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Rag Dolls
Discoveries in Egyptian tombs suggest that the first toys were probably not balls or marbles, as one might think, but rag dolls—effigies of family members fashioned of cloth on a stick frame.
Every society and culture has had its own version of the rag doll, and America is no exception. Made around the time of the Civil War, the earliest American soft dolls were crudely constructed of homespun cotton or stockinette with straight limbs, a little round head, and a patch of hair. The facial features were penciled or inked in, and the stuffing might be old rags, cotton, wool, sawdust, or even bran.
In the 1870s, woman-owned cottage industries began commercially manufacturing cloth dolls. The dolls’ faces were skillfully handpainted with oil paints, in the same naïve style seen in 19th-century portraits of American children. The most desirable oil-painted rag dolls are those made by Izannah Walker of Central Falls, Rhode Island. Her method for forming the cloth three-dimensionally was patented in 1873. The ‘hair’ was painted onto the dolls to mimic ringlet curls, which was the style of the day.
Other quality manufacturers included Chase (Rhode Island), Columbian Dolls (New York), Philadelphia Babies, and Alabama Babies, whose line also featured black dolls.
Early African-American dolls are among the most coveted in today’s market. The most popular style, the “topsy-turvy” doll, was fashioned by slave mothers to have a black head and body on one end and a white head and body on the opposite end. Legend has it that a tailored skirt common to both ends of the doll allowed a slave child to flip the doll over quickly to expose the acceptable doll in the master’s presence. Oddly, it isn’t certain whether the black or white end of the doll was considered to be the forbidden part.
Choosing what appeals to you is the simple rule when buying rag dolls, but be cautious of new dolls that are made from old fabrics and artificially aged.
Every society and culture has had its own version of the rag doll, and America is no exception. Made around the time of the Civil War, the earliest American soft dolls were crudely constructed of homespun cotton or stockinette with straight limbs, a little round head, and a patch of hair. The facial features were penciled or inked in, and the stuffing might be old rags, cotton, wool, sawdust, or even bran.
In the 1870s, woman-owned cottage industries began commercially manufacturing cloth dolls. The dolls’ faces were skillfully handpainted with oil paints, in the same naïve style seen in 19th-century portraits of American children. The most desirable oil-painted rag dolls are those made by Izannah Walker of Central Falls, Rhode Island. Her method for forming the cloth three-dimensionally was patented in 1873. The ‘hair’ was painted onto the dolls to mimic ringlet curls, which was the style of the day.
Other quality manufacturers included Chase (Rhode Island), Columbian Dolls (New York), Philadelphia Babies, and Alabama Babies, whose line also featured black dolls.
Early African-American dolls are among the most coveted in today’s market. The most popular style, the “topsy-turvy” doll, was fashioned by slave mothers to have a black head and body on one end and a white head and body on the opposite end. Legend has it that a tailored skirt common to both ends of the doll allowed a slave child to flip the doll over quickly to expose the acceptable doll in the master’s presence. Oddly, it isn’t certain whether the black or white end of the doll was considered to be the forbidden part.
Choosing what appeals to you is the simple rule when buying rag dolls, but be cautious of new dolls that are made from old fabrics and artificially aged.
Latest page update: made by kjacobso
, Jun 19 2007, 12:05 PM EDT
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