Dr. Lisa's Fresh Dolls

Dr. Lisa is shown with her Positively Perfect and Fresh Dolls.

A line of multicultural fashion dolls was released in August 2017.  Made for the play market, the dolls appeal to adult doll collectors as well.  The appeal is attributed to the dolls’ “fresh” look:  authentically-beautiful ethnic features, hairstyles from curly to straight, articulated and fuller-figured bodies, customized skin tones, more ethnically centered fashions, extra clothing,  accessory packs, and competitive pricing.  They are the Fresh Dolls!

Several months ago, Ebony-Essence of Dolls in Black was privileged with an exclusive interview of Dr. Lisa Williams, the creator of Fresh Dolls.  Dr. Lisa is also CEO and Founder of World of EPI.  We discussed her inspiration for the dolls, their attributes, Dr. Lisa’s message to parents and collectors, where to purchase Fresh Dolls, and Dr. Lisa's upcoming November 2018 speaking engagement.  Originally interviewed for Black Dolls Matter Magazine, this never-published interview includes additional exciting information that was not available at the time of our original discussion.

Who is Dr. Lisa?

In short, Dr. Lisa is a phenomenal woman!   To be more specific and to quote her biography, “Dr. Lisa is internationally recognized as an academic trailblazer, founder of a multi-million dollar company, an award-winning speaker and author. Through hard work and perseverance, Dr. Lisa attained unprecedented success by becoming the first female professor to receive a multi-million dollar endowed chair, the first African American professor to earn tenure at Penn State University, and the first African American to receive a doctorate in Logistics from The Ohio State University.

“At the height of her career, Dr. Lisa did the unthinkable when she left the academic life to blaze a new trail as an entrepreneur.  In 2003, she founded the World of Entertainment, Publishing and Inspiration (World of EPI), LLC. EPI is the classic Cinderella story. Dr. Lisa grew the company from negative revenues into a multi-million dollar powerhouse.  EPI is now a leading multi-cultural toy manufacturing and design firm with a global supply chain that crisscrosses the world from the US to China and other worldwide destinations.  EPI is an industry innovator having created both the Positively Perfect and Fresh Dolls Collections.  The doll collections represent African American, Latina, Middle Eastern, and Caucasian.  They are sold in Walmart, Target, [formerly at] Toys  R Us, Meijer, Kohl's, Walgreens and international markets such as the United Kingdom, Dubai, Australia, France, South America, Canada, etc.”

The Fresh Inspiration

Dr. Lisa’s inspiration to create Fresh Dolls was multipronged.   As a college professor, she recognized young women in her classroom had self-esteem issues.  These women withdrew from classroom participation and would not answer questions or otherwise speak in class.  These same women, however, would visit Dr. Lisa’s office after hours and know the answers to classroom questions.  When asked about their lack of classroom participation, their responses were, “There are so many people,” or “I don’t want to talk in class.”  It was then that Dr. Lisa realized these young women had low self-esteem. 

Later on, Dr. Lisa wrote a spiritually-based leadership book entitled, Leading Beyond Excellence.  That book went into Walmart and a line of uplifting children’s books followed.  In these books, every child is represented by African American, Caucasian, Latino, and Asian characters.  Most importantly, Dr. Lisa’s children’s books illustrate a realistic view of family and society with mothers, fathers, and grandparents woven into the stories.

With a well-established business relationship with Walmart and books that sold well there, the multinational retailing corporation asked Dr. Lisa to create a line of dolls representing the characters from the books.  Dr. Lisa answered, “No,” to Walmart’s request for a doll line not once, not twice, but three times!  After the third time, she recalled, “I was sitting on my sofa watching an episode of Anderson Cooper.  He had Soledad O’Brien on the show.  They were doing an updated doll study.  Of course, the original doll study [conducted during the 1940s by psychologists Kenneth and Mamie Clark] was sad when it said that these African American children did not identify with the African American doll.  They thought they were unattractive.  [In 2010,] they replicated this study and I’m watching the show and thought, it’s going to be different.  We have an African American president, a beautiful First Lady, and their gorgeous children.  There are celebrities on the covers of magazines; obviously, this is going to be different. Sadly, it wasn’t.  It really affects me because there was one beautiful dark skinned child – a beautiful chocolate child – and they asked her why she didn’t choose the African American doll, and she said because her skin is nasty like mine and she literally touched her own hand.  That breaks my heart.  You have a little girl who thinks she’s not attractive at 6 or 8.  What happens to her when she grows into a teenager or young adult?  What may be the opportunities she is limiting herself because she doesn’t know the truth about her beauty and intelligence?  So that was my inspiration.  A little girl I have never met.  Not only was she my inspiration that day, but every day.  Every day I get up to do this line of dolls, I remember her in my mind and in my heart because I want to do a doll line that is worthy of her.  She is the driving force.” 

Dr. Lisa reiterated, “So the inspiration for this line is a little girl who is beautiful with deep chocolate skin, a little girl who does not have positive images in dolls and is not clear about her beauty.  She is not clear about her intelligence.  I am hoping that these dolls, that every doll we do actually, is one piece of the parenting toolkit.  Obviously, dolls are not going to solve all the problems, but they are going to play with these dolls.  They are going to see their beauty reflected back in this line, and they’re going to say, ‘Oh, I’m beautiful.  I’m smart. I’m intelligent.’”

