Name/Title
Handmade African American cloth dollEntry/Object ID
720Description
Handmade female cloth African American doll (black doll), perhaps dating from the late 1920s to early 1930s. Doll has twisted yarn for hair; applique eyes; eyebrows, eyelashes, nose, and mouth of stitched thread; and black cloth covering head, upper body, arms, and hands.
On its head is a black taffeta hat with netting in center; two decorations on hat, one consisting of three leaf- or petal-shaped pieces of greenish/pinkish cloth stitched to hat with black thread and a tubular, plastic-like structure perhaps representing a flower part and the other consisting of a four leaf- or petal-shaped pieces of greenish/pinkish cloth also stitched to hat with black thread.
Hands are mitten-shaped; once-white, now discolored, cotton bloomers are stitched onto the stuffed body from waist to toes; black cotton socks cover the feet and legs to knees.
The doll's dress is faded dusty rose silk, pleated at the waist, long-sleeved, almost ankle-length, with a loose and gathered wide collar attached to the dress by thread in the back and by a decorative, glass-center pin at the front.
Stitching on the dress is not as fine as stitching on the doll's body and may represent a later addition by another maker; socks and hat may also be later additions.Acquisition
Accession
62Source or Donor
Jefferson County MuseumAcquisition Method
PurchaseMaterial
Cotton, Fabric, Silk, Glass, Metal, Cloth, Thread