Background Information:
 

A display of wooden dolls Thanks to private collector photo by Jean Lotz

Folk dolls are ones that are typically hand crafted, one of a kind creations made by people with limited or "primative" skills. In most cases these dolls were made by people who couldn't afford better created for the love of a child who well loved their crude doll. In some cases they are the result of a simple cottage industry, or the work of a mission school trying to make simple gifts to be sold via craft guilds, mission stores, and etc.

Kimport
Kimport was a US company who sold dolls via mail order and they took pride in offering the unusual from around the world. Many early doll collectors had the opportunity to buy a lot of different folk and ethnic dolls thanks to Kimport's promotion of unusual dolls. They always provided a "story about your doll" on a card provided with one of their dolls. These dolls would have carried a Kimport label. This company also issued a newsletter, "DOLL TALK", where Ruby McKim wrote about the dolls being offered by the Kimport company with great detail. Since Ruby really appreciated the special features of folk dolls, these back issues of DOLL TALK are a very valuable resource for information on all types of unusual dolls.
 

Forms of Folk Dolls:

Folk dolls come in every shape and size. They range from very simple one piece stick figures with painted featured to complex fully jointed dolls. Some forms of dolls are popular and recurring through the ages.

Figurative Toys:
 

Swinging Toy Thanks to private collector photo by Jean Lotz

Wooden Toy Soldier Thanks to private collector photo by Jean Lotz

Dancing Dans

Dancing Dan with painted features photo thanks to private collector

These dolls are loosely jointed, flat, wooden figures that are suspended over a board by a wire through their backs or attached to their heads. They jump and dance in response to taping spring-board or moving the rod up and down just enough to make the doll jump about a bit. They click their heals on the floor board or table as they dance. Many Dancing Dans were made in the USA and is considered an American Folk Art, but these dancing dolls were also very popular in Europe. This type of "fun doll" is being made again by a contemporary wood doll sculptor, Floyd Bell (NIADA). He is even taught a seminar on making Dancing Dans at the 1997 NIADA conference.  Some of these dolls are simple shapes with no carved details and others have carved features - crafty toys or works of folk art. Note: would the person who donated the photo of the "Dancing Dan with painted features" please contact me again! Contact Us

Pine Cone dolls

need a photo

Pine cones were incorporated as bodies, arms or legs and other found organic or rustic materials were added for hair and clothes. The Shelburne Museum in VT has a delightful example called "Man of Forest" also in the book "AMERICAN FOLK DOLLS".

Bed Post Dolls

Bedpost doll Photograph courtesy of Theriault's Annapolis, MD

One unique very early folk doll type was crafted from an old bed post. Nothing went to waste in colonial times! Many dolls have been found that have been reputed to have been carved from old bed posts, but this is not necessarily the case. There are enough examples of "bed post dolls" in collections today that I doubt that they were all made from discarded bed posts. More likely, they are the result of crude attempts to quickly round a piece of wood for the head.  This late 19th century Bedpost doll is made with a one piece head/torso and simply jointed at the hips and shoulders. She is painted ebony and has wiry hair under the bandana.

Regional Folk Dolls:
Cajun dolls

need a photo

French Louisiana country people have a cultural tradition of wood doll making. Some were available as souvenirs. If a cajun couldn't afford something like a doll for his/her little girl, a cajun would make it out of whatever he could find - wood was readily available. These dolls were made by many different Cajun craftsmen and there is a small effort to re-kindle this cajun cultural tradition. There is even a cute book about a little cajun girl who saves her pawpaw from a gator ramming her pecan wood doll into the gator's mouth - "Cajun tall tale - Feliciana Feydra Le Roux" by Tynia Thomassie.

Mountain Folk Dolls - Appalachian and Ozark Mountain Dolls:

In the early twentieth century, cottage industries and craft guilds were organized to help rural Appalachian families supplement their meager incomes by selling their crafts. Many Mountain Folk dolls were crafted by Appalachian people and sold through Allanstand Cottage Industries, Kimport, and other craft guilds.

Ozark Mountain Folk Dolls - OLD PEOPLE and OLD PEOPLE IN CHAIRS
 

Ozark made Old Lady doll by Mary's Pioneer Dolls Branson, MO (c. 1960's) Thanks to the Lowsma Collection

Old People are often the subject of wood dolls from the Ozark Mountain region. This doll was probably sold as a souvenir from somewhere near the Branson, MO area. Although folk dolls are generally created by people with primitive skills, Mary had a lot of carving skill and an artistic eye for details so this doll can be considered an "artist doll" rather than a folk doll. Notice that even her ears are well carved. Her wig and eyebrows are cotton. The owner describes her doll as follows: The Ozark doll has a tag that says "Mary's Pioneer Dolls, handcarved in wood, Branson MO, 65616".  My mother lived in Columbia MO during the 60s and bought her on one of her weekend excursions to the Ozarks.  None of us had heard of Branson at the time!  No, the hair and eyebrows are not poly, they are cotton.  I've been trying to remember when Mother gave her to me and am finding that is the very dim past!  Maybe 1966.  Do you suppose Mary is still making dolls in Branson?