As Dr. Lisa’s reflection on the little girl in CNN’s updated doll study continued, she thought about the young women in her classroom who had not yet found their voices and recalled her personal experience growing up as a girl not recognizing her own intelligence and beauty.  She emphasized, “I create a line of dolls with an amazing team so we can start to correct that false thinking that black is not beautiful, that brown is not beautiful, that curly hair is not gorgeous; we want to stop that erroneous way of thinking and actually show them the truth.”

About Fresh Dolls

Fresh Dolls are 12-inch vinyl fashion dolls with rooted hair and poseable bodies with articulation that extends to the neck, shoulders, elbows, hips, and knees.  Geared toward children ages 4 and up, they have more realistic body proportions than traditional fashion dolls to include thicker waists, wider hips, and rounder bottoms.  As Dr. Lisa further described, “They are definitely not your mother’s fashion dolls.  Their facial features are beautifully authentic.  They have fuller lips, higher cheekbones, brown eyes, and beautiful noses.  They are very much representative of girls of color.  Not only are their bodies and facial features more representative, but the skin tones are, too.  We focused a lot of detail on getting the skin tones perfect.  The skin tones are custom blended and unique.  The hairstyles are different.  We have a doll with braids, a doll with an Afro, a doll with Afro puffs.”  During her description of the dolls, Dr. Lisa continued, “They give girls an opportunity to play and dream.  I want play to be an inspirational part of a child’s life so that they start to think about what they want to be.  I was a college professor.  When I was playing with dolls, I was playing dolls dreaming to be a teacher, so it did influence me.  That’s why we have the dolls with more articulation.”  Fresh Dolls can be posed as girls play and dream.

Dr. Lisa and her team have worked tirelessly for many years to perfect Fresh Dolls which, “didn’t just come around in six months,” she said.  “We started on this line about four years ago.  That’s how long it has taken to perfect it because we were doing something totally new.  We didn’t have a basis to use.  We started from scratch.  There is no doll that has a body like our doll, with skin tones like our doll, or hairstyles, features, even the packaging, even the name.   We wanted the dolls to represent a fresh approach to dolls, a fresh approach to respect and love of multicultural.”

Fresh Dolls started out with an African American doll and what the company refers to as blended or multicultural dolls.  They range from a doll with a rich brown complexion to variations of medium and light complexions.  The original dolls (Wave 1) include Mia, Tamra, and Lynette, which sold as single-pack dolls.  Indigo, Gabrielle, and Jacqueline sold as deluxe sets. 

Wave 1 from L-R:  Deluxe dolls Jacqueline, Gabrielle, and Indigo pose beautifully with single-pack dolls Lynette, Mia, and Tamra.

About Wave 1

Mia describes herself as being “extra” and “a true Diva-nista.”  She wears a huge Afro hairstyle. Per her bio, the name “Mimi” suits her much better.   

Indigo, who prefers her name shortened to “Indi,” has beautiful, long black microbraids.  She is into Afropunk dressing, which is mixing African culture with her own alternative styles. She also loves to shop. 

Tamra’s friends call her “Tam.”  She loves high fashion and mixing colors and prints.  

Jacqueline will not answer to anything except “Jax,” so don’t try her.  This light-complexioned doll with honey blonde hair enjoys shopping and modifying clothes to make a fashion statement. 

Lynette or “Lynn” for short has a short stature and a deep brown complexion.  With her hair pulled up into one Afro puff, she exudes confidence. 

Then there is Gabrielle or “Gabby,” who loves all shades of purple with sparkly accents.  She talks a lot because, as she asserts, she has something to say.

Front Row, L-R:  Mia, Aleyna, Aria, Froggy Fresh, and Lynette
Back Row, L-R:  Fresh Squad Fellas Malik, Daniel, and Anthony

Soon-to-be ReleasedWave 2

Aria and Aleyna join Mia and Lynette in Wave 2, which also includes the Deluxe Fresh Squad Fellas Malik, Daniel, and Anthony.  Named for guys in Dr. Lisa’s family, the fellas have extra points of articulation and real rooted hair, something that is not often found in playscale male dolls.  Dr. Lisa has also partnered with vlogger, My Froggy Stuff, to create a special edition Froggy Fresh portrait doll of the woman who shares her do-it-yourself creative genius with the doll-collecting community.  In addition to the aforementioned ethnically correct attributes and poseability, the Fresh Dolls’ unique personalities and the addition of the fellas places this line of dolls in a class of their own. 

Because Dr. Lisa wants parents of every child who wants a doll to be able to afford it, Fresh Dolls are competitively priced.  Their basic doll, also fully articulated, comes with beautiful clothes and is priced at $16.  The deluxe doll retails for $28, is also fully articulated, beautifully dressed and has an extra outfit with accessories.

Not Just Dolls

The Fresh Dolls line includes separately-sold fashions described as “elegance with an edge.”  The fashions are very respectable clothes with an ethnic flavor, “some will have an ethnic print skirt or have ethnic leggings.  They are traditional clothes that have a little something that sets the fashions apart.  Because the bodies are more representative, our clothes will not fit the traditional fashion doll bodies; therefore, we had to create a fashion doll clothing line,” Dr. Lisa added.  The Fresh Packs retail for $8 each.

