Handmade Black Woman Doll, Christian Doll Collection, NCHM Collection; produced sometime between the 1930s and 1950s.
Visit This Exhibit
On display January 29, 2025 - March 9, 2025
Open Wednesday – Sunday
11 AM – 4 PM CST
Accessibility
This exhibit is located on the second floor and is not wheelchair accessible. An album with images of the installations on the second floor is available for those who are mobility impaired.
Shaping Identity: Black Dolls’ Role in the Racial and Power Dynamics of 19th and 20th Century America
An Exhibition Guest Curated by NCHM Curatorial Intern Mia Johnson
on display at the Neill-Cochran House mUseum
January 29, 2025 - march 31, 2025
Looking at the landscape of children’s toys in 2025, it is not difficult to find racially diverse dolls. However, sixty years ago the situation was very different. Mattel introduced their first Black doll, Francie, in 1967, but it was not until 1993 that American Girl Dolls released their first Black character, Addy Walker. Addy came with a Black cotton accessory doll named Ida Bean, which looks back to the first Black dolls in American life from the period of enslavement and resembles the dolls in this collection. Shaping Identity: Black Dolls’ Role in the Racial and Power Dynamics of 19th and 20th Century America features twelve dolls from the 19th and 20th centuries that all differ in appearance and creative expression. This exhibition explores the history of Black cloth dolls, exploring their emergence in southern plantation homes and their purpose as educational toys for both White and enslaved Black children.