Golliwogg
Early German dolls were made of wood and called Dutch or peg dolls. Such as the doll on the right, in front of the book, The Adventures of Two Dutch Dolls. This is a reproduced peg doll. The book was produced in 1896 in England by Florence and Bertha Upton. One of the best and favorite characters of the book is about a black doll called a Golliwogg. The cloth doll in the case is a modern Golliwogg doll made by the Deans Doll Company in England about 1950’s. The popularity of the Golliwogg endears him to many doll collectors.
Philadelphia Doll Museum
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Yemaya Primordial Energy
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​In Yoruba tradition, representing the
water energy of the swamp and marsh lands. The dollmaker sees this as more of a primordial essence of her energy as water featured with a snake on her staff.
Beads, raffia, fabric.
Artist: Orisanmi Kehinde Odesanya
National Black Doll Museum of History and Culture
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Located in historical downtown Mansfield, Massachusetts, the museum opened its doors in 2012. In less than a decade, the organization has expanded to presenting workshops, conferences and educational programs.
Laura Larue and Lou-Ellen are artist dolls made by black artist Gloria Young Rone, from her Massas Servants doll creations. Photo by Debbie Behan Garret.
Queens of Africa
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​This Lagos, Nigeria based doll manufacturer creates African dolls representative of Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa, the three largest ethnic groups in Nigeria.
Entrepeneur: Taofick Okoya
PROJECTS
​​Paddle Doll
Period: Middle Kingdom
Dynasty: Dynasty 11, late-12
Date: ca. 2030–1802 B.C.
Geography: From Egypt, Upper Egypt; Thebes, el-Asasif, Tomb MMA 816, pit, MMA 1929–1930
Medium: Wood, mud, linen string, paint
Dimensions: H. of body 22.8 cm (9 in.); W. 7 cm (2 3/4 in.); Th. 0.9 cm (3/8 in.)
Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1931
Accession Number: 31.3.35a, b
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Topsy Turvy Doll
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Created before the Civil War, Topsy Turvy dolls were used primarily on Southern plantatons. Known as a double ender, the two sides were usually polar opposites. Black and white, servants and mistresses, poor and affluent. After 1900, they were mass manufactured.
Philadelphia Doll Museum