Being a teacher/professor in her former life, Dr. Lisa loves books and would like to include books about the dolls in the future.  She would also love to include items such as comforters, towel sets, and pajamas for little girls.  She explained, “I want a little girl to be able to wake up in her own personal sanctuary where when she gets up, she sees her pajamas and slippers.  She looks at her comforter.  She looks over at her doll collection.  She goes to take her shower and there is her shower curtain, her little toothbrush, her towels; she is surrounded in a peaceful, loving cocoon where she is seeing beautiful, positive images reflected at her.  That is our dream.  That is what drives us every day, every moment of the day:  How do we create dolls and things that are honoring and loving of our little girls?  We get up every morning doing this for the little girls.  We have gone through multiple iterations and changes to perfect the dolls to honor and show girls their true beauty.  The gratitude that I look forward to is seeing little girls’ faces light up when they see the dolls.” 

Dr. Lisa’s Message to Parents and Collectors

“To parents, we want you to know we hear you and we are doing everything in our power to give you more tools in your toolkit to be amazing parents.  I think that our children are incredibly special.  They’re beautiful, they’re bright, and we are trying to provide toys and dolls that reflect that back to them.  Just like the parents that are telling them ‘you’re beautiful; you’re smart,’ and I know parents do that, they can now say, ‘You’re beautiful.  You’re smart, and see this little doll, Fresh, she reflects you.  She has your cheeks.  She has your lips.  She has your hair.  See how pretty the doll is?  That’s how pretty you are.’  That’s what we’re trying to do, and as I said, that’s what drives us every morning to go back to creating these dolls.  The journey has not been easy, but the driving force has been these little girls and being able to support their parents in raising them.  That continues to drive us. 

“To collectors, I want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart for all the love and all the support that you give us.  My team and I wake up every morning with the joy in our hearts of providing products that will make you and your children proud, happy and joyful.  To see that you are responding in kind love and appreciation really makes our day.  I am again just overjoyed... We deeply appreciate you and want you to continue to tell us what you like.” 

Where to Buy

The dearth of dolls of color is a global issue that Dr. Lisa has made steps to correct.  Her first line of dolls, Positively Perfect, has gone global because the need is not just here in the US.  Although the US is where Dr. Lisa’s heart is, because those are the girls she sees, she realizes multicultural dolls are desired and sought after worldwide.   “Positively Perfect may be the first company to take multicultural dolls to the international market,” she reflected, and Fresh Dolls are soon to follow. 

Parents and collectors can shop either in person or online to buy Fresh Dolls and accessories at Walmart and Target’s physical and online stores.   Look for Fresh Dolls also on Amazon.com and at the Fresh Dolls website where some products are sold exclusively.  If the dolls are not seen on the shelves of local stores, Dr. Lisa urges shoppers to inform store managers of their desire to see them there. 

For more information about Fresh Dolls, visit their website:  https://www.thefreshdolls.com/.  Follow their official Facebook page, and follow Fresh Dolls on Instagram.  The Fresh Dolls Collectors Club on Facebook is a social media gathering of fans of Fresh Dolls where photos of dolls from collectors around the globe are showcased and discussed.   

Dr. Lisa's Upcoming Speaking Engagement

If you will be in the Oakland, California area on November 10, 2018, Dr. Lisa will be the guest speaker at American Black Beauty Doll Artists’ Annual Festival of Black Dolls.  The festival will take place at the African American Museum & Library at Oakland, 659 14th St., Oakland, CA.  Show time is from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.  For additional information about this event, navigate here.  

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Ebony-Essence of Dolls in Black extends our heartfelt gratitude to Dr. Lisa for taking time away from her busy schedule to grant us this in-depth interview.  We appreciate her outstanding global market contributions of inclusive, multicultural doll lines for all age groups (to include the adult collector) that reflect beauty back to children during play.  Special thanks to Mark Ruffin of Black Dolls Matter ®Tea Party who made this interview a possibility.  

Life Began for Her at 65, I. Roberta Bell Part 1 of 3

I. Roberta Bell is shown with 8 of the dolls from her Famous Black Americans series (in later years referred to as African American Heritage Dolls).  The dolls shown are from L-R:  Harriet Tubman, Dr. Daniel Hale Williams, Dr. George Washington Carver, Crispus Attucks, W. C. Handy, Mary McLeod Bethune, and Sojourner Truth.  Mrs. Bell holds Jean Baptiste Point Du Sable in this photo that appeared in the May 1972 issue of Ebony magazine.

Life Began for Her at 65, I. Roberta Bell, Educator, Doll Maker, Black Historian

Ida Roberta Bell (1904-1992) was an African American educator and doll artist, well known for using hand sculpted dolls fashioned after famous African American leaders to teach Black history to her elementary students during the 1960s.  Prior to using dolls in Chicago classrooms with a goal to hold the students’ interest in learning about historical African Americans, Bell made her first dolls in the early forties using papier mache, oven hardening clay, and cloth.  Using McCall’s patterns, she also made and sold many rag dolls during World War II.

Close-up of  Bell's first African American Heritage doll, Dr. George Washington Carver.  Each of I. Roberta Bell's dolls included a biography hang tag.  Carver's tag reads,
Dr. George Washington Carver
1864 - 1943
  Often known as the "Saviour of Southern Agriculture", he discovered hundreds of different products from the sweet potato, the peanut, and the soybean.  Born a slave, the gentle, amiable, and almost self-effacing scientist, won worldwide renown for his discoveries. 

Bell's portrait doll, Dr. George Washington Carver is shown in full view. Photo courtesy of eBay seller, Your Favorite Doll.

