Monday, January 28, 2019

Former Banner Image

Circa late 1990s greeting card that I named "doll lover."
I used the above image as the banner for this blog prior to using the current banner image, which is a digital painting of an actual photo of me and my dolls by contemporary digital artist, Son of Ellis.

The previous banner illustrates a little Black girl whose face is partially hidden by the dolls she clutches tightly.  It is a scan of a greeting card I purchased during the late 1990s.  I purchased the card because of this image that reflects how I feel about my doll collection and about Black dolls in general, particularly those that are aesthetically pleasing.

When Black dolls adequately portray the people they represent and are not demeaning caricatures, they warm my heart.  I have often written different forms of this mantra in books, publications, and elsewhere.   The image is also proof that representation matters in the form of dolls for Black girls.  They need to see themselves in their playthings in order to develop a strong sense of self.  As a child, I did not see myself in my dolls.  I did, however, develop a healthy sense of self from nurturing received from my family, from church members, educators who cared, and from my beloved community.

The inside greeting is another reason the card was purchased.  It reads as follows.

My childhood was precious and cherishable.
Thanks to God for giving me parents like you.
You gave me love, pride, courage,and dignity,
Allowing your little girl to blossom into an honorable woman.
Thank you!


At the time of purchase, I thought about giving the card to my mother, but because she and Daddy had long been divorced, the words were not a perfect fit for her alone even though they were a fit for the two of them together.  So I kept the card, which I still have.


The greeting card is stored in the smaller of the two decorative storage boxes shown above.
The card is stored in one of two decorative storage boxes where all greeting cards I have received throughout the years from family and friends are stored.  Sentimental much?  Yes, I am.

With my permission (even though I do not own any copyrights to it), my scan of this image is currently the cover photo for the Facebook group Buy Black Dolls 24/7.

The card is from the Heritage Collection ©Nicole Folks.  The inside greeting and back of the card are shown above.

The image on the front of the card captures my feelings about Black dolls and the inside greeting expresses my gratitude for both my parents.  The card is a perfect fit for me.

Read about the current banner here.

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There is always something to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.
__________

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4 comments:

  1. Love this story and LOVE the CARD and IMAGE. I wish I could find that same card and send to my parents (also divorced) but I would send two ... LOL! My parents have encouraged my black doll collecting and even let me store items in their houses ... and since they are divorced that's TWO black doll vaults :)!!!!!!!
    -blackbarbiekiaj

    Love your blog!
    Kia

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    Replies
    1. In hindsight, Kia, I probably should have purchased three cards, one for my mother, one for my father, and one to keep for myself.

      It's wonderful that you have received encouragement from both your parents on collecting black dolls and that both are storage sources for your dolls. Support doesn't get any better than that!

      dbg

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  2. Gorgeous sentiment and a Lovely way to acknowledge a parents unconditional love. As a boy who collects dolls I know that alone would have been a bit of an acceptance hurdle for them both to leap...but years ago I remember asking my Mum if she thought I would outgrow Barbie...she said no, Barbie’s been with me too long so she probably wouldn’t be going anywhere...I love the image on the card...it perfectly captures that eclectic collection we have as kids and also a kind of ‘wanna be in my gang’ our toys represented when we’re little. πŸ™πŸΌπŸ’–

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    Replies
    1. It's wonderful that your mother understood your love for dolls. It always helps to have a parent's support.

      Thanks for pointing out the little girls eclectic collection. :-)

      dbg

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