Catalog: Popular Collectibles: Memorabilia (187)

Measuring approximately 10.5 inches tall, these sweet, hand-made, circa 1930's, Great Depression era, Mammy and Pappy dolls feature dried apples as heads! Common household items such as chicken or turkey breast bones, dried corn cobs, old rubber baby bottle nipples, wooden clothespins and dried fruit were frequently employed to make play-dolls when money was tight and store-bought toys were beyond reach!

These two folk art pieces came straight from the 93 year old great grandma who played with them as a child!

While the heads were constructed from dried apples painted black, the bodies were cut from various pieces of sponge which were then hand-sewn together. Hands were cut from pink--- and not brown or black felt--very interesting---while the teeth were formed from tiny white beads, and the white fuzzy hair fashioned from nothing more than small, cotton batting pieces. Eyes are glued-on googly eyes.

The homemade clothing is nicely constructed via a combination of hand and machine sewing. Mammy's green, teal and rust flowered dress is embellished with a bit of lace at the sleeves, and she also wears a fancy, white eyelet petticoat and a soft pink crocheted shawl. She is barefoot. Pappy's light blue shirt features 3 button detailing, and he wears denim pants and black felt shoes and hat with a red felt vest.

Condition is quite fine with no observable issues! No odors, rips, stains or missing parts. A very sweet pair!

Measuring just barely 6 inches in length, this fabulous example of 1920's folk art and hand craftsmanship exemplifies the stereotypical Mammy of the early 20th century.

Constructed with care and skill, Mammy's floral dress, white apron and white under-pantaloons were neatly machine stitched. Her facial features--- eye brows, eyes, nose, and lips --- are hand-stitched with embroidery thread. She has yarn-constructed black curls peeking out from under her red and white polka dot head scarf. Her arms, torso and head are stuffed with cotton or cloth scraps with the torso securely tucked over the top of the clothespin and into the pantaloons. Her black-painted clothespin legs are hidden under her long skirt.

A very sweet little doll in wonderful all-original condition-- no repairs, rips, stains or odor. Displays quite nicely!!

A wonderful example of hand-crafted Black Americana Folk Art!

This wonderful Depression Era piece features a whimsical 10 inch long cutout figure of a little wooden black girl with hand-painted smiling mouth and eyes! She is dressed in a hand-stitched cotton costume that has been stuffed with scrap fabric.

Her feet feature two brass-finish hooks, presumably to either hang keys or pot holders from. Her ears each have a punched out hole--whether this is functional or purely decorative remains a mystery. A small brass hoop threaded through a piece of fabric which was then tacked to the back of the girl's head facilitates hanging on a wall. Overall condition is fine with age-related soiling to the dress and minor paint wear typical of a 70 year-old-piece.

One of my favorite hand-made pieces with true folk art appeal!

This unusually diminutive, vintage, C1920s, Black Valentine Cupid die cut is protected in a 4 x 6 inch, decorative wood frame, surrounded by a gold foil mat featuring white foil roses. Additional tiny die cuts of pink roses are placed at each corner.

This adorable, smiling Valentine cupid die cut is in very good condition. Two very teeny fold lines are present that are very difficult to see unless using magnification (see closeup photo) - one in the left arm and another in the left wing. Otherwise, perfect!

A very unusual, vintage, Valentine's Day find!

Measuring approximately 16 inches long, this wonderful, vintage 1950's, cloth Mammy Laundry bag is in wonderful condition! This bag features a curved wooden band at the base of the bag which allowed the bag to retain its form.

All cloth and done in a great, red paisley fabric, this darling Black Mammy bag features an interesting, smiling face! Due to its small size, this bag would have held undies or stockings or also may have been placed on one's bed and used to hold one's nightie during the day!

Very sweet and displays nicely!

This delightful Black Mammy Rag Doll has a face with a story to tell! What an expression!

Measuring 18 inches tall, Mammy is constructed of black, machine-stitched, vintage 1930-1940's, polished cotton which has been stuffed with cotton batting. Facial features have been hand-embroidered, are quite expressive, and are exceedingly well done. Her hair has been styled in six pigtails adorned with bows.

Mammy's red, machine-stitched dress is also vintage 1930-40's fabric and features the classic Grecian Key design in white.