In 1970, I. Roberta Bell became the first African American elected to the National Institute of American Doll Artists as a result of her first African American Heritage doll created in the likeness of scientist Dr. George Washington Carver.   “My High school principal had graduated from Tuskegee Institute and he was a friend of Dr. Carver's.  He brought him to our high school twice—back in the twenties.  I had a chance to shake his hand, and that’s why I started with him.” [1]  The Carver doll, in her words “helped Black history come alive for the class… It was then I decided to make dolls with a serious purpose.” [2]  “I want every Black American to be aware of his heritage and be proud of it.  I want every White American to know it.” [3]

A cloth label, sewn to the leg, contains the doll's name and the artist's name:  Dr. George Washington Carver, by "Bertabel," (I. Roberta Bell). Photo courtesy of B. W. Flowers.

Most of Mrs. Bell's dolls contain a cloth label sewn to the leg that contains the name of the doll, her name, and "Bertabel."  Some, if not all, will be marked with her name incised on the back of the breastplate.  Each originally had a hang tag that most often included a brief biography.

The daughter of a teacher and an artist-sculptor, Bell was born in Nashville, Tennessee and moved with her family to Kansas City where she received her formal education. During childhood, she was surrounded by art and Black history. She began earnestly collecting dolls during the 1940s and eventually had a doll room devoted to her collection which was called Bertabel’s Doll Museum.  Having acquired a large collection of both Black and white dolls before becoming a full-time doll artist, Bell’s love for dolls was lifelong.  She was also a member of the United Federation of Doll Clubs.    

Bell’s mother was Katie Frierson Bell, a graduate of Peabody Teacher’s College who worked as a substitute teacher.  Her father, Robert Eugene Bell, was a strong influence on her artistic endeavors.  In a September 1971 Chicago Daily News article, the artist stated, “When I was a little girl growing up in Kansas City, most Black children only had white dolls to play with, but my father who was an artist and sculptor, thought I should have dolls I could identify with.  He removed the heads of my pink-cheeked dolls and replaced them with brown bisque heads and hands he fired in his own kiln.” [4]

 A graduate of the University of Kansas, Bell became an educator, teaching third and fourth-grade students.  She retired from Chicago public schools in 1969.  After receiving a master’s degree from Northwestern University in Vocational Guidance, she worked as a counselor with the Chicago Department of Welfare before returning to teaching.  [5]  After ending her teaching career, she became an administrative director of branches of the YWCA in Little Rock, Arkansas, and Omaha, Nebraska.

Mrs. Bell is shown in a classroom of students eager to answer questions about the Harriet Tubman doll she holds.  This photo was scanned from the May1972 issue of Ebony magazine.

A closer look at Bell's Harriet Tubman, the doll she holds in the above classroom-setting photograph, illustrates the doll's well-defined facial features.  Photo courtesy of B. W. Flowers.

Post-retirement, Bell became a full-time doll maker depicting African Americans who “played an important role in the growth, culture and history of America.” [6] These dolls were part of Bell’s series, Famous Black Americans and sold initially for an average cost of $60.  As the popularity of her doll art grew, Bell also became a lecturer on Black history using her dolls in schools, libraries, YWCAs, and girls’ clubs.  Additionally, she and her dolls made local television appearances.  She was featured in the May 1972 issue of Ebony magazine.  That exposure led to many more requests for exhibits and lectures.

The process of sculpting, creating a mold
firing the mold, then painting, adding hair
and dressing the dolls is illustrated in
this image from the May 1972 issue of
Ebony magazine.

Keeping the tradition of doll making alive that her father inspired, Bell “took intensive workshop classes in the art of handling clay, feature painting and mold making.” [7] Independent study and experimentation were also used to develop Bell’s doll making expertise.  Porcelain became her preferred medium and she began modeling original dolls from plaster of Paris.  Once the molds cured, a process which took several weeks, she used porcelain clay slip to make her dolls. “It is the only clay I have found which fires a beautiful brown color.”  [8]  The Ebony magazine article illustrates and describes the process Bell used to make her dolls (see a scan of several photos from the article on the left).  

In an interview with Mrs. Bell by Gilbert A. Williams, Ph.D., published in the March-April 1981 issue of Black Heritage, Bell indicates her husband, Solon C. Bell, often assisted her in doll making and accompanied her on her many lectures. [9]

Continue reading here.

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1. Gilbert A. Williams, Ph.D., “Making Black Dolls Come to Life:  An Interview with Mrs. I. Roberta Bell,” Black Heritage Vol. 20, No. 4, March-April 1981, page 75.
2. Anne Gilbert, “Doll Collector Now Making Own,” Chicago Daily News, September 4, 1971.
3. Frank B. Jones, “Doll Emissaries of Black History a Study of an Artist and Her Dolls,” college paper submitted April 6, 1976.
4. Anne Gilbert article.
5. Public Library of Springfield Illinois, Lincoln Library Bulletin, February 1974, “Famous Black Lives.”
6. Ibid
7. Ibid
8. Anne Gilbert article. 
9. Gilbert A. Williams, Ph.D., interview with Mrs. I. Roberta Bell.

Life Began for Her at 65, I. Roberta Bell Part 2 of 3

From the Bertabel African American Heritage Dolls series are L-R, Harriet Tubman, Rev. Richard Allen, Sojourner Truth, Dr. George Washington Carver, and Frederick Douglass. (This image is a scan from a Philadelphia Doll Museum postcard.)

