The Art and Craft of Dollmaking

The handmade dolls in this exhibition display both technical prowess and creative ingenuity. Their makers, Black and white, did not follow patterns: They reached into their sewing baskets and their imaginations to fashion unique and highly personal creations.

Into the 20th century, needlework was considered an essential female skill. Wives and mothers clothed their families and endlessly mended, darned, and altered garments and linens. While sewing could be arduous for the enslaved, it could also offer a pathway to self-emancipation. Seamstress Elizabeth Keckley, for instance, used earnings from dressmaking to purchase her own freedom in 1855 and went on to become the dressmaker for First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln. Young girls who honed their needle skills sewing doll clothes might go on to find success as seamstresses.

A woman who does not know how to sew is as deficient in her education as a man who cannot write.
—Eliza Farrar, The Young Lady’s Friend, 1837

Doll in polka dot dress, US, early 20th century
Mixed fabrics, string

Doll with pink pocket, US, ca. 1870-90
Mixed fabrics, leather, glass

Nothing should be thrown away, so long as it is possible to
make any use of it, however trifling that use may be.
—Lydia Maria Child, The Frugal Housewife, 1838

Doll with feed sack body,
US, late 19th century
Mixed fabrics, leather

The doll’s body is made from an early advertising feed sack.

Doll with striped cape,
US, ca. 1890-1905
Mixed fabrics

This doll’s striped cape and matching petticoat hidden beneath her dress were probably made from a Southern workman’s blanket.

Doll with clasped hands,
US, ca. 1870-90
Mixed fabrics, wax

This doll’s elegant silk dress appears to have been made from the sleeve of a woman’s garment from the 1870s.

Doll in feed sack dress,
possibly Indiana, 1900-25
Mixed fabrics, paint

A resourceful doll maker made the doll’s dress from a feed sack, positioning the Farm Bureau Co-op logo to evoke an apron.

Isabelle Greathouse (1856-1938)
Coconut-head dolls,
Butler County, Kentucky, ca. 1900-30
Mixed fabrics, coconut shell

Black doll maker Isabelle Greathouse took advantage of the natural contours of coconut shells to create expressive faces.

Doll with silk scarf,
US, ca. 1860-70
Mixed fabrics

This early doll wears finely tailored clothing. Her bell-shaped sleeves, also referred to as pagoda sleeves, reflect a fashion popular during the 1860s.

Doll with puffed sleeves,
US, ca. 1895
Mixed fabrics

The maker of this doll, stylishly attired in an eyelet-trimmed gingham dress, emulated the puffy “leg-of-mutton” sleeves that were fashionable during the 1890s. Images of ladies’ fashions were everywhere, from popular magazines to paper dolls.

Doll in cutaway coat,
US, ca. 1850-70
Mixed fabrics, cardboard

The dapper gentleman wears formal day attire: a suit with cutaway coat, waistcoat beneath, and matching trousers.

Doll in velvet suit,
US, ca. 1885-1910
Mixed fabrics, leather

Doll makers also responded to fashions popularized in illustrated children’s books. Following the publication of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s Little Lord Fauntleroy in 1885, boys—and dolls—began sporting velvet suits with knee pants, lace collars, and long hair.

All Dolled Up

Take a good look at the individual dolls. Use of materials, style choices, and creative flourishes reveal tantalizing clues about their anonymous makers. Yet easy answers about age and origin can be elusive due to frequent mending, patching, and re-dressing by their makers and subsequent owners.

Doll in herringbone trousers, US, ca. 1890-1900
Mixed fabrics, button s

This hand-sewn doll has hair made of astrakhan, a looped fabric imitating a luxurious curling fur made from the skins of young lambs. Astrakhan was fashionable for collars and trim during the 1890s.

Undressed doll,
possibly Maine, late 19th century
Mixed fabrics

Doll with red bandana,
US, early 20th century
Cotton

This doll’s expressive eyes were appliqued, outlined with buttonhole stitches, and highlighted by painted pupils.

Doll with plaid skirt,
US, late 19th/early 20th centuries
Mixed fabrics, suede

White stuffing showing through rips in the doll’s sateen face give the impression that she’s crying. Her downturned mouth accentuates the look of sadness.

Doll with red boots,
US, late 19th century
Mixed fabrics, glass

This unusual blue-eyed doll has a shapely body hand-stitched from silk stockings.

