Understanding African American History Through the Eyes of Dolls

Jim Toatley sculpted Shindana's Baby Nancy and other Shindana dolls.

This is a cross-post, which is also published in DeeBeeGee's Virtual Black Doll Museum.

Background: Sneha Sureshkumar was a 10th grader at the time she conducted extensive research for the documentary, "Understanding African American History Through the Eyes of Dolls." This was part of the History Day project in her state. Shindana’s Baby Nancy was her inspiration. Using Baby Nancy and other Black dolls, the documentary offers a glimpse at Black dolls as parallel communicators of the past and present African American experience. View the approximately 10-minute documentary below.

Link to the documentary here.

***

After the documentary was graded, I received the most heartwarming email from Sneha. She wrote:

My entire works Primary source is you. Without you this project would never have been possible. You are my true inspiration. I have read everything you have in your blog. Your deep commitment to provide people an understanding on the difficulties communities face because of inadequate representation became my inspiration. Your blog and Jim Crow Museum have shaped my views on how I want to fight prejudice and racism. For that I am very grateful to you.

Sneha's documentary was one of the primary final winners at the state level. After the second round of judging, ultimately, she received "honorable mention" at the state level. I am proud of her efforts and hope that she will indeed fight prejudice and racism when and wherever it is recognized.

For more about this year's National History Day Project, navigate here.

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There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.
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Black Artist Doll Presentation for UFDC

Due to COVID-19, the United Federation of Doll Clubs is holding its first virtual convention this week, which will include several broadcast events on the homepage of the convention. All events begin at 11 a.m. CST. Earlier today, the Black Artist Doll Presentation by Deborah Butler-Johnson from last year's convention was broadcast courtesy of Ruby Lane. You may watch the presentation here at your convenience.

Also of note is that Helen Kish has created a tribute doll to Ruby Bridges, The Bravest Little Girl, with a separately-sold companion doll.  When last checked, quantities of both dolls were still available, but fewer companions were left.

Visit the salesroom, which is open to all from now until Saturday, July 25, 2020, at midnight Pacific Time. Enjoy!

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There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.
__________
Thank you for reading. Use the contact form on right of the home page, visible in web viewing, to contact me.

Check out what I am selling here. 
Check out my eBay listings here.
Please follow my sister blog Ebony-Essence of Dolls in Black.
Donate here to support this blog. Thank you!

Black History with Dolls by Joyce Finley-Stamps Part 2

This post contains additional Black doll history photo facts compiled by Joyce Finley-Stamps.  A link to Part 1 is provided below the following fact images.

Click or tap the images for better viewing.

One more post will follow with the remaining fact images that Joyce shares this month.  Part 1 can be viewed here.

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There is always something to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.
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Ruby's Repair

Ruby Bridges by Karen Oyekanmi

My Ruby Bridges tribute doll, first seen here, had a mishap.  The day after she arrived, when positioning her for display, I noticed her left arm was not in the arm socket; it was hanging inside the sleeve of her dress.  The cement used to hold the arm hook that was attached to the inner string had weakened.  I consulted the artist who offered to repair Ruby for me, but that would have involved mailing the doll to her.   I knew between my husband and me, we should be able to repair her.

In the past, we had used QuikSteel to repair two other porcelain dolls.  So, I knew it should be a simple task of repairing Ruby's arm.  My only problem was that I am inexperienced at stringing.

Ruby's stringing was pulled outside her body and held in that position with a rod fashioned from a jumbo paperclip.

After Ruby was undressed down to her undies, socks, and shoes, using a pair of hemostats my husband was able to pull the existing stringing out of the body through the body armhole.  I quickly created a rod by opening up a jumbo paperclip which was slid underneath the knot in the stringing to hold the string outside the body until the rest of the repair was completed.  Minus the hemostat pulling, that process is illustrated in the photo immediately above.

I went to a local auto supply shop and purchased what I thought was the correct QuikSteel formulation.  Unfortunately, it was a liquid form and not the epoxy putty that I needed.  We went to Walmart to try to find it, but they were sold out.  So I ordered it from Amazon.

