Doll, Mary McLeod Bethune
Dublin Core
Title
Doll, Mary McLeod Bethune
Subject
History
Recreational Objects
Communication Objects
Toys
Arts
Description
Doll depicting Mary McLeod Bethune. African American female, gray hair in bun style, gray wool jacket and skirt, rose blouse, lavender flower in lapel, tan socks, black shoes, red stone ring on right hand, diamond ring on left.
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
Identifier
0086-0223-0017
Date Created
1971
Medium
Ceramic
Wood
Hair
Cloth
Physical Object Item Type Metadata
Donor
Hilda and Milton Geuther
Continent
North America
Country
United States
State
Illinois
City
Chicago
Files
Collection
Citation
I. Roberta Bell, “Doll, Mary McLeod Bethune,” University of Arkansas Museum, accessed April 30, 2024, https://uamuseum.omeka.net/items/show/84882.