Based on personal research and written in preparation for the opening of the First Person Museum later this fall, the following exhibit captions attempt to chronicle various aspects of the history of Iris's black dolls.
About Hand-Made Dolls
The earliest hand-made black dolls were crafted by slaves and poor blacks, who could not afford the pricy porcelain figures imported from Europe. Later, blacks hand-made dolls because toy companies did not produce figures with ethnically correct features. Today, hand-made black dolls are highly sought by collectors.
Written by Devin C. Manzullo-Thomas
About Representation
Early black dolls introduced or reinforced negative racial stereotypes, like the mammy and the pickaninny. Later, companies mass-produced black dolls as darkly painted versions of their white counterparts. In the 1960s, African American-run companies began to manufacture dolls with ethnically correct features, some based on popular black celebrities.
Written by Devin C. Manzullo-Thomas
About Ownership
Black dolls came to the United States as the playthings of slave children. Later, as companies began to manufacture such toys, white children employed black dolls as servants for their white figurines. The emergence of recreational black doll collecting has resulted in museums, publications, and conventions dedicated to the subject.
Written by Devin C. Manzullo-Thomas