I decided I would do this repair from this point on by myself.  After getting the necessary reassurance from the artist that my plan would work and after making one modification at her suggestion, the repair began.

What Was Done

The hook has been set in QuikSteel as described in the next paragraph.

Inside the hole in the arm, I stuffed a few strips of newspaper to fill up some of the space in the cavity.  I inserted and centered the closed end of the hook and packed the QuikSteel putty firmly around the hook, making sure to keep the hook in the center of the armhole.  QuikSteel cures quickly but was allowed to dry fully for 24 hours.

Photo taken from a different angle illustrates the hook, which is set in place using QuikSteel epoxy putty.

The next day, the hook was firmly set inside the QuikSteel as shown above.

The hook was next attached to the stringing.

The open end or exposed end of the hook was attached to the knot of the string at the armhole as illustrated above and from one additional angle next.

Different angle of the hook attached to the stringing

Using the paperclip rod to lift the stringing away from the body, the long ends of the stringing were stuffed back inside the body.

A perfect repair

Next, the paperclip rod was removed and the arm positioned itself into the armhole perfectly as shown above.

She's all better now.

After the repair, Ruby was redressed.  The hang tag that bears a headshot of young Ruby Bridges was placed back on the left wrist.  She recovered nicely.

I shared the process and completed photos with the artist who wrote:

YOU DID A FANTASTIC JOB ❣️
Thank you for the pictures, she looks so happy!
Very sorry you had to go through that...... but you do have the gift👌

I smiled.  I think Ruby did, too.  

:-) 

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Ruby Bridges by Karen O.

This is Ruby Bridges by Karen Oyekanmi.

Won in a silent auction held on November 10, 2018, at the Festival of Black Dolls Show and Sale, this 13-1/2-inch full-body porcelain doll represents 6-year-old Ruby Bridges, the first African American child to integrate the William Frantz Elementary School in Louisiana in September 1960.

Her cute mouth forms the shape of an O.

Ruby's wig is handmade.

Ruby has a handmade black wig that has bangs, four braids in back and one side top braid that is accented with a large white grosgrain ribbon. Her inset eyes are brown with applied upper eyelashes and hand-painted lower eyelashes.

Ruby is dressed in a white dress that has a white floral print.

The fabric of her undies matches the dress fabric.

 The dress closes with Velcro in back.

She wears white lace ankle socks and black patent-leather Mary Jane shoes. 

On her right wrist, she holds a black leatherette book bag.

The studious Ruby has four well-made hardcover books that she carries in her black leatherette book bag. 

The Three Little Kittens is the title of one of Ruby's four books.  The unclear title of the other books is the same but the book cover images differ.

The paper hang tag has a headshot of 6-year-old Ruby Bridges, the back of which reads:

Ruby B.
2018 4/10
by Karen O.
ABBDA

Back of hang tag

Ruby Bridges by Karen Oyekanmi is a very charming doll that has lots of character. I am pleased to own #4 of an edition of 10 dolls, the first of which was a raffle doll at the 2017 American Black Beauty Doll Show and Sale.

Ruby Bridges tribute dolls, L-R, Wilma, Destiny, and Ruby.

In this last picture, Karen O.'s Ruby Bridges doll poses with two other dolls that represent 6-year-old Ruby Bridges.  Wilma is a full-body porcelain 10-1/2-inch doll by Mary Moline, manufactured by Rumblehouse Press in 1981.  Destiny is a 12-inch felt doll by Starkey's Daughter Cloth Dolls, made specifically for me as a gift from the talented artist, Rachel McCullough Sherrod.

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My Destiny

After seeing Facebook photos of the doll-making stages of an adorable felt doll by Rachel McCullough Sherrod of Starkey's Daughter Cloth Dolls and knowing about her plans to make a special edition of little girl dolls, I asked Rachel if that doll was one of the planned dolls.  Her answer informed me this particular doll was the doll she had promised to make for me.  Having self-sabotaged my own surprise, I was ecstatic!