Doll with red shoulder scarf, US, 1880-1930
Mixed fabrics with manufactured doll head
This doll started out as a white doll: Its head is covered by black fabric with embroidered facial features, concealing the manufactured white doll face beneath. Its apron and shoulder scarf were cut from a bandana.

Doll with lace collar,
US, ca. 1885-90
Mixed fabrics

The crisp symmetrical lines of its body suggest that the doll body may have been cut from a pattern, but the embroidered face is clearly original.

Doll in tweed outfit,
US, late 19th/early 20th centuries
Mixed fabrics

Doll in three-piece suit, US, late 19th century
Mixed fabrics, leather, mother of pearl, paint

Doll in yellow dress,
Castine, ME, 1904
Mixed fabrics, mother of pearl

Handmade Black dolls with histories of ownership are rare. This example has an accompanying note indicating that it was made for four-year-old Sargent Wood Ricker by his grandmother, Ariadne Adams Ricker. The Rickers were a white family from Castine, Maine.

Doll with button eyes,
US, 1908
Mixed fabrics, metal, mother of pearl

Like the doll to its left, this one was a gift from a grandmother. A tag with the doll indicates that it was made for Marian by her “Grandma Washington.” Grandma Washington used a sewing machine to stitch the cotton body and sateen head as well as the cotton dress and underclothes.

Doll with straw hat,
US, 1900-25
Mixed fabrics

With her beribboned straw hat, netting-covered bodice, and dress skirt, this doll appears ready to head to church.

Doll with plaid apron,
US, 1920-40
Mixed fabrics

The doll’s cotton day dress, collar, and apron are made from different patterned 1920s fabrics. She is dressed like a well-to-do housewife of the era.

Bearded doll,
US, ca. 1850-70
Mixed fabrics, steel, mother of pearl

This bearded gentleman sports an elegant waistcoat and pleated linen shirt—and probably once had a cravat and coat to complete the outfit.

Doll in houndstooth suit, probably Pennsylvania,
ca. 1880-90
Mixed fabrics, animal fur, leather metal

This well-dressed man wears a three-piece houndstooth suit with velvet collar, accessorized with a silk handkerchief and a metal watch chain.

Undressed doll,
US, late 19th century
Mixed fabrics

The crisp symmetrical lines of its body suggest that the doll body may have been cut from a pattern, but the embroidered face is clearly original.

Undressed doll,
US, late 19th century
Mixed fabrics

This doll’s silhouette is reminiscent of the figures that African American quiltmaker Harriet Powers, who was born into slavery in rural Georgia, stitched onto her bold pictorial quilts in the 1880s and ‘90s.

Doll in blue dress,
US, late 19th/early 20th centuries
Mixed fabrics, mother of pearl, straw

Large doll in jacket and trousers,
possibly Alabama, ca. 1930-40 Mixed fabrics, animal fur and teeth, metal armature, mother of pearl
Inscribed “Frank Brady” in ink on back of shirt

This commanding doll was made from painted canvas and metal scraps and clothed with fabrics repurposed from drapes or bed coverings. The maker used animal fur and teeth for facial details.

Doll in short sleeve blouse, US, ca. 1890-1910
Mixed fabrics, leather

Doll in mourning dress, possibly Cape Cod, MA,
ca. 1870-90
Cotton, twine, mother of pearl

Well into the 1900s, middle-class women commemorated the loss of loved ones by wearing mourning attire for prescribed periods of time based on the nearness of the relationship and the time since death. This doll wears a dress made from black and white printed fabric, usually considered suitable for “half-mourning.”

Doll with checked apron,
US, ca. 1850-70
Wood, mixed fabrics, leather, coral, metal

This early doll has a wooden torso, cotton-stuffed head, and arms made from old leather gloves.Two pockets hang over the checked apron.
The doll's coral necklace may have been intended to ward off bad luck. Because of its self-renewing properties, coral is also associated with healing and protection.

Knitted doll,
US, ca. 1900
Mixed fabrics

Pair of dolls with painted faces,
possibly Cape Cod, MA,
ca. 1890-1910
Mixed fabrics, leather, paint

Probably intended to represent a husband and wife, this well-dressed pair have expressive painted faces.

Doll in red shirt,
possibly Kentucky, early 20th century
Wood, mixed fabrics, paint

Doll with prominent ears,
US, late 19th century
Cotton, leather

Doll in beaded gown,
US, ca. 1895
Mixed fabrics, leather, glass, paper

The doll’s elegant black outfit suggests mourning attire. Her beaded bodice appears to have been made from a real bodice and the black silk ruffle at the skirt’s hem may be from the same garment.

