Doll, Anna Murray Douglas
Dublin Core
Title
Doll, Anna Murray Douglas
Subject
Recreational Objects
Communication Objects
Toys
Arts
Description
Doll of Anna Murray Douglas. African American female, gray hair in bun, green satin top with lace neck and wrists, green satin skirt, black boots.
Starting in the 1960s, I. Roberta Bell, a Chicago school teacher, created a set of 26 dolls to help teach African American history to her students. Each doll was created in the likeness of African Americans who made significant contributions to history. A limited number of copies of the dolls were made over the years.
Their heads and hands were shaped from porcelain clay and skin colors baked into it using a kiln. Faces were hand-painted and wigs of mohair adorn them. The bodies are filled with saw dust. Some dolls took longer than others to make. For instance, creating Harriet Tubman’s head took less than a week while Frederick Douglass’s head took one year.
In 1970, Bell became the first African American to join the National Institute of American Doll Artists.
Starting in the 1960s, I. Roberta Bell, a Chicago school teacher, created a set of 26 dolls to help teach African American history to her students. Each doll was created in the likeness of African Americans who made significant contributions to history. A limited number of copies of the dolls were made over the years.
Their heads and hands were shaped from porcelain clay and skin colors baked into it using a kiln. Faces were hand-painted and wigs of mohair adorn them. The bodies are filled with saw dust. Some dolls took longer than others to make. For instance, creating Harriet Tubman’s head took less than a week while Frederick Douglass’s head took one year.
In 1970, Bell became the first African American to join the National Institute of American Doll Artists.
Creator
I. Roberta Bell
Date
20th Century
Identifier
0086-0223-0008
Medium
Ceramic
Cloth
Hair
Physical Object Item Type Metadata
Donor
Hilda and Milton Geuther
Continent
North America
Country
United States
Collection
Citation
I. Roberta Bell, “Doll, Anna Murray Douglas,” University of Arkansas Museum, accessed February 13, 2026, https://uamuseum.omeka.net/items/show/75607.