Destiny by Starkey's Daughter Cloth Dolls

Destiny arrived on Monday, October 3rd and is more adorable in person than I could have ever imagined.  Her 12-inch height is perfect for the size dolls I currently collect due to lack of space for larger ones.

This doll is inspired by young Ruby Bridges, who in 1960 played a pivotal role in school desegregation as the first Black child to attend William Frantz Elementary School and the first African American child to attend a white school in Louisiana.  Because many white community members displayed hostile opposition toward school desegregation, for her safety, young Ruby Bridges was escorted to school by U. S. Marshals.  Little Ruby also received one-on-one teaching from her first grade teacher because white parents did not want their children in the same class with her.   In fact, many sent their children to other schools altogether!  The blessing in all of this is that the escorts and one-on-one teaching made Ruby feel she was receiving special attention; it also shielded her from the surrounding hatred and bigotry.

Ruby's escort-to-school experience is depicted in the 1963 oil-on-canvas painting, "The Problem We All Live With" by Norman Rockwell.   The painting was later an illustration in the January 14, 1964, issue of Look magazine.  (The video at the end of this post explores Rockwell's painting.)

Destiny wears a white dress, white lace-trimmed undies, white socks, and white sneakers.

She has three squared-off braids (one on top, plaited to the side; and two in back).

Tiny gold tone hoops are perfect for her earlobes.

Her hang tag and artist's information are attached to her left wrist.

The inside of her hang tag bears her handwritten name and an area for her price, which Rachel filled in with a heart.  ♥

Because she is a school girl, Destiny temporarily borrowed the composition notebook, yellow-lined tablet, and a pencil from Hearts 4 Hearts Rahel.

For several reasons (some of which are listed below), I am deeply honored to own Rachel's handmade doll representation of that brave little girl, Ruby Bridges.

• Rachel took the time to make Destiny with her talented hands as a gift from the heart...
• ...with love...
• ...just for me; and because...
• ...the doll represents the young girl whose "destiny" was to help pave the way for school desegregation in the South, she is a welcome addition to my collection.

Thank you again, Rachel.  I will forever treasure my Destiny.

******

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BDHT: The Problem We All Live With

Norman Rockwell character doll, Wilma, by Mary Moline

Wilma is an all-porcelain doll by artist, Mary Moline, made in Western Germany in 1981.  As stated on the  box, "This doll is one in a series of exclusive limited edition collectibles that authentically duplicate the 'true to life' detailing that Mr. Rockwell is remembered for.  He endowed us with over 3,000 such portrayals of the yesterdays he wanted us to remember..."

Wilma depicts the African American girl in Rockwell's painting, "The Problem We All Live With."  The 1963 painting illustrating school racial integration originally appeared in Look magazine in 1964.

The doll is further described in my book Black Dolls:  A Comprehensive Guide to Celebrating Collecting and Experiencing the Passion on pages 287-288, as follows:

Illustration 603, Mary Moline, Wilma, 1981

Material: Porcelain

Height: 10-1/2in/26.67cm

Marks: 2557 (stamped on back of neck); ©MARY MOLINE/MADE IN W-GERMANY PPI/Nr. 5 (incised in back); Rumbleseat Dolls logo hangs from belt of dress

Hair/Eyes/Mouth: Black synthetic wig styled in three braids (two side braids and one in the center of the head)/brown stationary/closed

Clothing: White dress, slip, panties, socks, and vinyl sneakers; school books, ruler, pencils tied to left wrist

Other: Doll depicts the [1963] Norman Rockwell painting, “The Problem We All Live With,” of Ruby Bridges escorted to school by white federal marshals, walking past a wall defaced by racist graffiti. Ruby Bridges became the first black child to attend William Frantz Elementary School and the first African American child to attend a white school in Louisiana.

Additional Reading/Images:
The Problem We All Live With -  The Truth About Rockwell's Painting
More About Ruby Bridges
Bridges with former elementary teacher

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