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| Aunt Len, seated with a large cloth doll. (Photo scanned from Sotheby's catalog: The Collection of Lenon Holder Hoyte.) |
Continued from Part 1
Founding the Doll Museum
In 1962 Hoyte was asked to organize a doll show as a fundraiser for Harlem Hospital. Following her husband's death, Hoyte's new-found passion occupied her retirement years. She traveled throughout the United States, Europe, and the Caribbean, visiting doll shows and collecting dolls and accessories from flea markets, garage sales, and antique stores. Hoyte referred to all of her dolls as her "babies," from the rarest antiques to well-used dolls with broken arms.
The year that they married, the Hoytes had bought a three-story brownstone at 6 Hamilton Terrace between Convent and St. Nicholas Avenues in Harlem. In the 1960s they turned over a part of their home to Aunt Len's Doll and Toy Museum. The public spaces consisted of narrow passageways winding through the ground floor and basement of the building. From 1970 until 1994, Lenon Hoyte served as the museum's full-time executive director, president, curator, and tour guide.
Aunt Len's Doll and Toy Museum officially opened in 1974, with irregular hours several times per week. Admission fees never exceeded two dollars for adults and 50 cents for children. At one time the museum held between 5,000 and 6,000 dolls. Eventually, it outgrew its space and Hoyte began to store her most valuable dolls in a rental across the street.
Attracted Collectors from Around the World
In general, Hoyte's collection was organized historically. However, sometimes exhibits occupied glass cabinets with particular themes. The dolls ranged in size from one or two inches up to two to three feet. There were fine nineteenth-century French dolls made of bisque, an unglazed ceramic. There were rare, antique porcelain dolls and United States presidents and first ladies. There were numerous versions of Shirley Temple dolls, Barbie dolls, Betsy Wetsy dolls, and Cabbage Patch dolls.
Hoyte's collection included extremely rare black dolls from the nineteenth century. Among them were rag dolls made by slaves from scraps of fabric, muslin, and feed bags. A pair of papier-mâche´ dolls named Lillian and Leo had been made by Leo Moss, a nineteenth-century black handyman from Atlanta. Lillian and Leo had tears running down their cheeks. Legend claimed that after separating from his wife and children, Moss only made sad dolls. According to Hoyte's obituary in the Los Angeles Times, she once told reporters that these black dolls represented "the beginning of our heritage."
Hoyte had dolls from Africa, France, Germany, Russia, and the Philippines. One of her favorites was a baby doll with wide eyes and long eyelashes, carved out of mahogany in 1977 by a California artist named Patty Hale. The museum also included dollhouses, doll clothing and costumes, stuffed animals, and tin toys. Harlem children, as well as collectors from around the world, delighted in Aunt Len's museum.
Doll Designs, Affiliations, Awards
Hoyte continued to design her own original dolls, for which she was awarded numerous blue ribbons. In 1983 her dolls were exhibited at several special art showings. Hoyte wrote a column, "Our Museum," for Doll News and continued to teach doll-making and produce doll shows. Proceeds from her doll shows were donated to St. Philip's Episcopal Church, of which she was a lifelong member.
In addition to her church and doll clubs, Hoyte was a member of Beta Epsilon and served as secretary and president of the Hamilton Terrace Block Association. She received numerous awards throughout her career, including a 1980 Self Help Neighborhood Award, a service award from the United Federation of Doll Clubs, Inc.; Kappa Sigma Chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho, Outstanding Contributor to Black Culture, 1981; Harlem YWCA, Cecelie Cabiness Saunders Award, 1982; Brooklyn Teachers Humanitarian Award, 1983; a Building Brick Award from the New York Urban League in 1985; an Educator of the Year Award in 1988 from the City University of New York; and in 1990, the Mayoral Award of Honor for Art and Culture from New York City Mayor Edward I. Koch.
