Dealing with Racism in Artifacts

When archiving at the Stover Farmhouse, I came upon an 

artifact that gave me pause. At first, I thought that it was one

of the many cherubim related artifacts (angels who take the form 

of babies). Upon further inspection it appeared that the artifact

contained caricatures of black individuals. Given that information,

coupled with the apparent age of the artifact and the historical 

implications associated with that age, I decided to dig a little bit 

deeper. Contained hereafter are the findings of that digging and 

a commentary on the difficulties of holding both historical accuracy 

and our modern moral code in balance. 

Before proceeding, and in order to better understand the context,

below is the transcription of the artifact.

“Onyx” Black Hosiery 

“ONYX BLACKS” 

“WE NEVER CHANGE COLOR”

BLACK “ONYX” HOISERY

The great success of “Onyx” hosiery is due to its perfect black 

and its superior quality, shape and finish. It is Guaranteed not to

stain the feet, continual washing does not change the beautiful

Black; it remains perfect until the hose is worn out.

We confidently recommend the “Onyx” to our customers as the

best article for purity of dye and wearing quality ever offered to 

the public.

OVER THIRTY-FIVE MILLION PAIRS

Of this brand have been sold 

Geo. updegraff & Son,

Hagerstown, Md.

(Artifact S/F-2D-48)

Not only did the illustration seem “off”, the words and the 

Connotations they implied also seemed to be loaded: 

“blacks”, “perfect black”, “shape”, “finish”. For the nature 

of this analysis, I will not dive into all of the possible 

connotations of these words, but instead I will stick to what

can be analyzed in a more objective light.’

As is evident from some of the language in the advert itself, 

what we are dealing with has underlying themes of racism. 

It should therefore be mentioned that none of the themes or 

sentiments that are going to be discussed align with the personal 

philosophies of The Greencastle Archives. 

The company that created this advert was Geo. Updegraff & Son

and the advert was for hosiery (an old slang word for 

stockings). Upon further inspection I was able to trace this brand

name over 3 generations and multiple decades. Those findings 

are summarized below. For a more in depth overview, though, 

visit the Herald Mail article linked at the bottom of this article.

Geo. or George Updegraff, for whom the business was named, 

was born in 1798 from Peter Updegraff who owned

a Hagerstown bakery. The business owner gene must have been 

passed on to George; he opened Updegraff & Gilbert in 1823 to 

manufacture a popular fashion trend of the times—hats.

Specifically, beaver felt hats were the rage in the early 19th 

century. George had a son of his own named William Updegraff 

who was born June 22, 1831. 

William Updegraff also had the entrepreneurial gene and moved

to Baltimore to pursue his own hat manufacturing firm. 

George’s business underwent many name changes over the 

years from Updegraff & Gilbert to Updegraff Hat and Cap

Emporium, Updegraff & Co., and finally George Updegraff & Son. 

The last of which came about in 1856 when, because of his

declining health, George stepped down from the business and 

William took over. 

George Updegraff was, on top of being a business owner,

the Hagerstown Postmaster, volunteered on the First 

Hagerstown Hose Company, and participated in the 

Hagerstown Literary Society. 

That brings us back to the advert…

Let's establish first if there is merit enough to determine 

that the advert is inherently racist… 

The advertisement is for black stockings that are irregularly

long lasting in their pigment in comparison with other brands

(according to the advert). The glaring image is multiple caricatures

of what appear to be black babies. They are labeled “Onyx Blacks” 

a term that, today, is not acceptable because of its racial connotation.

Additionally, the catch phrase “we never change color” is referring

to the characters' skin color in comparison to the hosiery. 

We have established that the advert is inherently racist, but what

does that then tell us about George Updegraff & Son? In other

words, should we denounce the company and the legacy of those

who build it? While The Greencastle Archives will not state that

opinion as an objective matter of fact, I will offer some personal 

suggestions coming from a historian's lens. 

While it would be unfair to hold people of the past to our moral 

standard today, we can still recognize the racism that permeated 

every facet of life during those times. Not denouncing the people 

behind an advert with racist imaging is not the same thing as 

condoning it. It should be noted that this mindset should not be 

applied to the more grotesque forms of racism (slavery, abuse, etc.)

It would be more worthwhile to examine why the artifact in 

question features images that we now would consider highly

offensive. In other words, use the artifact’s existence as a

testament to just how deeply racist sentiments were ingrained 

within society. That is why it is important to preserve even something 

as mundane as a random advert. It can offer a glimpse into the time 

period from which it came. 

In summary, after finding an artifact that contains racist images, I

dug deeper into the history behind it and had to reckon with how 

to handle an artifact from the perspective of modern day morality.  

I understand that you can denounce something as racist

without feeling the need to erase it from history or withhold from

displaying it.

If you want to learn more about George Updegraff and his business

click here.

Contact rhokappa@gcasd.org with any inquires 

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The Greencastle Archives was created by Sawyer Allen