|
|
Article: African-American dolls have a long history Contemporary Collectibles
- Article from:
- The Herald News - Joliet (IL)
- Article date:
- February 22, 2009
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright, 2009, The Herald News. All rights reserved. REPRODUCTION PROHIBITED. (Hide copyright information)
|
In light of the recent fuss over the merchandising of two dolls that just happened to be named Marvelous Malia and Sweet Sasha - much to the displeasure of the First Lady - and February being Black History month, it seems like a good moment to look back at the extensive and rich history of African-American dolls.
The earliest American black dolls - and certainly those played with by slave children - were handmade and quite crude, constructed from any available material ... bodies from cloth, wood, cornhusks, chicken bones and even bottles filled with sand, and heads made from a sock or a nut. Rag dolls fashioned from scraps of cloth were the most prevalent, and were dressed in calico, ...