Tragedy, Museum Closing
In 1990 Hoyte's home and museum were broken into and at least nine dolls – including a priceless two-foot-tall English king – were stolen. Hoyte was broken-hearted. As indicated in her New York Times obituary, she said at the time, "People any more don't let you live. You struggle to keep something up for joy and beauty, and you find yourself having to watch for thieves. It's not right." Soon after the break-in, four of the dolls – replicas of Benjamin Franklin, George and Martha Washington, and Abraham Lincoln – were returned to Hoyte's front room, broken but repairable. As stated in her obituary, she responded, "I don't ask questions about how. I'm just happy to have them back."
As Hoyte aged, she was no longer able to care for the museum. She closed its doors in the early 1990s and began to dismantle her collection. Thousands of Hoyte's dolls were sold to dealers and private collectors around the world. In 1994, 700 of her finest antique dolls were auctioned at Sotheby's. Prices ranged from $200 for a pair of German all-bisque dolls to "a black Bru pressed-bisque-head bebe doll," valued at $18,000 (as noted in her NY Times obituary). Hoyte died at the age of 94, on August 1, 1999, in a New York hospital.
Continue reading here.
In 1962 Hoyte was asked to organize a doll show as a fundraiser for Harlem Hospital. Following her husband's death, Hoyte's new-found passion occupied her retirement years. She traveled throughout the United States, Europe, and the Caribbean, visiting doll shows and collecting dolls and accessories from flea markets, garage sales, and antique stores. Hoyte referred to all of her dolls as her "babies," from the rarest antiques to well-used dolls with broken arms.
The year that they married, the Hoytes had bought a three-story brownstone at 6 Hamilton Terrace between Convent and St. Nicholas Avenues in Harlem. In the 1960s they turned over a part of their home to Aunt Len's Doll and Toy Museum. The public spaces consisted of narrow passageways winding through the ground floor and basement of the building. From 1970 until 1994, Lenon Hoyte served as the museum's full-time executive director, president, curator, and tour guide.
Aunt Len's Doll and Toy Museum officially opened in 1974, with irregular hours several times per week. Admission fees never exceeded two dollars for adults and 50 cents for children. At one time the museum held between 5,000 and 6,000 dolls. Eventually, it outgrew its space and Hoyte began to store her most valuable dolls in a rental across the street.
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| Sotheby's auction item 357 (left) is a 21-1/2-inch Simon & Halbig bisque character doll, German, circa 1890. Item 236 (right) is an early Jumeau, 15-1/2-inch pressed bisque doll, French, circa 1885. (Photo scanned from Sotheby's catalog: The Collection of Lenon Holder Hoyte.) |
Attracted Collectors from Around the World
In general, Hoyte's collection was organized historically. However, sometimes exhibits occupied glass cabinets with particular themes. The dolls ranged in size from one or two inches up to two to three feet. There were fine nineteenth-century French dolls made of bisque, an unglazed ceramic. There were rare, antique porcelain dolls and United States presidents and first ladies. There were numerous versions of Shirley Temple dolls, Barbie dolls, Betsy Wetsy dolls, and Cabbage Patch dolls.
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| Offered in the 1994 Sotheby's auction, a Leo Moss doll, item 332, described as an 18-inch composition head black doll; and item 331, described as a 19-inch black plaster shoulder head artist doll by Magge Head, 1952. |
Hoyte's collection included extremely rare black dolls from the nineteenth century. Among them were rag dolls made by slaves from scraps of fabric, muslin, and feed bags. A pair of papier-mâche´ dolls named Lillian and Leo had been made by Leo Moss, a nineteenth-century black handyman from Atlanta. Lillian and Leo had tears running down their cheeks. Legend claimed that after separating from his wife and children, Moss only made sad dolls. According to Hoyte's obituary in the Los Angeles Times, she once told reporters that these black dolls represented "the beginning of our heritage."
