Miniature Black baby doll with a dark pink dress and red hair bows
date: label: Date
content: 1945-1952
name: label: Manufactured by
content: Unidentified
notes: label: Caption
content: This is a Black bisque doll manufactured in Japan during the U.S. occupation between 1945 and 1952. The doll is a white baby doll that was painted brown as a substitute for an actual African American doll and speaks to the lack of diversity in the doll industry at the time. Dolls like this were created for a mass market and repurposed to appeal to African American consumers because the doll industry lacked a multiplicity of Black skin-tones and facial features.
label: Description
content: A miniature baby doll with a dark pink dress and red hair bows. The brown painted bisque baby doll has articulated arms and legs. The doll has wide white and black painted, side glancing eyes; red painted Cupid’s bow lips; rounded cheeks; and a button nose. She has a mostly bald head with molded, dark brown, painted locks at the top and a red bow above each of her ears. There is a small hole at the top of the head. She is wearing a dark pink, sleeveless dress constructed from pieces of identical ribbon. The body of the dress resembles a dress with bloomers. The dress wraps around the doll’s torso, under the arms. Another piece of ribbon is sewn into a ruffled skirt around the waist. Stamped on the upper back is the text [MADE IN / OCCUPIED / JAPAN].
place: label: Place made
content: Japan, Asia
label: Place used
content: Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States, North and Central America
label: Place used
content: Bedford, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, North and Central America
topic: label: Topic
content: African American
label: Topic
content: Amusements
label: Topic
content: Children
label: Topic
content: Families
label: Topic
content: Race relations
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
label: Classification
content: Toys and Games
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Claire E. Humphrey & Vickie L. Henry
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture
identifier: label: Object number
content: 2023.48.2
objectType: label: Type
content: baby dolls
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Unknown - Restrictions Possible
label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Rights assessment and proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: paint on ceramic with ribbon and string (fiber product)
label: Dimensions
content: H x W x D: 3 1/16 × 1 15/16 × 1 3/16 in. (7.8 × 5 × 3 cm)