Search the collections

Where is it from?

Summary:: A non-original sign used as one of 21 signs (42 sides) within Cole's 'Little Men'. One side of the sign has been torn off. Inscription on sign:

HOW MANY PREJUDICED WHITE
MEN COULD BE SURE OF THE
COLOUR OF THEIR GREAT, GREAT,
GREAT, GREAT GRANDPARENTS?
...E.W. COLE.

This sign was probably made for display at Sciencworks some time between 1974 and the 1990s. The 'Little Men' signs have been replaced several times, and the original signs are thought to no longer exist. Cole Turnley records in 'Cole of the Book Arcade' (p.53) that they were originally tin, and 'made a slightly startling clatter as they fell against each other'. The signs were most recently replaced in 2007 for the display of the 'Little Men' in the Melbourne Story exhibition at Melbourne Museum, with signs that better represented what Cole might have used - including sayings from his medals and books.
Description:: Heavy cardboard sign, off-white, printed with text in black ink. One side has been torn off. Holes at top for mounting onto rotating drum within the 'Little Men' mechanism.
Acquisition Information:: Donation from Mrs A. Turnley, 1939

Discipline:	Technology
Dimensions:	45.70 cm (Width), 20.40 cm (Length)

Tagged with:	advertising, booksellers, racism, retailing
Themes this item is part of:	Cole's Book Arcade Collection, Domestic & Community Life Collection, Public Life & Institutions Collection, Working Life & Trades Collection
Primary Classification:	COMMERCE & RETAILING
Secondary Classification:	Department Stores
Tertiary Classification:	amusements
Inscriptions:	Text: HOW MANY PREJUDICED WHITE/MEN COULD BE SURE OF THE/COLOUR OF THEIR GREAT, GREAT,/GREAT, GREAT GRANDPARENTS?/...E.W. COLE.
Maker:	Science Museum of Victoria, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 1974-1989 This sign was probably made for display at Swanston Street Museum, between 1974 and 1989. The earliest date is based on references in some signs in this set to the publication Cole of the Book Arcade, published in 1974.
User:	Science Museum of Victoria, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 1974-1989