Beschreibung:

A wood carved, lewdly animated folk art doll carved by an unidentified POW detained at a Civil War camp. In order to escape the hardships of imprisonment or boredom, many POWs created art out of available materials as either an escape or for trade. Whether out of frustrations against his captors or out of crude humor, the POW carved a coward who peeks above or shamefully hides behind a barrel, exposing himself. The barrel or "barrel of shame" symbolized soldiers who were thieves, cravens, and drunkards. Attached to the doll is a Co. A button, and a carefully sewn tag stamped, Coward of Co. A. The piece measures 7 in. Condition: The animations still work smoothly, there is no major damage to the surface or the overall piece.