Doll in buttoned jacket,
US, early 20th century
Mixed fabrics, paper

This doll wears a crudely made flannel suit with one large button. Its facial features are rendered with stitched-on paper, only traces of which remain.

Doll with carved wooden face,
US, ca. 1865-75
Wood, mixed fabrics, straw

Leather doll,
US, late 19th century
Leather, wool

Doll with striped pants,
possibly Kentucky,
ca. 1900-25
Mixed fabrics, mother of pearl, glass

Made of colorful vertical pieces of fabric, the doll’s pants bring to mind the tradition of strip quilting.

Doll in plaid suit,
US, ca. 1900-25
Mixed fabrics, animal fur

Doll with leather head, possibly Salem, MA, late 19th century
Leather, cotton

Coconut-head doll with head kerchief,
US, late 19th/early 20th centuries
Coconut shell, leather, sawdust, paper

Doll with necklace and earrings,
US, 1875-1900
Mixed fabrics, glass, leather, beads

This doll wears an elegant necklace and earrings made of beads, which held symbolic significance for African Americans. The blue beads may have been intended to ward off evil spirits.

Doll with green necklace,
US, ca. 1880-90
Mixed fabrics, leather, beads

The maker lavished great care on this doll’s hand-stitched dress and undergarments as well as its looped yarn wig, sculpted nose, and embroidered facial features.

Doll with tweed pants,
US, ca. 1920-30
Mixed fabrics

Doll with hat,
US, 1900-25
Mixed fabrics

A jaunty pork pie hat and suspender pants give this doll lots of character.

Doll with carved head,
US, ca. 1900
Wood, mixed fabrics, paint

Doll with velvet cape,
US, late 19th century
Mixed fabrics, leather, mother of pear l

Stitched by a skilled seamstress, this doll wears a full
complement of period-appropriate undergarments: lace-trimmed chemise, drawers, and three petticoats. Its maker had access to expensive fabrics, including luxurious crushed velvet used for the cape.

Doll in white dress,
possibly Cape Cod, MA,
ca. 1905
Mixed fabrics

Doll in gray dress,
US, early 20th century
Mixed fabrics

This doll’s gray tufted mohair wig gives her the look of an older woman. She wears a dress made from repurposed mourning fabric, brightened by a vivid red sash.

Doll in white dress,
US, ca. 1890-1910
Cotton

The maker used a padded sock for the doll’s hair, giving the effect of cornrows.

Doll in plaid dress,
US, late 19th/early 20th
centuries
Mixed fabrics, metal

The doll’s schoolgirl attire is at odds with the stern, mature expression on its painted face.

Doll in brown skirt,
US, ca. 1890-1900
Mixed fabrics, metal

Doll in blue skirt,
US, ca. 1890-1900
Mixed fabrics, metal

The same hand stitched these two fashionable women in umbrella skirts, a style popular during the 1890s.

Eliza Leslie (1787-1858) ,
The American Girl's Book: or, Occupation for Play Hours.
New York, 1863. Courtesy, Library of Congress

The American Girl’s Book, a compendium of games and crafts first published in 1831, offered instructions for making simple cloth dolls using tightly rolled linen or muslin. The book, directed to white children, suggested sewing a family of dolls, together with a Black servant attired in a checked apron and white cap.

The Art and Craft of Dollmaking

A woman who does not know how to sew is as deficient in her education as a man who cannot write. —Eliza Farrar, The Young Lady’s Friend, 1837

Nothing should be thrown away, so long as it is possible to make any use of it, however trifling that use may be. —Lydia Maria Child, The Frugal Housewife, 1838

I wanted to feel that if something were to survive as an artifact—25, 50, or 100 years from now—it would be beautifully crafted and a reflection of its maker's skill and pride. — Cozbi Cabrera, doll maker, 2008.

A woman who does not know how to sew is as deficient in her education as a man who cannot write.
—Eliza Farrar, The Young Lady’s Friend, 1837

Nothing should be thrown away, so long as it is possible to
make any use of it, however trifling that use may be.
—Lydia Maria Child, The Frugal Housewife, 1838

I wanted to feel that if something were to survive as an artifact—25, 50, or 100 years from now—it would be beautifully crafted and a reflection of its maker's skill and pride.
— Cozbi Cabrera, doll maker, 2008.