Kentucky - POPPET

It is interesting that many early dictionaries define "Poppet" as meaning "doll". Poppets were made from mid 1800's to 1930 (and later) in a Kentucky mountain area. Most of the dolls were made in homes or mission schools. These had cloth bodies with wooden heads, wood hands with simple grooves to indicate fingers and wooden feet which were often inked to indicate healed slippers. These are primitively carved from buckeye, a very light-colored light weight and fine grained wood. The features were drawn in with ink, pencil and/or were carved. The cheeks were stained with a natural dye made from poke-berries.

The hair was either wool or the skin and hair of an animal. They were simply dressed, usually in ankle length cotton dresses (see Coleman's Encyclopedia page 947).

"The Dolls of Yesterday" by Eleanor St. George describes Poppet Dolls as follows:

"Store dolls do not come to the children of the remote settlement of the Kentucky mountains. In their place are "Poppets", primitive homemade dolls, whittled out by the mothers with a jackknife from the wood of the native buckeye tree. This is a soft, fine-grained wood of pale color. Rosy cheeks are added by rubbing the faces with the juice of cohash or poke-berries. Hair is provided from the skins of small wild animals, such as squirrels or moles, or the wool of domestic sheep. Occassionally a bit of bear skin would be considered more realistic on the men poppets. The dolls are dressed in homespun or such materials as may be found in the mountain stores. The mission schools and handcraft centers established in the Southern Appalacians made it possible for the mountain folk to sell their handiwork, weaving, basketry, etc., to the outside world and add to their meagre incomes. Two sisters, Mrs. Anne Green Williams of Ary, Ky., and Mrs. Orlenia Ritchie of Viper, Ky., who had made these dolls for their own children, just as their mother and grandmother dad made them so long as they could remember, began to make Poppet dolls for sale. These women, now quite old, live on farms, care for their gardens, a few chickens, cows and the general run of work farm women do in this section"...writes Lula M. Hale, director of 'Homeplace', of the E.O. Robinson Mountain Fund at Ary, Pretty County, Ky. 'The making of dolls for sale was not their aim originally--the first ones were made for the children to play with'. (Now they are no longer being made. It took about ten hours to carve and dress a doll that sold for a dollar ans when the Wage and Hour Law was passed in 1938 the sale of these dolls was no longer permitted as they did not comply with the restirctions of the law. It is an example of the hardship which a law, beneficial to the many, may work upon the few)."

US Folk Doll - POPPET with recessed eyes detailed with a lot of pencil work  on face, feet, and etc.  Photos thanks to  Kenneth Loyal Smith

The owner gave the following description of his doll:  The head and body are one piece of wood. The wooden lower arms and legs are attached to the body by tying a heavy linen thread around a hand carved groove to a stuffed cloth (a plain weave linen that has a satin weave rib in a half inch square throughout).  She is constructed along the lines of a china doll, i.e.: arms and legs joined at knee/elbow. The feet have low heels defined and the shoes are penciled in and have a penciled in bow tie fastener. The hands are spoon shaped with fingers delineated only on the upper side. The thumb is the separated.  Her hair is made from black long staple wool (like a Lincoln sheep). The dress is wool weft faced weave and very similar to blankets woven by the Westcoast mills for Indian trade at the end of the nineteenth century. The petticoat is a ribbed cotton, coarse, with plain weave, and various sized circles in black and pink are printed on it.  All of the material is old, but the seams of all fabrics are sewn with a lock-stitch machine, which means it couldn't be made later than the latter part of the nineteenth century. The owner states, "I like her for that enigmatic expression, tranquil and placid and yet friendly."

