Storefront photo of the Philadelphia Doll Museum is courtesy of The Internet.
Follow the Philadelphia Inquirer link below to read a recent article about Barbara Whiteman, Founder and Curator of the now-closed Philadelphia Doll Museum.
There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.
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A $400,000 grant from the Ruth Foundation for the Arts will preserve the legacy of the Philadelphia Doll Museum. Now closed, the museum was founded by Barbara Whiteman in 1988. Whiteman is seen on the far right in the above screenshot from Inquirer.com, where the full article can be read for free (for a limited amount of clicks before a popup to subscribe to the Inquirer appears.
After scrolling down at the following link, read about the foundation's involvement at the Ruth Foundation for the Arts website here. There is also a slideshow and a video about the Philadephia Doll Museum embedded in the slideshow.
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 Spam comments will not be published, so don't waste your time.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 regarding dolls or any of my posts, please use the contact form on the right of the home page, which is visible in "web view." A link to web viewing should be visible at the bottom of this page.
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.
I am with Barbara Whiteman in this 2005 photograph taken at the Philadelphia International Black Doll Show.
In 2005 at the Philadelphia International Black Doll Show, Barbara Whiteman, the show host, introduced me to Mercer Redcross, III. Mr. Redcross co-founded the October Gallery in Philadelphia, PA. It was a chance meeting. Barbara and I were chatting when Mr. Redcross approached us.
After introducing us, Barbara mentioned my book, The Definitive Guide to Collecting Black Dolls. Mr. Redcross then told me about the book he and his wife, Evelyn Redcross, were writing and publishing, Connecting People with Art (Contemporary African American Art). During that chance meeting, Redcross asked, and I agreed to include my collector's profile in his publication. At the time, I could not connect dolls with art or why he wanted my collector's profile in his book, but I followed through.
As soon as I returned home from the doll show, I wrote the profile and submitted it to Mr. Redcross. The submission included photos of a selection of dolls from my collection and a photograph of me surrounded by several dolls.
Connecting People with Art, first edition, is a 502-page hardcover book.
Published in November 2006, Connecting People with Art "reveals [the authors'] stories and numerous art adventures, as well as it chronicles the experiences of many others whom they met along the way." (https://www.amazon.com/Connecting-People-Art-African-American/dp/0979065518)
On April 7, 2021, I received an email inquiry from a woman seeking assistance with research on the history of Black dolls. While searching online for articles for her to read, I was surprised to find in the search results a YouTube video uploaded on March 28, 2021, by October Gallery. The video is a narration of my collector's profile from the book, Connecting People with Art. October Gallery incorporated photos from the Internet into the video as well as photographs that I submitted with my profile.
There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.
__________
Thank you for reading. To contact me, please use the contact form on the right of the home page, which is visible in "web view." A link to web viewing should be visible at the bottom of this page.
From a non-global perspective, Black history is American history. While its observation in America begins on February 1 and ends at midnight on February 28 or 29 in leap years, it is a constant: 24/7/365 or 366. Likewise, Black-doll history never ends... at least not for me. It is impossible to cover all aspects of Black history in a month's time, particularly in the shortest month of the year. This holds true for Black-doll history as well, which is why written documentation on black dolls and the people who create them remains important.
Before concluding the Moments in Black Doll History series, knowing that so much information has not been shared, I wanted to extend several "hats off" to peope who play or have played an important role in black-doll history.
To doll artists and manufacturers who currently craft or mass produce black dolls -- keep doing what you are doing. You are creating Black-doll history -- hats off to you!
To doll museums and other places of exhibit where black dolls are showcased for the community -- hats off to you!
To those who share their dolls with the community in the aforementioned exhibits -- hats off to you!
To fellow collectors who share my passion for collecting dolls in general and to those who specifically, like me, are passionate about black dolls -- hats off to you (because I know you get it!).
To those who came before me in writing books devoted solely to black dolls and to those who have included information on black dolls in their works -- hats off to you (because fellow enthusiasts hunger for black-doll information almost as much as they desire black dolls).
To doll publications that include information about black dolls in their periodicals, and specifically to those who have published my articles (Doll-E-Gram, Doll Castle News, Dolls Magazine, Contemporary Doll Collector, UFDC Doll News, Doll Showcase Magazine) -- hats off to you. Keep the articles coming!
A special thanks to:
LaVerne E. Hall-- Former publisher of Doll-E-Gram, a publication designed chiefly to honor black-doll artists and their dolls
Barbara Whiteman -- Founder and Executive Director of the Philadelphia Doll Museum and co-host of the International Doll Show and Sale (usually held during Memorial Day weekend in Philadelphia, PA)
Myla Perkins -- whose first black-doll reference book was the most comprehensive book on black dolls ever published, which opened my eyes to the wonderful world of vintage black-doll collecting
WLBD -- Thanks for sharing the passion with me online since January 12, 2001.
To all the Leo Mosses of the world past and present (grannies, mothers, males, females, children, self-taught or trained artists) -- anyone who has made black dolls, taught the art of black-dollmaking, or otherwise contributed to this art -- thank you!
You have all been vital contributors to Black-doll history. Hats off to you!
