Detail View: Touchton Map Library: An 8-panel brochure titled McCoy Brothers’ Indian River Line Between St. Augustine and Palm Beach…[etc.]

Accession Number: 
2019.060.001
Short Title: 
An 8-panel brochure titled McCoy Brothers’ Indian River Line Between St. Augustine and Palm Beach…[etc.]
Full Title: 
McCoy Brothers' Indian River Line Between St. Augustine Beach and Palm Beach | Charming Semi-Tropical Scenery | Invigorating Air | Everglade Line Between Palm Beach, Moorehaven and Ft. Myers | Fastest Line --- Coast to Coast --- 2 Days | Yacht House Boat For Charter to all Points in Florida
Date Range: 
1912-1918
Object Publisher: 
E. O. Painter
Place of Publication: 
Deland
Pub Note: 
The rear panel of the brochure (when folded) includes an illustration of an alligator (with a map of Florida and the "400-mile Alligator Route") biting and likely consuming an African American man, depicted in as an offensive and stereotypical caricature, and includes a derogatory term for African Americans that was common during this time. Such depictions were popular, particularly in the South, during the Jim Crow era (roughly 1876 to the late 1960s). Depictions like these were meant to both provide a humorous illustration to the white reader as well as reducing African Americans to living in the wild, like alligators, as well as making them appear harmless and cartoon-like. Most of the river boat lines in Florida had African American employees, including some serving as ship captains, and they had to endure images like these due to the very real fear that speaking out would lead to physical harm.
Continent: 
North America
Country: 
United States
State: 
Florida
City: 
St. Augustine; Daytona Beach; Palm Beach; Moorehaven; Ft. Myers
Geographic Area: 
East Coast of Florida; Everglades; southwest coast of Florida
Geographical Description: 
Map on the alligator's back is a partial map of Florida, including most of the peninsula, showing the Indian River and Everglade Lines 400-mile Alligator Route.
Subject Information: 
This item was created during the era of Jim Crow. Its racist themes are not supported or condoned by the Tampa Bay History Center, which is an anti-racist institution. Items like this are important reminders of the racism and discrimination faced by African Americans throughout the history of the United States.