A lawn jockey is a small statue of a man in jockey clothes, intended to be placed
in front yards, similarly to garden gnomes.
The lawn ornament, popular in certain parts of the United States in years
past, was a cast replica, usually about half-scale or smaller, usually of a man
dressed in jockey's clothing and holding up one hand as though taking the reins
of a horse. The hand sometimes carries a metal ring and in some cases a lantern,
which may or may not be operational. Originally designed in the 18th century
as a symbol to welcome guests on horseback by providing them with a
practical and novel hitching post, later statues eventually became only
decorative and not suited for hitching a horse, and favored by those wishing to
evoke an Old South or equestrian ambiance.
Historically black jockeys were commonplace. Several styles have been
produced, with the most prolific being a shorter version commonly known as
"jocko" and a taller version known as "cavalier spirit." The former is of
stockier build, with a hunched posture; the latter is generally slender and
erect. Typically these statues are made of concrete but are also made of other
materials such as iron, and can be found in poly resin and aluminum. Despite
being controversial, lawn jockeys are still in demand. Both styles are still
manufactured and sold. Characteristics
= Jocko= The earlier "jocko" design usually
depicts the right arm raised, and was styled like a cartoonish young black
boy, often with exaggerated features, such as big eyes with the whites painted
in; large lips painted red; a large, flat nose and curly hair. These pieces
were typically painted in gaudy colors for the uniform, with the flesh of the
statue a gloss black. As of the late 20th century, these statues have been
considered racially insensitive and many remaining samples have now been
repainted using pink paint for the skin while the original sculpture's
exaggerated features remain. = Cavalier spirit=
The "cavalier spirit" design usually depicts the left arm raised, and uses a
less exaggerated likeness of a young man, with features that are
non-descript. These statues would also be painted in stark colors, with skin in
either gloss black or pastel pink, red lips, etc., white breeches, black boots,
and usually with the vest and cap of either bright red or dark green.
Occasionally, the vest and cap might be painted in the bright shades of a
jockey's racing silks. Several of the "cavalier spirit" jockey statues are
prominently displayed at both the entrance of New York's 21 Club and the
entrance of the Los Angeles' Santa Anita Park clubhouse.
A 1947 magazine advertisement uses two images of cavalier-style lawn jockeys to
underscore the statue's use as a symbol of hospitality and the hospitality
associated with Old Taylor Kentucky Bourbon, stating: "Jockey hitching posts
that invited guests to tarry are an old Kentucky tradition - another sign of a
good host." Background
However, some accounts of the figure's origin cause some to see the statue as
representing a hero of African American history and culture. According to the
River Road African American Museum the figure originated in commemoration of
heroic dedication to duty: "It is said that the 'lawn jockey' actually has its
roots in the tale of one Jocko Graves, an African-American youth who served
with General George Washington at the time that he crossed the Delaware to
carry out his surprise attack on British forces at Trenton, NJ. The General
thought him too young to take along on such a dangerous attack, so left him on
the Pennsylvania side to tend to the horses and to keep a light on the bank
for their return. So the story goes, the boy, faithful to his post and his
orders, froze to death on the river bank during the night, the lantern still in
his hand. The General was so much moved by the boy's devotion to his duty that
he had a statue sculpted and cast of him, holding the lantern, and had it
installed at his Mount Vernon estate. He called the sculpture 'The Faithful
Groomsman'." The most frequently-cited source for the story is Kenneth W.
Goings in "Mammy and Uncle Mose", though he regards it as apocryphal. The story
was told as well in a 32 page children's book by Earl Kroger Sr., "Jocko: A
Legend of the American Revolution." Moreover, there is a 13-page typescript
titled "A Horse for the General: The Story of Jocko Graves" by Thomas William
Halligan in the archives of the Alaska Pacific University/ University of
Alaska-Anchorage consortium library Charles L. Blockson, Curator Emeritus of
the Afro-American Collection at Temple University in Philadelphia, claims that
the figures were used in the days of the Underground Railroad to guide escaping
slaves to freedom: "Green ribbons were tied to the arms of the statue to
indicate safety; red ribbons meant to keep going ... People who don’t know the
history of the jockey have feelings of humiliation and anger when they see the
statue..." Blockson has installed an example of the statue at the entrance to
the University's Sullivan Hall. Neither the Revolutionary War nor the
Civil War legends are corroborated by historical records. Mount Vernon's
librarian Ellen McCallister Clark wrote in a letter to Baltimore's Enoch Pratt
Free Library: "No record of anybody by the name of Jocko Graves, nor any
account of somebody freezing to death holding Washington's horses, exists in
the extensive historical record of the time." Nor do any of the many historical
inventories and descriptions of Washington's estate mention any such
statue. Moreover, stories about the Underground Railroad using lawn jockeys
as signals are rendered suspect by the fact that red and green as signal colors
meaning "stop" and "go" were standardized by railway signals during
the World War I era. In popular culture
A black lawn jockey plays a symbolic role in Flannery O'Connor's short story
"The Artificial Nigger." A lawn jockey comes to life in the
climactic chapters of Stephen King's novel Duma Key.
Le Neg', a 1992 film by Québécois director Robert Morin, about a black
adolescent who resents lawn jockeys as racist and destroys one, resulting in
his murder. 33 lawn jockeys donated long ago by
wealthy patrons adorn the balcony above the entrance of New York City's 21 Club.
They're painted to resemble famous jockeys.
A lawn jockey comments on racism towards black people in America in the DC
Vertigo comic Uncle Sam. In the song "Uncle Remus" by Frank Zappa
from the album Apostrophe, he sings of knocking jockeys off of rich people's
lawns in Beverly Hills. In an episode of All in the Family,
Archie Bunker was given a black lawn jockey as a gift by Burt Munson and
Tommy Kelcy, for paying off his mortgage. After seeing it Archie thanked
his friend, but refused to put it outside, because he didn't want people
bothering him about it. In episode 5-07-Art Burn of Daria, near
14m41s, wondering if it is the original. In The West Wing, Season 2, Episode 5
"And It's Surely to Their Credit," near 39m50s, President Bartlett describes the
Statue of Liberty as "like a lawn jockey."
See also Concrete Aboriginal
Garden gnome References
External links Article on lawn jockeys Link is broken
Article debunking story of lawn jockeys Newspaper article about children's book
author who wrote about the origin of lawn jockeys