US Folk Doll - POPPET Wild Eye Lash Type Poppet c. 1920 (dated based on cloth pattern by KLS) Photos thanks to Kenneth Loyal Smith

I call this a "Wild Eye Lash Type Poppet" or the "Betty Boop of Poppets". The eye balls are sculpted, then outlined and detailed in paint.  Compare this carved eye treatment to the recessed eye treatment where simple details are penciled in. Both have obvious carved horizontal eye placement lines and high arched brows. recessed eyes vs bulging eyes Ken said, "I think this from about 1920 looking at the fabric."  It is hard to accuarately date a doll based on the fabric used in the costume since many seamstresses store scraps for years (sometimes decades) before using the material. There are no doll production records to research, so Ken's estimate at 1920 is just as good a guess as any.

wooden doll circa 1790 painting thanks to The National Gallery of Art

Wooden doll circa 1790  This wooden doll is by a carver living in a Swiss settlement. "The Index of American Design of the National Gallery of Art" is a book of watercolors painted to illustrate select pieces of American crafts in the collection of the National Gallery. This is a painting from this book of an actual doll in the collection. The National Gallery's description of this doll is: "A fine example of a child's toy is this wooden doll made of pine. In the long history of doll-making, wooden ones were among the first to be produced in any quantity. This doll comes from New Hampshire where it was probably created about 1790 by a carver living in a Swiss settlement. The unpainted, natural wood has a smooth and beautifully grained surface. The doll's dress and shoes are carved in the wood."

Primitive Lady Doll

Primitive Lady thanks to  The Piotrowski Collection

The owner describes this dolls as follows:  "This Primitive Lady is all wood, and her arms and legs move independent of each other. The clothes she is wearing are painted paper! Heavy paper, like heavy paper towel paper. They are glued shut in back and I don't want to disturb them. I'm not sure sure how she is jointed. I can see a nail head in one thigh."  Her legs are beautifully carved. Click on the image to see a full length view.

Child's Doll

well loved folk doll photo thanks to  private collector

The previous owner stated, "This is a very old doll that someone has lovingly made for some child. It must have been loved and cherished." It is about 13 1/2" high and made of pine. The body and head are hand carved. The mouth has been carved out and small wood pieces inserted for teeth. Eyes, nose and lips have been colored possibly with some sort of dye and are still visible. The neck is made with half a wooden thread spool. The legs and arms have been hand rounded and jointed with nails. The dress is machine sewn and made of very old material. Some of the material may be homespun. Every available small scrap of material was used. The collar is made of three different kinds of material and the sleeves with yet another.

FOLK DOLL OR AMERICAN INDIAN DOLL?
 

click on the image for a larger view 14-1/2" solid wood painted folk doll or traditional flat Hopi  Katchina of a young girl with traditional "squash blossom" hair do photo thanks to Peggy Wachtler

This 14-1/2" solid wood doll looks like a little girl with her hair in pigtails or buns over each ear wearing a shift type, black dress (with a red band or red belt) and a red/white sweater over it with matching red earrings. According to Peggy Wachtler, this solid wood painted folk doll has quite a history of hardship: "The doll belonged to my Mother. She played with it, and it was found many years later in the wall of the house Mom had been living in during her childhood. The reason it was found is that the house sustained a lot of damage due to a fire (in the late 1970's)  in the kitchen. The doll does have some discoloration due to the fire. The doll had fallen from the attic into the kitchen wall. My grandparents were both born around 1890 and my Mother in 1922." Unfortunately folk dolls like these are extremely hard to date and identify other than labeling it a "folk doll". It could very well have been made especially for Peggy's mom as a child since the dress and sweater look appropriate for the 1920's. Not many people could afford play dolls in the 1920's so a crudely made folk doll like this one would have been a specially wonderful gift for any girl.

Could be an American Indian doll? Possibly a traditional flat Hopi Katchina type doll of a young girl with the traditional "squash blossom" hair style of an unmarried maiden dressed traditional wedding garb? Many doll collectors have said that they agree that this doll is actually an early Hopi Katchina in an old fashioned flat style. See the Lotz American Indian Page for more information about this doll and this American Indian theory.

Ethnic Folk Dolls:

Ethnic dolls were created throughout history (for example there are some crèche dolls which represent the black attendants to the magi) but ethnic dolls became very popular from the civil war through 1950. There are some exceptionally fine ethnic dolls in all different media, and I have seen some really wonderful wooden ones.

Wooden ethnic folk dolls are especially desirable because they are so charming, and unpretentious.

Folk Portraits

Folk Portraits use of photo permitted by Theriaults

Theriault's catalog describes these dolls as:  "19th century Naturalistic Folk Art dolls of young children. They were hand carved by the same Eastern Ohio artisan circa 1900. These large wood dolls (31" and 26") have a wood solid dome head, carved lower arms, separately carved fingers and wood lower legs on a muslin body. The facial features are oil painted over a light gesso base. They have dark blue intaglio eyes. The larger doll has a human hair wig while the 26" doll has a mohair wig and is a portrait of his grandchild."  Unfortunately Theriault's did not identify the Eastern Ohio artisan" who made these dolls. Theriault's catalog "The Melody of the Doll" gives the following as a value point for these dolls "An intriguing and realistic portrayal by American Folk artist of a homely young child."

