Ethnic Dolls

Ohio History

Rainbow of Dolls

Moving through time, here is the next generation of dolls. Many still look handmade, though probably sewn on a machine from store-bought cloth. Aren't the Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy just adorable? You might have noticed the extreme range of skin colors of the dolls, from beige and bronze to mahogany and olive brown. In fact, a number of dolls preserved from this time period have overly exaggerated features and skin colors. This no doubt came from the strong prejudice against African Americans at the time. Thankfully, realistic dolls were also made during this time. Despite the skin color, I just had to include a close-up of the Grandma dolly doing her sewing in her little rocking chair.

Grandma Dolly