Miniature Black baby doll with a dark pink dress
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 Black baby doll with a dark pink dress. The brown painted bisque baby doll has articulated arms and legs. The doll has wide white and black painted eyes, red painted Cupid’s bow lips, rounded cheeks, and a button nose. She has a mostly bald head with a molded crest at the top and three pigtails; one on each side of face and one at the top. The pigtails are black shredded synthetic fiber tied off with thin, dark pink ties. 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: 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: 2023.48.1
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 and ribbon with synthetic fiber and string
label: Dimensions
content: H x W x D: 3 1/2 × 1 15/16 × 1 7/16 in. (9 × 4.9 × 3.7 cm)