Naming the Eight

A group of restored 1940s cloth dolls made by Justyne Smith

After deciding to name the above eight (restored) circa 1940s cloth dolls made by Justyne Smith, I referred to a "Top Names of the 1940s" list produced by the Social Security Administration (SSA). I already knew I would use the names John and James (named after two of my mother's brothers) for the two boys. Because the artist's name begins with a J, I wanted all names to start with a J, with one doll to be named in the artist's honor. The middle names are actual names of the people the dolls are named after, or I added a middle name that fits the first name selected from the SSA list. Other than the artist's name, only one other name was not on the SSA list.

Choosing which of the following girls' names fit the girls was somewhat challenging. 

Boys' Names              Girls' Names

John Edward               Justyne

James Carter              Jewel Rebecca

                                      Jean Anne

                                      Joyce Renee

                                      Jessica Marie

                                      Joetta Rose

The dolls and their assigned names are illustrated below.

The Boys

This is John Edward. Measuring 26 inches, he is the tallest of the two males.

My uncle John Edward was older than James Carter. So the largest Justyne Smith boy doll is now named John Edward.

This is 17-inch James Carter, the 2nd of the two boy dolls by Justyne Smith.

The Girls (shown in group-picture order)

Joyce Renee (17 inches tall) is the only crying doll in the group.

Jean Anne has a repaired neck that has become wrinkled, but I think I'll leave well enough alone by not attempting further repairs for now. She and the other larger girls, including Justyne, are 25 inches tall.

I had to make Joetta Rose a new wig during her restoration. Her dress has a floral print, which is why I chose Rose as her middle name.

Jewel Rebecca has a heart-shaped pattern on her face that resulted from the face being drenched during restoration. Because of the heart shape, I named her after my mother-in-law.

Jessica Marie (17 inches tall) seemed appropriate for this little girl in the pretty, lacy dress.

The last of the six girls is named after the woman who made these dolls, but I did not give "Justyne" a middle name. She is simply Justyne.

How will I remember their names? I won't have a problem remembering the dolls' names that are named after real people, but I have written all the dolls' names in pencil on strips of paper. Double-sided tape is applied to the back of the strips, and the strips are attached to their torsos underneath the clothing, as illustrated in the final picture. 

Each doll has a name label attached to the torso.

Related Links

Circa 1940s Cloth Dolls by Justyne Smith

Three More Justyne Smith Dolls

The Final Two Justyne Smith Dolls

Top Names of the 1940s
 

__________

All photos and text are copyrighted and cannot be used elsewhere unless permission is granted by the author.

©Black Doll Collecting/dbg

There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.

__________

Thank you for reading. Comments that are not spam are appreciated. Spam comments will not be published, so don't waste your time. To contact me directly, go to the About page (visible in the web view mode); find and use the email link.

If you're not already a subscriber, visit, "like" and follow the Black Doll Collecting Facebook page or bookmark the Black Doll Collecting home page and visit on Tuesdays and Thursdays when typically new posts are published.

Check out what I am selling here. 
Check out my eBay listings here.
Please follow my sister blog Ebony-Essence of Dolls in Black.
*New*Visit/Follow DeeBeeGee's Virtual Black Doll Museum
Donate here to support this blog. Thank you!