Life Began for Her at 65, I. Roberta Bell, Educator, Doll Maker, Black Historian

Continued from Part 1

A total of 26 dolls are included in Bell’s Famous Black Americans series (in later years referred to as African American Heritage Dolls).  In addition to the Dr. George Washington Carver doll, the Heritage dolls are fashioned in the likeness of such greats as Rev. Richard Allen, founder of the first national Black church in the United States, the African Methodist Episcopal Church, 1816.  

L-R:  Mary McLeod Bethune doll is shown in full view with another image of her bio hang tag and clenched hand. (Clench-hand photo courtesy of Your Favorite Doll.)

Bell's second doll is a portrait of educator, Mary McLeod Bethune, whom Bell also had an opportunity to meet.  As Bell expressed when interviewed by Gilbert A. Williams, Ph.D. for Black Heritage (1981), “If you read some of her biographies, you’ll find that she took a tour of Europe in the company of some doctors and their wives.  Well, my aunt and uncle were in that group.  My uncle was a doctor and knew Mrs. Bethune.  She visited them. One time Mrs. Bethune even stayed next door to me.  My mother had a friend, a beautician, who was rooming with us.  That night, Mrs. Bethune rang our doorbell.  She always talked with her hands clenched, that’s why I made her hands clenched on the doll.  She said, ‘I understand you have a beautician in the house.  Then I’d like my hair touched up.’  And I often say that she had her hair done in my home.”  

Harold Washington, the first Black mayor of Chicago, is the last doll in Bell’s African American Heritage series. 

Most Heritage dolls stand 18 inches tall and are marked “Bertabel.”  While the heads and hands are porcelain, they have sawdust-filled bodies.  Extensive research was involved before making each doll and its period-appropriate clothing.  According to Bell, “Unless I have read enough to know a person and believe in that person, I cannot make a doll.” [10]

The first six pages of "Doll Emissaries of Black History, a Study of an Artist and Her Dolls," by Frank B. Jones, April 6, 1976, are part of the Ida Roberta Bell Papers at the Chicago History Museum.  Jones' paper was submitted to Professor Warren E. Roberts, who taught at Indiana University Bloomington from 1949 to 1994.  Professor Roberts was one of the founders of the American study of folklife and material culture.

In his paper, Jones describes meeting Bell through his mother who had become friends with the artist after they met at a dentist’s office.  Jones writes, “My mother’s enthusiasm about Mrs. Bell [was] passed on to me in these words: ‘I met a talker just like me.  We had the best time.  She was so interesting.  She makes Black history dolls.  I want you to meet her.’  Though a spark of my mother’s excitement caught on to me, I was rather conservative in terms of what I was expecting.  I anticipated seeing a few dolls and having a fairly pleasant, albeit brief, talk with my mother’s new friend.  My mother, brother, and best friend went with me to visit Mrs. Bell.  Though I was curious about Mrs. Bell and her work, I was in a hurry, having made other plans for places to go and things to do.  Thanks to Mrs. Bell my plans were changed and happily so.”

Mrs. Bell is shown in this undated image that arrived with a doll purchased
by the author of this post.

So intrigued and fascinated by her work and the woman, Jones made several return visits to Bell’s home to interview her for his paper which focused on:  1) the artist as craftsman, educator, and collector; 2) the formation of the artist—training and influences; 3) the materials and techniques of Mrs. Bell’s dollmaking; and 4) the motivation, function and application of the work.  Jones described Bell as “a warm, vibrant woman, excited about her work, deservedly so, [who passed] this excitement on to anyone around her…   a woman of great patience.” [11]  

It is unfortunate that the entire results of Jones’ study of Mrs. Bell and her work are not included in the museum’s documentation of her work.  From the portion that is available, it is certain that Mrs. Bell was passionate about her work and willing to share and discuss her love for doll making with anyone who would listen.  

Also from the Bertabel African American Heritage doll series is Ashanti Queen Mother.

Where the Dolls Are

Complete sets of 26 Heritage series dolls were donated to museums throughout the United States.  At the time research was done for this article, the Philadelphia Doll Museum owned one set of 26 dolls and the University of Arkansas Museum owned another.  According to Gloria Young, anthropology instructor, University of Arkansas self-paced online courses, and curator of their 2012 exhibit of Bertabel’s dolls, their Heritage set was “acquired as a gift from the Geuther Doll Museum in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, in 1986 when that museum closed. Although we have 26 dolls, we may not have exactly the same collection as other museums and/or people have. These dolls were probably obtained by the Geuthers before Roberta Bell made the doll of Harold Washington… so we don't have that one. Instead, the 26th doll is the Ashanti Queen Mother.”

Continue reading here.

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     10.  Jones paper.
     11.  Jones paper.

Life Began for Her at 65, I. Roberta Bell Part 3 of 3

Bell's African American Heritage doll series includes L-R, Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, and W. C. Handy. Photo courtesy of B. W. Flowers

Life Began for Her at 65, I. Roberta Bell, Educator, Doll Maker, Black Historian

Continued from Part 2

In 1982, Mrs. Grace Meier of Paris, Illinois, donated her set of 26 Heritage dolls to her alma mater, Eastern Illinois University. [12] The dolls remain a sub-collection of the Tarble Arts Center Folk Arts Collections.

Some of the Heritage dolls are also in the hands of fortunate doll enthusiasts and today can be purchased only on the secondary market from those willing to part with them.

A catalog of Bell's dolls made from 1969 through 1974 appears in The American Doll Artist Volume II by Helen Bullard on pages 181-182. [13]  Each doll has a parenthetical number which possibly indicates that doll's edition size.

