder]

I'm thinking it has something to do with the treatment of ethnic Chinese at the time.

 

[trdking]

Yes indeed Kray nailed it. Not sure what it was on but it is a humor piece. Step on the chinamans tail. Soon Funny Right? Im glad my Grandparents immigrated here after all the Black Chinese and Indian torture was over!

 

[nopeseeya]

Wow thats crazy. Thanks for the info.

 

[Reanm8er]

Maybe some better pics would reveal how it was worn?

Great find congrats!

 

[A2coins]

That's funny cool find

 

[yaxthri]

This was a (not funny but racist) clip-on earring I think.

 

[DCMatt]

This was a (not funny but racist) clip-on earring I think.

Not meant to be funny... It represents anti-Chinese sentiment in California (and around the US) in the late 1800's. Read about "The Chinese Exclusion Act" of 1882 for more background. You want to talk about the politics of immigration today? We got nothing compared to back then...

 

[yaxthri]

Human history is a continuous cycle of populations shifting and moving around on the globe, we are lucky enough to enjoy one of the comparatively peaceful interims of it...

 

[Discrimination Dave]

Human history is a continuous cycle of populations shifting and moving around on the globe, we are lucky enough to enjoy one of the comparatively peaceful interims of it...

peaceful interim
Amen to that, in more ways than one