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Bean Bag Baby Doll
No full textBean Bag Baby Doll Series XI. Box 11
8” high and 5” wide
1970
United States
Cloth, Vinyl, Plastic, and Mixed Medium
This doll is an African-American doll made at a time during the 1970’s when African -Americans wanted their dolls to reflect their culture and be a part of mainstream culture. This doll followed the tradition of the bean bag doll with its silly facial features, light brown skin coloring and soft facial features. This doll does not have stereotypical features of African-Americans that were prominent in pervious time periods.https://dclu.langston.edu/eflewisdollcollection/1070/thumbnail.jp
Baule Standing Ancestor Figure
No full textAncestor Figure
15 high
Circa 19th Century
Baule, Ivory Coast, Africa
Wood
A standing figure with finely incised coiffure; the right hand grasps a long, braided goatee. The left hand rests on the left hip near a convex navel and under diagonal scarification. Scarification is also found on the rear neck and back. The knees are slightly bent and the flat feet rest on a circular base.https://dclu.langston.edu/africanartcollection_14_15/1009/thumbnail.jp
Mumuye Ancestor Figure
No full textAncestor Figure
29 high
Circa 19th Century
Mumuye, Nigeria, West Africa
Wood, pigment
A figure carved of wood with a crest that projects from the head. The ears are expanded and white pigment highlights the circular eyes and ears. The neck is adorned with geometric scarification. An oval is carved into the abdomen and chest areas with a protruding navel encircled with additional white pigment. This figure has losses at the base.https://dclu.langston.edu/africanartcollection_14_15/1007/thumbnail.jp
Dogon Hermaphroditic Figure
No full textSeated Hermaphroditic Figure
31 high
Circa 19th Century
Dogon, Mali, West Africa
Wood
A seated hermaphroditic figure with an oval-shaped head, down turned oval-shaped eyes, oval flank and an arrow-shaped nose. The parallel lips are above an angular jaw with reverse C-shaped ears. The figure\u27s long breasts are above an elongated abdomen and protruding navel. The tubular neck leads to angular shoulders and extremely long arms which extend to the waist. The condensed lower body and legs rest on a stool which emerges from a circular base.https://dclu.langston.edu/africanartcollection_14_15/1001/thumbnail.jp
Hemba Ancestor Figure (Singiti)
No full textAncestor Figure
20 1/2 high
Circa 19th Century
Hemba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Africa
Wood
A nude male figure carved of wood, raised eyebrows and oval eyes with a beaded motif for a beard. The tubular neck and hunched shoulders lead to arms which are at the sides of the figure. The blunt hands touch each side of the waist and the abdomen is bulbous with a protruding navel. The knees are slightly bent and the feet are flat, resting on an oval base. There are some losses in the facial, temple and coiffure areas.
Among the Hemba, ancestor effigies are called Singiti. These figures were hidden within the family compound in a separate shrine. In ancestral rites, the sculptures were the focus of invocations recalling heroic deeds of the ancestor. The pose of this figure may reflect wisdom and interior calm; the coiffure signifies the directions and crossroads where spirits gather. The swelling of the stomach has associations with lineage continuity, but in general, such figures embody intelligence, strength, energy and fertility.https://dclu.langston.edu/africanartcollection_14_15/1020/thumbnail.jp
Makonde Dance Mask
No full textDance Mask
9 1/2 high
Circa 19th Century
Makonde, Tanzania/Mozambique, East Africa
Wood
A rounded head carved of wood with a high forehead, enlarged ears and arched eyebrows. The face has plump cheeks and a thick neck. There are some abrasive losses throughout the face.https://dclu.langston.edu/africanartcollection_14_15/1026/thumbnail.jp
Songye Standing Female Ancestor Figure
No full textAncestor Figure
9 1/2 high
Circa 19th Century
Songye, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Africa
Wood
A standing female ancestor figure with an oval-shaped head, coffee bean-shaped eyes, a block-like nose, rectangular mouth and pointed chin. The elongated neck is composed of concentric circles. The bent arms have large, flat hands which grab the abdomen. The legs are bent and the feet are planted on a circular base.https://dclu.langston.edu/africanartcollection_14_15/1036/thumbnail.jp
1960 English Golliwogg Doll
No full textEnglish Golliwogg Doll. Series I, Box 1
16” high 6½” wide
1960
Europe
Cloth
The Golliwogg doll comes from the book, The Adventures of Two Dutch Dolls and a Golliwogg . A product of the blackface and minstrel tradition, the Golliwog has jet-black skin, a tall thin build, bright red lips, bulging eyes and wild woolly hair. He wears clothes that are common for the minstrel singer, a short red coat and long red and white striped pants. The Golliwogg has been seen as a negative stereotype of peoples of the African Diaspora in Europe since the 1890’s. This particular doll was created in the 1960\u27s. This negative representation is still used to describe African Diaspora peoples in Europe today. For example, in 2009 the daughter of Margaret Thatcher, former British Prime Minister, referred to the black French tennis Player Jo-Wilfred Tsonga, competing in the Australian Open, as looking like a Golliwogg.https://dclu.langston.edu/eflewisdollcollection/1007/thumbnail.jp
Doll Hanger Unknown Date
No full textDoll Hanger Unknown Date Series Iv. Box 4
9½” high 5” wide
Unknown Year
Multinational
Cloth, Metal, and mixed medium
This doll hanger wears traditional island clothes or clothes that may be worn by a person from Africa. This doll is in the traditional fashion of dark skin because it is made with black cloth and represents the voodoo culture and religion. This doll would have a place to put items in and could be used for a religious ceremony.https://dclu.langston.edu/eflewisdollcollection/1059/thumbnail.jp
Kids Club Doll
No full textKids Club Doll- Nickelodeon Burger King Kids Meal Series XI. Box 11
5½” high 4½” wide
1998
United States
Vinyl, Plastic, Cloth, and mixed medium
This doll came from an era of the need to accurately portray African-Americans and African-American children. This doll was sold by the Burger King Corporation with collaboration from the Nickelodeon Children Network Television programs. This doll represents one of the characters from a Nickelodeon television series. This doll is from an era where companies, artist, and people in general tried to represent African-Americans in an accurate reflection of a diverse set of people from a diverse background. This doll has a light brown skin with larger lips. The doll does not have a European image but it does not have an exaggerated image of an African –American either. This being extremely large red lips, big bulging eyes, and painted black skin.https://dclu.langston.edu/eflewisdollcollection/1068/thumbnail.jp