Catalog of Bell's Dolls, 1969-1974:

1969

George Washington Carver. (78) In lab apron. Eminent scientist known as the “Savior of
Southern Agriculture” and the “Peanut Wizard.”

Mary McLeod Bethune. (82) Famous educator, humanitarian, and advisor to President Franklin Roosevelt.

Harriet Tubman. (60) Known as “The Moses of her People,” she led over three-hundred slaves to freedom during nineteen journeys to the South.

Sojourner Truth. (58) Abolitionist-suffragette. Born in slavery and when freed, felt it her duty to “sojourn up and down the land and tell the truth about the evils of slavery.” Changed her name from Isabella Baumfree to “Sojourner Truth.”

Paul Laurence Dunbar. (25) Known as “The Poet of the People,” he wrote both in conventional English and in the various Negro dialects.

1971

Jean Baptiste Point [du] Sable. (14) First citizen of Chicago, Illinois. A wealthy trapper and fur trader, he married a Potawatomi Indian.

W. C. Handy. (20) “The Father of the Blues.” Famous for “St. Louis Blues,” “Memphis Blues,” and “Beale Street Blues.”  Wrote many oratorios and serious music as well.

Dr. Daniel Hale Williams. (15) The first open heart surgeon. The Chicago Tribune in 1893 carried this headline about him, “SEWED UP HIS HEART.” Founder of Provident Hospital and Nurses’ School.

1972

Frederick Douglass. (12) Abolitionist-orator, newspaper editor, United States Recorder of Deeds, and Minister to Haiti for the United States.

Anna Murray Douglass. (10) Wife of Frederick Douglass, she aided him financially and with moral support, in his escape from slavery.

Solon C. Bell. (12) Labor leader. Founder of the first union among dining car employees on the Union Pacific Railroad in the 1930s.

Asanti Queen Mother. (8) Representing queen from Ashanti (Ghana), a section of Africa from which most of the African slaves came. She could easily have been the ancestor of any contemporary Black American. Costumed with much gold jewelry and gold trim.

Matthew Henson. (10) Accompanied Admiral Peary in expeditions designed to discover the North Pole. When the pole was reached, on April 6, 1908, Peary handed the United States flag to Henson, who placed it at the pole. They were the first to reach the North Pole.

Amos Fortune. (9) Born a prince in Africa, he was kidnapped and sold into slavery in America.  According to the epitaph on his tombstone in Jaffrey, New Hampshire, “purchased liberty, professed Christianity, lived reputably, and died hopefully, Nov. 17, 1801, at the age of ninety-one.”

1973

George Glenn. (12) Black cowboy who rode the Chisholm Trail from Abilene, Kansas, to San Antonio, Texas.

James Beckwourth. One of the famous “mountain men.” Explorer, guide, and teller of all tales.  He is credited with putting Reno, Nevada, on the map by discovering the lowest point across the Sierra Nevada mountains. It became a favorite route settlers used to get to the Northwest. 

Oliver Lewis. (8) A black jockey who rode Aristides to win the first Kentucky Derby in 1875.  

Dr. W.E.B. DuBois. (5) One of the greatest scholars of all time; he received a Ph.D. from
Harvard University, studied at the University of Berlin, became one of the founders of the NAACP, and has been listed in Who’s Who In America since its first publication.

1974

Prince Hall. (5) A black pioneer abolitionist in Massachusetts, a minister in the Methodist church, he organized the first black Masons, and was a member of the Continental Army. He influenced the Massachusetts State Legislature to provide free school facilities to all.

Benjamin Banneker. (5) Mathematical wizard and inventor. He published an almanac in 1791, made the first clock wholly made in America, and helped to survey and layout the streets of Washington, D.C. 

Elizabeth Keckley. (10) Dressmaker, friend, and confidante to Mary Todd Lincoln.

Other Bertalbel's Dolls

Mom Du Jos was inspired by the main character in the book of the same name by Erick Berry.

In addition to the Heritage series, one-of-a-kind dolls have been attributed to Mrs. Bell.   It is unknown how many one-of-a-kind dolls she made; however, one is known that was fashioned after the character in the book, Mom Du Jos the Story of a Little Black Doll by Erick Berry (Doubleday, Doran  & Company, Inc., 1931.) Using the description provided by the author of this title, I. Roberta Bell, sculpted the doll’s head and hands which were fired in a dark brown porcelain and attached to a sawdust-filled brown cloth body.

This close-up image illustrates the facial scarification.

Mom Du Jos represents a member of the Haussa tribe of Northern Nigeria and bears the traditional cheek scarification of the Haussas. The doll’s handwritten hang tag indicates it is an exclusive original doll with its original fez made by Bell on October 3, 1980.  Missing its fez, the doll now wears a white turban.  The clothing was made by Falcon Garth.  Read more about Mom Du Jos and see additional images here.

An elderly Pedlar doll quite possibly is a one-of-a-kind Bertabel doll. This doll stands 15 inches with porcelain head, lower arms/hands; light brown cloth body, hands, and feet. She carries a basketful of wares which contains a toy truck, white Victorian-style porcelain doll, plastic hammer, and utensils. A sleeping man wearing a sombrero, plastic car, false teeth, pan and skillet, and three pairs of plastic scissors hang from the sides of the basket. The hang tag indicates the artist made this doll in April 1986 at age 82.

