Doll expert Barbara Whiteman notes that dolls reflect the historical period in which they were created. When asked about the number of African-American doll museums in the country, she states that to her knowledge the Philadelphia Doll Museum is the only (freestanding) one in the nation.
Saraleee and Amosandra Dolls
Among the dolls displayed at the museum are two that mark milestones in the history of black dolls. The Saralee doll incorporates the physical characteristics of black children as captured in photos taken by social worker Sara Lee Creech. Manufactured from 1951 to 1953 by the Ideal toy company, it was the first mass-produced doll to try to be true to the physical appearance of an actual African-American child. Before its production, most black dolls were simply white dolls painted black.
The doll was named for Creech, the white woman, who with other allies, including former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and prominent blacks such as writer Zora Neale Hurston, pushed to have made a doll made that replicated the physical features of an African-American child.
Amosandra was the doll named for the baby daughter of Amos and Ruby, married African-American characters on the Amos n' Andy television show, which ran from 1951 to 1953. The Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) produced the television series and paid for the manufacture of the doll in 1949. Designed by Ruth E. Newton and made by the Sun Rubber Company, Amosandra was popular.
Folk Dolls and the Bell Collection
Whether for reasons of cost, the negative racial stereotypes presented in some manufactured dolls, or the fact that often black dolls were just an afterthought to white dolls, many blacks made their own dolls, says Whiteman.
Dolls in the museum's Folk Art exhibit were made by hand from available materials. For instance, the face of the Nut Doll is made from a nut. Another doll is made from corn husks. The body of another doll is a chicken wish bone. The Tobacco Leaves Doll has a walnut head, a body made from tobacco leaves, a shawl woven from straw, and a hat.
The I. Roberta Bell exhibit presents all 26 dolls offered to the public in the series of famous blacks created by Bell (1904-1992). In 1970 she became the first black person elected to the National Institute of American Doll Artists.
Whiteman explains that the first doll Bell designed was scientist and educator Dr. George Washington Carver and the last Harold Washington, mayor of Chicago. The clothes and accessories for her dolls were made by Ruby Brewster, Whiteman notes.
Varieties of Dolls
Whiteman explains that dolls can be placed in three broad categories:
- Play dolls, which are for children.
- Antique dolls, which are 100 years or older.
- Collectible dolls, which have been made within the last 30 years or so for adults. They may be mass-produced, issued as limited editions or created on commission.
Whiteman wrote the introduction for Black Dolls: Proud, Bold and Beautiful, Nayda Rondon's book centering on selected collectible dolls and those who created them. Whiteman's essay, however, is an illuminating history of black dolls/small representations of humans in world history.
In addition to folk dolls and the Bell collection, the Philadelphia Doll Museum's displays include:
- International dolls
- Dolls with bisque heads
- Dolls made by American companies
- Dolls made since 1950 of famous individuals, including Academy Award-winning actress Hattie McDaniel and Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall
- Antique dolls
Annual Doll Show in May
The museum's tradition of yearly doll shows, which Whiteman began in 1988, continues this year on Saturday, May 23 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. Vendors, doll sales and the Dress Me Doll Contest will be part of this event. Cash prizes will be awarded for the top three dolls dressed to represent a celebrity or historical person born after 1940. Order the 14" undressed porcelain doll from the museum for $20 plus $10 shipping and handling no later than May 1. Bring the dressed doll to the Black Doll Show at 9 a. m.
Contact the Philadelphia Doll Museum for more information about the show, black dolls and museum hours.
Sources:
- Rondon, Nayda. Black Dolls: Proud, Bold and Beautiful. With an introduction by Barbara A. Whiteman. Cumberland, MD: Reverie Publishing Co. 2004.
- Whiteman, Barbara A. Interview by Linda N. Riggins.
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