Two portraits by the same folk artist?

Poor Black Man Photograph courtesy of Theriault's Annapolis, MD

Pullman Conductor Photograph courtesy of Theriault's Annapolis, MD

There are stylistic similarities in these two dolls and I suspect that they were created by the same folk artist.  Poor Black Man mid 19th century depiction of a poor black man. 10" all wood doll has a one piece head and torso with peg jointed arms and legs.  Pullman Conductor 19th century "Pullman Conductor" with naive attempts at portraiture. Head and torso is one piece with crudely peg jointed arms and legs

Voodoo or Not? - NOT! This is actually a milliner's model

click on image for larger image  Voodoo or Not? photo thanks to private collector  photo of legs and  layers of clothes

This doll was recently advertised as "Diviners Hand Made Doll (Voodoo)". She was found in the attic of a home in Granbury, TX. The seller's research and conversations with folklorists had led her to believe the doll might be a "diviner's" doll or a "mid-wife's" doll. The seller indicated that "no bad luck had ever came of owning the doll"!  She is carved in a folk art style but dressed so wonderfully that she is far from primitive! Unfortunately she is not in pristine condition, but she is still a great piece of Americana. The skill of the carver is far short of the skill of the seamstress. But note the other black folk dolls that I have displayed on this page. Some are crudely carved but are well dressed and full of personality. This is a really fine doll with Voodoo magic, or without.

I don't think this doll is a "Voodoo Doll". Instead, I have 3 possible story lines for this doll without any Voodoo magic at all:

1. She might have been made by a "free woman of color" working as a seamstress used as a fashion mannequin or milliner's model to show her sewing skills to potential customers. There are many examples in museums like this one, where the finery of the costuming contrasts greatly with the crudely made doll. This is most likely the correct way to view this doll. Kenneth Loyal Smith (a textile conservator who has worked with several museums) told me that there were many very crudely made dolls with fabulous wardrobes in the doll collection of the Museum of New York City. These museum dolls were also thought to have been used as milliner's models by poor seamstresses.
2. She could have been a doll made for a black woman who was in service (possibly as a seamstress) to someone who had some fine dolls. She must have loved these grand dolls at a distance. She enjoyed dressing her doll in the finest. She even give the doll some jewelry - that blue pin. This doll must have been a really nice "escape from reality" for her owner.
3. This doll could have been made for a black child who loved fine dolls. Perhaps these fine dolls were seen in the homes of the rich people that her family was in service to. Since her parents could never afford such a fine doll. This doll could have been a gift of love to this child. Either the child learned her sewing skills on this doll or a fine seamstress in the family loved the child enough to make such fine clothes for this simple doll.

Doll From Haiti crudely carved, jointed folk doll from Haiti  photos thanks to  Kathy Hansen

I discovered this folk doll when she was offered for sale via an on-line auction. The seller described her as follows:  "This is one funky old girl that stands 9 inches tall and has movable arms and legs. I found a picture of what looks like the same doll in 'The Catalog of American Antiques' published in 1979. It says, 'doll figure, hand carved, black paint, south, early 19th century, $275 - $350. This was probably intended as a toy'. (see below for a more acurate description of this doll from Robert Miller's "Price Guide To Dolls") This doll is painted a dark brown, and to be honest, I wouldn't place her in the early 19th century - more like the late 19th century. Her dress is all hand stitched and her face is endearing in a remarkably homely way. (See close-up). In any case, she has a great folky look, and is in good shape. However, the nails that hold her arms in are rather loose, and probably should be replaced. There seem to be carving marks on her hands and legs but not on the head or body"

This is such an unusual doll. I don't think the evil look is intentional but rather a result of a very amateur attempt to make a child's broad toothy smile and large eyes.

I recently bumped into another photo of this strange doll. Someone must have made a bunch of them! The Wallace-Homestead "Price Guide To Dolls" by Robert W. Miller published in 1979 has a photo of one of these dolls on page 89. The caption under the photo says, "HAITI, BLACK WOMAN, all painted wood, jointed at hips and shoulders, 9" tall, $40-50."

Vernon Devore - deceased Iowa carpenter carved dolls in the 1990's.
 

shoulder head by Vernon Devore made of osage orange wood photo thanks to Shirlee Funk

shoulder head doll by Vernon Devore (c. early 1990's) with a cloth body, wood lower arms and legs photo thanks to Shirlee Funk

All Wood Folk Doll by Vernon Devore peg-jointed wooden body with painted head, arms and legs photo thanks to Shirlee Funk