Brown doll with grass skirt
No marks on the doll. Was told my great aunt brought it back with her from WWII, when she served as a nurse. Appears to be brass rings around the dolls wrists and ankles.
11 1/4” tall and 4” wide at shoulders
Inherited
Yes
Hi Samantha,
Thank you for contacting Mearto with your appraisal inquiry.
The market for Black dolls has been fairly strong in recent months, and there has been a re-examination of the form in museum exhibitions and articles (https://www.antiquesandthearts.com/black-dolls-at-the-new-york-historical-society/). They are often stereotypical (occasionally with racist undertones) and usually it isn't known who made them; almost all are assumed to be American-made. Given it's history, this may be a fairly unusual example of one made outside of the US.
Based on the photos and information provided, and subject to examination, this is:
An antique handmade fabric Black doll
Probably Colonial Caribbean or East Indies, late 19th Century
made of black or dark brown fabric (velvet or corduroy) with wool hair, painted and applied eyes, nose and mouth, brown fibrous necklace, fibrous skirt and metal rings around its wrists and ankles.
11-1/4 inches tall
CONDITION: This doll appears to be in good condition.
PROVENANCE: Inherited from Aunt who served in WWII.
$250-350*
*represents a fair-market value for auction purposes; retail or asking price may vary.
Please let us know if you have additional items to appraise, or questions/concerns, and thank you again for using Mearto.
~ Delia
Thanks, Samantha, you're all set.
It feels like a very soft corduroy, and when you look at it close up, it has the lines in the fabric that you often see with corduroy. I have uploaded a new photo of a close-up of the fabric. Hopefully that is helpful. I was told that it either came from the Philippines or Haiti. I can’t remember which one specifically.