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| Sotheby's auction item 84, described as "Rare J. D. Kestner Bisque Interchangeable Head Doll in Original Box, German, circa 1910, heads incised 174, 184, 178 and 185." |
Hoyte had dolls from Africa, France, Germany, Russia, and the Philippines. One of her favorites was a baby doll with wide eyes and long eyelashes, carved out of mahogany in 1977 by a California artist named Patty Hale. The museum also included dollhouses, doll clothing and costumes, stuffed animals, and tin toys. Harlem children, as well as collectors from around the world, delighted in Aunt Len's museum.
 |
| Aunt Len provides details about the dolls to young museum visitors. (Photo scanned from Sotheby's catalog: The Collection of Lenon Holder Hoyte.) |
Doll Designs, Affiliations, Awards
Hoyte continued to design her own original dolls, for which she was awarded numerous blue ribbons. In 1983 her dolls were exhibited at several special art showings. Hoyte wrote a column, "Our Museum," for Doll News and continued to teach doll-making and produce doll shows. Proceeds from her doll shows were donated to St. Philip's Episcopal Church, of which she was a lifelong member.
In addition to her church and doll clubs, Hoyte was a member of Beta Epsilon and served as secretary and president of the Hamilton Terrace Block Association. She received numerous awards throughout her career, including a 1980 Self Help Neighborhood Award, a service award from the United Federation of Doll Clubs, Inc.; Kappa Sigma Chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho, Outstanding Contributor to Black Culture, 1981; Harlem YWCA, Cecelie Cabiness Saunders Award, 1982; Brooklyn Teachers Humanitarian Award, 1983; a Building Brick Award from the New York Urban League in 1985; an Educator of the Year Award in 1988 from the City University of New York; and in 1990, the Mayoral Award of Honor for Art and Culture from New York City Mayor Edward I. Koch.
Tragedy, Museum Closing
In 1990 Hoyte's home and museum were broken into and at least nine dolls – including a priceless two-foot-tall English king – were stolen. Hoyte was broken-hearted. As indicated in her New York Times obituary, she said at the time, "People any more don't let you live. You struggle to keep something up for joy and beauty, and you find yourself having to watch for thieves. It's not right." Soon after the break-in, four of the dolls – replicas of Benjamin Franklin, George and Martha Washington, and Abraham Lincoln – were returned to Hoyte's front room, broken but repairable. As stated in her obituary, she responded, "I don't ask questions about how. I'm just happy to have them back."
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| Sotheby's auction item 266, described as a 17-inch "Bru Black 'Circle Dot' Pressed Bisque Head Bebe doll, French, circa 1880" (see the color image next). |
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| The same doll, shown immediately above, realized $18,000 in the Sotheby's auction. (Photos scanned from Sotheby's catalog: The Collection of Lenon Holder Hoyte.) |
As Hoyte aged, she was no longer able to care for the museum. She closed its doors in the early 1990s and began to dismantle her collection. Thousands of Hoyte's dolls were sold to dealers and private collectors around the world. In 1994, 700 of her finest antique dolls were auctioned at Sotheby's. Prices ranged from $200 for a pair of German all-bisque dolls to "a black Bru pressed-bisque-head bebe doll," valued at $18,000 (as noted in her NY Times obituary). Hoyte died at the age of 94, on August 1, 1999, in a New York hospital.
Continue reading here.
I hope those who bought the dolls after she had to close her museum for good are taking good care of them.
ReplyDeleteI know some have been resold. The Leo Moss doll featured above was resold in a Morphy's auction on October 23, 2010; the realized price was $10,350.00!
DeleteI saw a couple of dolls on Ruby Lane that were described as being from Aunt Len's museum. This one sold for over $500. This one sold for a little over $100.
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Very nice story about Ms. Hoyte. It was clear that she had a love for dolls. I was saddened when I read that so,wine broke into her home, but was happy to read that she did get them back and that they were repairable. She had a beautiful collection.
ReplyDelete