555 research outputs found
Sort by
Handmade Mammy Rag Doll
No full textHandmade Mammy Rag Doll Series IX Box 9
19” high and 10” wide
Unknown Year
Multinational
Cloth and mixed medium
This handmade “Mammy” doll wears materials of a having an apron on and a scarf on her head. She has a large flowing desk to convey being a heavyset woman. The doll is made with black cloth to represent the woman as being of a darker complexion. This doll has no facial features. The reason this doll lacks facial features is because this doll also doubles as a voodoo doll for spiritual rituals and representation. The doll has no facial features, which allows the user of the doll to create the face that the he or she wants to be displayed for the ritual.https://dclu.langston.edu/eflewisdollcollection/1047/thumbnail.jp
Hand Crafted 1950\u27s Aunt Jemima Statue Doll
No full textHand Crafted 1950\u27s Aunt Jemima Statue Doll Series X box 10
15” high and 6” wide
1950
Multinational
Cloth, wood, mixed medium
This doll is a representation of a stereotypical “Mammy” image. This doll was made with materials found by the artist including part of a mop head. This doll plays right into the image of dark complexion heavy set woman whose only job is to take care of the needs of others. She has her head covered, and apron for cooking and she has a basket with food in it, to help convey this message.https://dclu.langston.edu/eflewisdollcollection/1048/thumbnail.jp
Luba Kneeling Divination Figure
No full textDivination Figure
14 high
Circa 19th Century
Luba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Africa
Wood
A kneeling figure with an enlarged head and exaggerated facial features. The figure\u27s oval face has enlarged, oval-shaped eyes, a splayed nose and parallel lips. The head is supported by a cylindrical neck which leads to rounded shoulders and bent arms. The hands are broad with fingers to help support the divination bowl (the Mboko), which is considered a symbol of royal authority. Luba artists created these figures for the purpose of seeking information about the future from supernatural means (divination).https://dclu.langston.edu/africanartcollection_14_15/1005/thumbnail.jp
Senufo Fertility Figure
No full textFertility Figure
21 1/4 high
Circa 19th Century
Senufo, Ivory Coast, West Africa
Wood
A female figure, standing with flat feet on a circular base. The figure has a pointed coiffure, small pointed breasts, a cylindrical neck and rounded shoulders. Bent arms lead to hands that rest on each side of her abdomen. There is scarification in the pectoral areas and beneath the eyes.https://dclu.langston.edu/africanartcollection_14_15/1038/thumbnail.jp
Baule Standing Ancestor Figure (Female)
No full textFemale Ancestor Figure
16 3/4 high
Circa 20th Century
Baule, Ivory Coast, West Africa
Wood
A standing female figure with a finely incised coiffure, arched eyebrows, almond-shaped eyes and an elongated nose. The lips are pursed and there are concentric rings around the neck. The pointed breasts have scarification; the arms bend and the hands are held flat against each side of the convex navel. The legs are slightly bent and the flat feet rest on a rectangular base.https://dclu.langston.edu/africanartcollection_14_15/1033/thumbnail.jp
Male Country Christmas Ornament
No full textMale Country Christmas Ornament Series XI. Box 11
7” high and 4½” wide
1990
Multinational
Cloth and mixed medium
This doll is created by a Multinational company to sell as a Christmas Ornament. This doll is a replica of what the stereotypical black male may have looked like in times past. The doll may represent a black male slave or a black farmer. The dolls clothes are overalls that are a bit worn and fit not quite right. The doll appears to be of a person of a larger build. The doll is made of cloth that is black in color. The face is not distinct. This is due to the fact that this doll represents a toy that may have been used for a child or a ceremonial doll that a person may use if he practices an African Spiritual Religion or Voodoo Spiritual Religion.https://dclu.langston.edu/eflewisdollcollection/1061/thumbnail.jp
Benin Executioner
No full textExecutioner
42 high
Circa 19th Century
Benin, Nigeria, West Africa
Bronze, Copper alloy
A standing male figure displaying the attributes of a Benin executioner and meant to be placed in a Benin shrine. The figure is janiform (having a face on two sides) with two sets of arms raised and brandishing a severed head and executioner\u27s sword. The torso and legs are long and straight with feet resting on an oval base, which is part of the composition of the figure.https://dclu.langston.edu/africanartcollection_14_15/1012/thumbnail.jp
Dan Dance Mask
No full textDance Mask
19 high
Circa 20th Century
Dan, Liberia, West Africa
Wood, Natural fibers
A mask of carved wood, tapering into an oval shape. The forehead is slightly domed with a vertical medial ridge and a supra orbital crest above the zone of the eyes. The eyes are shaped into narrow slits. The nose is broad and the lips are enlarged, with a triangular shape. Long, braided natural fibers form the hair and have been attached to drilled holes around the perimeter of the mask.https://dclu.langston.edu/africanartcollection_14_15/1022/thumbnail.jp
Hemba Ancestor Figure (Singiti)
No full textAncestor Figure
20 1/4 high
Circa 19th Century
Hemba, Congo, 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.
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_15/1021/thumbnail.jp
Jennifer Honeymoon Collection Doll
No full textJennifer Honeymoon Collection Doll. Series VII. Box 7
11” high and 4” wide
Unknown Year Representing 1960\u27s
United States
Mixed medium, cloth, plastic, vinyl
This doll is from the Jennifer Honeymoon collection. The Jennifer doll was based on the 1960’s television character Julia who was an African –American widowed single mother who was a nurse. In the 1960’s marriage was the norm and thus promoted, though Julia was single, there was hope that she would remarry and to recognize that she was married before. The doll and her wardrobe accessory promote that Julia was married or would remarry and this is what she might take with her on her future honeymoon or what she may have taken on her honeymoon in the past.https://dclu.langston.edu/eflewisdollcollection/1023/thumbnail.jp