ABSTRACT
The end of the nineteenth century and early twentieth century is a particularly interesting period because one can see both the emergence of the New Imperialism and the emergence of mass entertainment for adults and children alike. The interaction between both phenomena has been studied by many scholars. Postcolonialist scholars (such as Ashcroft et al. 1989, 15; Wallace 1994, 174; Lesko 1996, 455) postulate a semiotic interrelation between “the child” and “primitive races” that worked in both directions: while indigenous people, especially the Africans, were associated with children, the white European or North American children were often shown as ferocious, wild beings. Like “savages,” children were considered as primitives who needed to learn through civilization to control their body and spirit. In this chapter, I explore the child-savage metaphor by researching the visual representations of Africans and of European or North American children in the popular press and the silent cinema at the end of the nineteenth century and early twentieth century.1
