Porcelain thimble in the shape of Fagin's head

Porcelain thimble in the shape of a small bust, depicting the head of Fagin, a character from Charles Dickens’ novel, “Oliver Twist.” It was manufactured by Harmer Sculptures in Staffordshire, England, likely during the 1980s. Fagin is portrayed with a beard, sidelocks, a large nose, and thick eyebrows; all stereotypical physical features attributed to Jewish men. In “Oliver Twist,” Fagin is the villainous leader of a gang of children whom he has instructed in the ways of criminality. He attempts to corrupt the protagonist, Oliver, in the same manner. In the novel, Fagin is described in his first scene as hunched over a fire holding a toasting fork, imagery that reinforces the antisemitic stereotype of Jewish associations with the devil, due to its resemblance of a pitchfork. He is repeatedly referred to as “the Jew” in the book and also emphasized as a greedy, miserly, and cowardly character; all traits aligning with common antisemitic stereotypes. However, in a later edition of the novel, Dickens reduced his use of “the Jew,” substituting it for pronouns or other phrases. Even in this later version, Fagin is still repeatedly and negatively referred to as “the Jew,” and remains emblematic of multiple antisemitic canards. Later writings by Dickens portrayed Jews in a more positive light, however, the reprehensible Fagin is his most remembered Jewish character. This thimble is one of the more than 900 items in the Katz Ehrenthal Collection of antisemitic artifacts and visual materials.