Copy of an envelop that held a Dr. George Washington Carver paper doll by "Bertabel's Dolls," ©1971

In addition to three-dimensional dolls, at least one known paper doll of Bell’s Dr. George Washington Carver doll exists. With a copyright of 1971, the front of the trifold paper doll sheet reads, “This paper doll is made from a photograph of the portrait doll of Dr. George Washington Carver, created by I. Roberta Bell, artist, member of the National Institute of American Doll Artists.”

George Washington Carver paper doll by Bertabel Dolls is printed on trifold paper.

The paper doll text includes a brief biography of Dr. Carver and a note to the child that reads, “As you play with this paper doll, try to discover as much as you can about this great, famous black American. Your teacher and school librarian can help you. Above the copyright is a note to “watch for other paper dolls of Famous Black Americans by I. Roberta Bell, doll artist. [14]  The Carver paper doll is a copy of an original that Bell sent to a woman in Mokena, Illinois along with a handwritten note dated, December 9, 1972, that reads:

Dear Hilda,
Please accept these as a gift from me. I’m sorry not to have answered sooner.

Love & Merry Xmas!

Sincerely,
Roberta

Along with the above George Washington Carver paper doll, this handwritten note was mailed by Mrs. Bell to someone named Hilda on December 9, 1972.

During the 1981 interview with Black Heritage, Bell was asked if she would have liked to have been a doll artist her entire life. She answered, “Yes and no. I don’t regret anything that I have done. I feel that all of these things were stepping stones to what I am now doing. I feel that I am a much better person. I feel that I am able to lecture and relate to young people, because of my teaching and social work experience. God has a plan for everybody, and although I had hoped to and wished all of my life to be an artist, I feel that God was not ready for me to do it. I feel that the time is right now. There is an emphasis on Black history now. For once, I feel that I did the right thing at the right time. Often I say that life began for me at sixty-five.” [15]

Ida Roberta Bell died in 1992. Her work and memory live on through her dolls and other artwork. She remains ever present in those whose lives she enriched as an educator, in others who knew and loved her, and through the I. Roberta Bell Minority Scholarship offered through Eastern Illinois University to eligible incoming, freshmen. [16]

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     12.  I. Roberta Bell Sub-Collection at Tarble Arts Center Eastern Illinois University (Most of the
            thumbnail images of Mrs. Bell's dolls at this site can be enlarged.)

     13.  Helen Bullard, The American Doll Artist, Volume II, pages 181-183 (Athena Publishing

            Company, 1975).
     14.  Dr. George Washington Carver paper doll and a handwritten note to recipient courtesy of Ms.

            Bettie Ativie

     15.  Gilbert A. Williams, Ph.D., interview with Mrs. I. Roberta Bell.
     16.  [https://eiu.academicworks.com/opportunities/1939] I. Roberta Bell Minority Scholarship.

Creations by Ba'ucham

In a question and answer session, Ra'chel Ba'ucham, who creates dolls under the brand, Creations by Ba'ucham, shares her artist profile with the readers of Ebony-Essence of Dolls in Black.

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How long have you been making dolls and what inspired you to begin making them?

I have been making dolls for about 3 years in my spare time, while I worked as a full-time nurse.  What inspired me was a dream that I had that God had gifted me with the gift of doll making, even though at that time I had never made a doll in my life.

The first crocheted boy doll by Creations by Ba'ucham, Roger, is shown with the artist's second crocheted girl, whose name is Ariana.

What is your favorite medium or favorite media, if more than one and why?

I love working with all mediums, from fabric, clay, seeds, beads, shells and even sticks.  I up-cycle some dolls from simple things like empty coffee creamer containers, really any medium that calls out to me to be re-invented.

Do you have your own personal style or trademark that sets your dolls apart from other dolls made from the medium/media that you use?

Each doll that I craft is unique in that they are truly one of a kind.  Each doll is authenticated with a unique marking known only to myself and one other person.  Each doll is further supported by copyright documentation registered in the Library of Congress, assuring each doll owner that they are in possession of an authentic doll crafted by me, the artist and designer.  Each doll receives a Certificate of Authenticity and there is only one like each doll in the whole world.  No patterns are used in the crafting of my dolls, no matter what medium that is used.

This cloth doll has a few identifying marks.

Do your dolls direct your path during the creation process in determining their final appearance?

Yes, and only another doll maker would understand that each doll has a personality all unique to them. They will advise me as to how they want to be presented.  They advise me in every step of their creative journey from hairstyle, facial expression, clothing, accessories, and name.

The same cloth doll as before shows off her nape-of-neck and lower-back tattoos.

Do you want collectors to gain a sense of realism from your dolls, or are your dolls abstract characters?

Yes, realism.  Each doll is an extension on me, and expresses the multifaceted layers of my own personality, from the little girl to the mature woman that I am, and the whole width and depth of uncharted territory in-between the two facets.

Bernard's face is needle sculpted and he has dimples.

Describe your latest doll creation and the inspiration.

My latest creation is a little boy doll.  His name is Bernard.  He operates in the personality of a two-year-old child and my inspiration was influenced by a dear friend of mine whose name is Bernard.  My friend is 61 years old, but at times the little boy in him surfaces and thus his mini-me was crafted.

This lovely cloth doll with handpainted facial features represents a Delta Sigma Theta soror.

Do you have any tips for aspiring artists?

I am still fresh on this journey but would offer that everyone reach deep within themselves and craft from their soul.  There are a lot of doll makers but so are there many hamburger restaurants – each one offers the community a different take on the same medium.  So don't be intimidated.  There is enough of God, His gifts, and His love to fill everyone's cup in this world, and there would still be overage.  Be your true authentic self, and explore your own unique flavor and believe that you are in possession of that unique one-of-a-kind spice that the world needs to experience.

