$145.00
This die cut was manufactured to advertise a specific item, store or location but was never used for that purpose or otherwise personalized. Likely, this vintage advertising piece was discovered and then framed so that it could be enjoyed despite its anonymity.
This pleasant die cut is in excellent condition and comes protected in an attractive, walnut-tone, oval decorative frame! The frame bears some minor veneer loss that does not impact the frame integrity, nor is it immediately noticeable.
A sweet piece!
$165.00
This pleasant die cut is in excellent condition and comes protected in an attractive, walnut-tone decorative frame! Likely originally produced to advertise a specific, product, store or location, but then was never utilized for that purpose.
A sweet piece, perhaps, one-of-a-kind!
$325.00
”Black Topsy” is dressed in a striking pink, green, orange, and black cotton, geometric-patterned dress- very Art Deco! Her mouth and nostrils are stitched in red thread and she has white pearl button eyes.
The Caucasian doll is dressed in a cotton lavender dress- also with a geometric, Art Deco pattern in black, green and yellow. Her blouse and bandanna are lavender sateen. Her entire face has been finely stitched. She has pink nostrils and mouth, black eyebrows, and her black stitched eyes have pretty lashes that highlight her silvery gray irises! She has the very palest of staining to her face above her nostrils, but it is barely noticeable, and there is some light fading to her sateen bandanna.
Condition and detailing of both sides of this Topsy Turvy is really quite extraordinary, setting her apart from other Topsy’s!! A wonderful addition to one’s doll or Black Memorabilia collection!
$225.00
Mammy's wonderful, smiling face is all hand-stitched while her clothes are machine sewn. Her blouse is striped cotton, as are Mammy's head, arms, skirt, apron, and cap. Her head, arms, and upper torso have been stuffed with cotton batting. The natural bristle broom fills out both Mammy's torso and skirt & the wooden broom handle extends upward through her neck and head.
Mammy is in all original condition with no mends or repairs. The structural integrity of the broom remains quite sound. Mammy's white cotton apron and cap have been professionally cleaned, removing nearly all traces of old stains, dirt, and dust.
A fabulous piece of vintage Black Americana, and a seldom seen form of the Black Mammy Doll!
$395.00
Completed in silk thread on early, thick, pressed paper canvas, the diminutive, 1 5/8 x 2 3/4 inch piece of needlework remains stitched onto the original, 1 ¾ x 8 inch long, deep red satin banding. Standing on deep red ground, the black boy wears pale green and black striped clothing.
This wonderful, early piece of Black Americana needlework remains in excellent, original condition. At some point in time, a previous owner matted and framed the piece to allow for both ease of display and protection; however, to meet archival requirements, the piece requires a replacement of its current cardboard backing, and spacer bars separating the needlework from the glass should be added. Framed measurements are 4.5 inches wide x 11 inches long.
A phenomenally rare piece for the advanced Black Memorabilia collector!
It is difficult to photograph glass without reflection- please note that any aberrations are reflections only.
$95.00
The very popular Mary Jane paper doll series was featured each month in Good Housekeeping Magazine for months, with little girls everywhere excited to immediately cut out the doll and her accessories for play!
From the 1920s through the 1960s, paper dolls were an extremely popular play toy with a wide variety of paper doll "books" sold in the 5 & 10 cent stores of the day such as Woolworth, Berdine and Kresge, to name a few. The Mary Jane paper doll always conformed to seasonal themes, with the coloring and artistry of Berta and Elmer Hader never failing to please little girls everywhere.
Given the extreme play-time popularity of paper dolls, it is very rare to find an uncut sheet such as this!
Berta and Elmer Hader worked together to design children's sections for Good Housekeeping, McCall's, Pictorial Review, Asia, Century, and The Christian Science Monitor. They created pictures and cut-outs, often featuring children dressed in national costumes. In Berta and Elmer Hader's Picture Book of Mother Goose, the couple collated pen-and-ink and color drawings they had done for Monitor and Good Housekeeping to great acclaim. When the US Postal Service dis-allowed the sending of magazines with cut-out segments in 1926, the Haders switched gears, gaining a contract with MacMillan for a series of children's books. They began writing the stories for some of the books in this period. Demand for their product soared, and they worked incessantly from 1927–1931, illustrating, in some cases writing, producing, and helping to sell thirty-four titles. They stayed busy for the rest of their lives, producing another seventy or so books before they retired in 1964. One book in particular, Billy Butter (1936), so impressed writer John Steinbeck that he requested Elmer Hader do the cover to The Grapes of Wrath (1939). Hader eventually did covers for two other Steinbeck works, East of Eden (1952) and The Winter of Our Discontent (1961).
Professionally matted and framed some many, many years back, this lovely piece of wall art advertising measures 10.5 inches wide x 13.5 inches long and remains in excellent original condition given its 100 years of age! Any discoloration, facing of color or reflection seen in photos is related to the difficulty photographing an object under glass and is NOT an imperfection to the piece.
$20.00
The 5 tins are all in nice condition with unobtrusive minor surface scratches with one having a minor rust stain to the lower edge from storage.
The tins measure just over 1.5 “ in diameter.
Perfect for your shop or collection!
$125.00
(Also currently available is Fern Bisel Peat's companion Little Black Sambo storybook!)
