Apparently the 'Cream of Wheat Man' has quite the history. So historic in fact that nobody knew his name or had a proper marker for his grave that is until today. Now ever since I can remember the 'Cream of Wheat Man' was a character who was drawn from some white persons idea of what a black chef looked like. I also seem to remember as I got older running from that box with that smilin' negro taunting me to eat his "cereal".
According to the Chicago Sun-Times the mans name was Frank L. White. He was a cook here in Chicago and the pic was taken in the 1900's. He died on Feb. 15, 1938 and was buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in Leslie, Michigan and now has a headstone for his grave...in 2007. They called him Rastus in their advertising. This from Answers.com: Rastus is a given name associated with African Americans in the United States. During the period of American slavery, it was common practice for owners to give their slaves historical, and particularly Biblical, names. (Rastus appears to be a shortening of Erastus, a disciple of St. Paul mentioned in Acts 19:22, Romans 16:23, and 2 Timothy 4:20.) After the end of American slavery, 'Rastus' was used by whites as a generic, often derogatory, name for black men. It became synonymous with the stereotype of the happy, carefree Southern black created by Southern whites to justify continued racial repression. Rastus—as any happy black man, not as a particular person—became a familiar character in minstrel shows.
An honorable man (by most accounts) Mr. White was born about 1867 in Barbados, came to the United States in 1875 and became a citizen in 1890. The Ad men reduced him to a red lipped caricature. His honor diminished to that of Rastus...at least now we know the back story of one of the singular most racist icons in American advertising. Rest in Peace Mr. White...
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