A cute blonde girl with blue eyes wears a pretty white crocheted dress and sky blue leggings with crocheted shoes to match.

What is the average price of your dolls? 

The prices vary. They mostly range from $80 to $155 depending on the complexity to make them.

Daeja is a huggable 18-inch freehand crocheted baby.

How can you be reached?

Creations by Ba'ucham

Ra'chel Ba'ucham Artist/Designer

E-mail:  unekleyme1010@gmail.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CreationsbyBaucham/
Etsy:  https://www.etsy.com/shop/CreationsByBaucham

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Ebony-Essence of Dolls in Black extends a heartfelt thanks to Ra'chel for taking the time to share her artist profile and the images of her one-of-a-kind, handcrafted doll designs.  Visit the Black Doll Collecting blog to see a detailed review of one of Ra'chel's freehand crocheted dolls.  

Lenon Holder Hoyte - Educator, Philantropist, Doll Museum Founder - Part 1

Lenon Holder Hoyte

July 4, 1905 – August 1, 1999

Educator, Philanthropist, Doll Museum Founder and Curator

(Photo scanned from Sotheby's catalog:  The Collection of Lenon Holder Hoyte.)

Born on Independence Day in 1905, Lenon Holder Hoyte, an educator and philanthropist, was founder and curator of Aunt Len’s Doll and Toy Museum.  The museum was housed in the three-story Harlem, New York brownstone that she shared with her pharmacist husband, Lewis P. Hoyte.  The couple had no children, but Hoyte often referred to her dolls as her babies. 

From Sotheby's 6644 auction catalog of "Aunt Len's" dolls, December 16, 1994, are items 491 and 407.  Described as "Martha Chase Black Painted Cloth Doll, American, late 19th century, stockinette face and body," is a 26-inch doll formerly owned by Aunt Len. Item 410, "Martha Chase 'Little Nell' Painted Fabric Doll, American, circa 1930, with blue eyes, applied ears, and brown hair" is a 15-1/2-inch doll from Aunt Len's Doll and Toy Museum.

As a collector of black dolls, I am always fascinated by others who share my passion.  While Aunt Len’s collection was not restricted to black dolls, her museum included several.  Throughout my years of collecting, I have heard the name Lenon Hoyte or Aunt Len mentioned by other collectors or by those closely connected to the doll community.  These people often inquired whether I 1) knew Hoyte or 2) visited her museum.  My answer has always been “no” because I began collecting a few years prior to Aunt Len’s demise and was not aware of her or the museum until after her passing. 

For the benefit of others who are not aware of Ms. Hoyte’s contribution to the doll community, I felt compelled to create this compilation of information about her.  The information herein was gleaned from various Internet sources, to include two biographies, periodicals, and Ms. Hoyte’s L.A. Times and New York Times obituaries. Doll images were scanned from a Sotheby’s catalog of over 400 dolls from the Aunt Len’s Doll and Toy Museum.  The ultimate goal is to document the most pertinent information about Hoyte’s life as a collector to familiarize others with this remarkable woman.

Personal Information

Born Lenon Holder on July 4, 1905, in New York City; daughter of Moses Emanuel and Rose Pari (Best) Holder; married Lewis P. Hoyte on September 1, 1938; died on August 1, 1999, in New York City.
Education: New York Teachers Training School, 1930; City College of New York (CCNY), BS, 1937; Teaching Certificate in Special Education, 1940, Columbia University; doctoral equivalent, 1959, CCNY.
Religion: Episcopalian.
Memberships/Affiliations:
Harlem Hospital, secretary to the lay advisory board; National Doll and Toy Collectors Club; Phi Delta Kappa Sorority, 1st Basileus, 1953; St. [Philips] Episcopal Church, Upper 2 Society; United Federation of Doll Clubs.

Early Life, Education, Teaching Career

Hoyte was the oldest of five children of Rose Pari (Best) and Moses Emanuel Holder.   After attending the New York Teachers Training School, she began teaching in New York City public schools in 1930, where she remained until her retirement in 1970.  She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in education from CCNY in 1937.  She earned her teaching certificate in special education from Columbia University in 1940.

Lenon Hoyte remained a student as well as an educator for much of her career.  She studied art at CCNY, at Columbia University, and with private teachers. In 1959 Hoyte earned her Ph.D. equivalent from CCNY. 

Mrs. Hoyte often used dolls in the classroom as teaching aids (Photo scanned from Sotheby's catalog:  The Collection of Lenon Holder Hoyte.)

Between 1940 and 1950 Hoyte taught mentally disabled children. Between 1950 and 1970 she taught art, crafts, puppetry, and doll making. She was a lecturer at the Museum of Natural History and the workshop coordinator for the Workshop Center for Open Education at CCNY. After 41 years in her profession, Hoyte retired from teaching art at Junior High School 149 in the Bronx. Her decision to retire was explained in The New York Times obituary by William H. Honan, who quoted Hoyte as saying, "When they started killing teachers, I got out."

Life's Work

After 40 years as an art and special education teacher in New York City public schools, Lenon Hoyte--commonly known as Aunt Len--founded Aunt Len's Doll and Toy Museum in her Harlem home. It was one of the nation's largest private collections of dolls and related toys and became one of New York City's most popular specialty museums during its years of operation between 1970 and 1994.

Continue reading here.