This puzzle rendition of Little Black Sambo depicts Sambo strutting out into the jungle dressed in his newly acquired outfit complete with shade umbrella- all of which is soon to attract the attention of those nasty tigers! This scene has been taken directly from the 1931 copyright, softcover, large folio, Little Black Sambo book illustrated by Fern Bisel Peat and published by The Harter Publishing Company, Educational Publishers, Cleveland Ohio. It is likely that both the puzzle and the book were released to the public at the same time. They were intended for use in the school setting, grades K-2, as well as in the home. The aforementioned large folio Little Black Sambo Book is also available for purchase on this website (type Sambo into the SEARCH box).
Ready to be framed, the puzzle has retained all of the brilliance of its original colors and also sports the artist signature of Fern Bisel Peat in the upper right hand corner. Slight and subtle edge wear to some puzzle pieces as noted in photo. A wonderful addition to one’s Little Black Sambo collection by this highly sought-after, renowned American children's illustrator!
Fern Bisel Peat, 1893-1971, was born in in Erie, Pennsylvania, and went to public schools in Elyria. She attended Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, graduating with a degree in fine arts. Marrying Frank Peat in 1917 and settling in northern Ohio, Fern soon began painting children’s murals in both public and private venues.
As her work grew in popularity in the 1920's, she was asked to design children's wallpaper for a Cleveland company, designing a set of Mother Goose wall panels that sold widely. She soon was approached by the Saalfield Publishing Company where she went on to illustrate over 60 children's books!
From 1933 to 1955 she was editor and chief illustrator for Children’s Play Mate magazine, published in Cleveland, and nearly all of the covers during that time period feature her illustrations.
As the major breadwinner for the Bisel Peat family, Fern found every way possible to market her work to publishers, advertising firms and toy makers during the lean years of the American Depression and World War II. As a result, her distinctive children's illustrations can not only be found within children's books of the era, but also on holiday decorations, paper fans, playing cards, rag dolls, tin toys…not to mention coloring books, puzzles, paper doll books, and greeting cards!
To see all of the Little Black Sambo items currently available for sale, simply type “Sambo” into the search box on our website homepage.
$58.00
The story book, Little Brown Koko, was first published in 1940 by author, Blance Seale Hunt, whose character became so popular that a series of Little Brown Koko story book adventures followed in quick succession!
In excellent, spotless condition, the towel may be folded and framed if desired! A great companion piece for those who collect Little Brown Koko books!
$75.00
Constructed of hand-cut, ¼ inch wide, black painted wood, this darling little black girl has hand-painted eyes and smiling lips, and is dressed in a hand and machine stitched, cloth-stuffed, one piece, black, tan and green dress! She has a hole in each ear, a metal hanging loop atop her head and one metal hook on each shoe for hanging keys or potholders!
She is in fine condition given her 70+ years of age and has great “patina”. Some minor paint loss, a few teeny holes in her outfit, but very visually appealing Black Americana Folk Art, none the less!
$60.00
The jar cover has a repaired crack at the base of the knob as seen in the photo, but the jar otherwise is quite fine lending flair and elegance to your apothecary collection.
$22.00
This is part of many “female specific” old pharmacy stock items for sale.
$125.00
The female is clothed in a green felt dress and head piece that are decorated with tiny blue and white beads. She wears double strand white beaded bracelets and anklets and also wears a double stranded white beaded necklace with a large red bead center. Underneath her dress in back a tiny head peeks out- a little plastic baby that she is carrying!
The male is clothed in a brown and red polka dotted skirt with 2 fur pouches, and a fur headdress. He is swathed in longer strings of beads that encircle his waist and also run diagonally across his chest. He, too, wears a double stranded beaded anklet and necklace. Larger Red beads hang from the sides of his dress as well as from the 2nd fur pouch that hangs behind him.
The arms and legs are movable at hip and shoulder joints of each doll. The Male has the following in raised lettering on his back: P. M. and J. H. B. The remainder of the marking is obscured by beading and clothing. No other markings are visible.
A visually striking pair!
$45.00
$18.00
$225.00
Mammy sports hand-stitched facial features, and all original, machine-stitched clothing. Mammy’s hands and arms are made of fabric-coated pipe cleaners allowing for flexibility and movement. Her corn cob body has been neatly encased in muslin. Mammy's costume is complete and quite brightly colored and even features a tiny apron pocket in which a teeny hankie is tucked!
Mammy has been well cared for over the years- no fading to clothing, no rips, tears or other blemishes! A most interesting and very seldom found Mammy doll in utterly excellent condition!
$25.00
This wonderful, 1940-1950s vintage hand made and painted mortar and pestle display once adorned the interior of a Connecticut pharmacy. The display is decorated in red with painted bronze details for added flair.
Measures about 7 high” x 4.5” wide and is in very nice condition! Some unobtrusive surface paint loss and scuffing including a few tiny nail holes are apparent but do not distract from their visual appeal!
$350.00
Framed in sturdy wood, this metal sign is hand-painted in stunning blues, whites, and oranges and reads: “JOHN E. MELVIN – PLUMBER – TEL. CONN”.
Measuring approximately 32.5 inches wide x 18 inches high, this vintage tin sign, a most unusual find, has wonderful visual graphic appeal and would add great decorative interest to any room!
The condition of the sign is quite good with lovely patina and appropriate surface wear for its 90+ years of age. Note a small unobtrusive piece of framing missing from the bottom right.