A delightful piece of Black Memorabilia Folk Art! This wonderful, 1940's-vintage-look, one-of-a-kind, Artisan Doll was constructed in the 1990's by a Maine Folk Art crafts-person who is now deceased.

Please take a moment to view her little brother by typing the words "Maine Doll" into the SEARCH box.

Published in 1926 by the Whitman Publishing Company of Racine, Wisconsin, this very rare, miniature-size, HARDCOVER book measuring just 4x5 inches, offers a very unique continuation of the original Little Black Sambo story! It is thought that this mini size Sambo book was manufactured as a salesman's sample edition, meant to be strictly used as a marketing prop to sell orders for the full-size edition of the same book.

Entitled A New Story of Little Black Sambo, this tale picks up the story with Little Sambo's mother, Black Mumbo, exclaiming that Sambo, after almost losing his best Sunday clothes to the tigers, would- from now on- only be allowed to wear his every day clothes. Now very unhappily dressed in only a grass skirt, a pouting and naughty Sambo decides to run off into the jungle once again without permission, and climbs a tree to gather coconuts. A tiger soon arrives threatening to eat Little Black Sambo, trapping him up in the tree for the entire day! Eventually, Tusker the Elephant arrives, successfully chasing off the tiger and saving Sambo. Sambo then returns home, where an angry Black Mumbo spanks him with a hairbrush for running off, despite the gift of coconuts Sambo hoped would appease his mother. The conclusion of the tale then moves forward one month later when the family goes to visit Little Black Sambo’s cousins, the Bimboes, who admire his fine Sunday best clothing that he was finally allowed to wear again!

Although no author is attributed, it is thought by some that the tale was co-authored by the book's two illustrators, Clara Bell Thurston, who rendered all of the lovely colored drawings and Earnest Vetsch, who rendered the "black and white" illustrations (which, actually, are done in navy blue ink) as well as the fancy hand-lettering of the text which further embellishes the book.

With 36 unnumbered pages which alternate between the superbly rendered color and navy blue line illustrations, this unique little book is in near mint condition. The original paper dust jacket is present and in wonderful condition, and at some point, it was protectively covered with a contemporary, clear, dust jacket protector that can be removed if so desired. No fading of color, no rips, creases or missing pages. Binding is tight with all three original staples present. Cover edges are subtly worn, and a one-time owner, Neva Merchant, signed her name on both front and back interior covers.

This very rarely-found, miniature-size edition of the continuation of the original Little Black Sambo story is a must have for the collector of Little Black Sambo books!

To see all of the Little Black Sambo items currently available for sale, simply type “Sambo” into the search box on our website homepage.

In the mid-1800's, an unknown artist painted the face of a young Black boy in warm, soft colors, and unbeknown to the artist, forever immortalized the young boy's image! Since that time a variety of items were been produced in the image of the "Young Black boy with the Torn Hat" or "Johnny Griffin".

This circa 1900-1910 Johnny Griffin item is a double image still bank that features 2 images of Johnny's head placed back-to-back. It was manufactured by the A.C. Williams Company of Ravenna, Ohio, which at the turn of the 20th century and up until World War II, was the largest toy and still bank manufacturer in the world. (At the start of WWII, production declined sharply as iron was needed for military consumption, marking the end of an era.) The bank is constructed of cast iron in two pieces which unscrew to facilitate the emptying of coins. There is a coin slot at the top of Johnny's head for use in depositing the coins. This sweet bank remains functional for banking use today or may be simply used as an attractive desk paperweight!

It is in all original condition with delightful patina- not a reproduction- and measures 3 inches high x 2 1/2 inches wide. It retains traces of the original gold leaf paint and may (or may not!) have a replaced screw.

The Johnny Griffin image- in the arena of Black Americana collectibles- should form the cornerstone of any serious Black Memorabilia collection!

To see all of the Johnny Griffin items currently available for sale, simply type “Johnny Griffin” into the search box on our web home page.

This extremely rare, circa 1900, COMPLETE set of 4 Magic Lantern glass slides with Black Americana theme is in mint condition! True to the era in which they were produced, these 4 slides typify the black derogatory stereotypes prolific during this period.

Measuring 4 inches wide x 3 3/4 inches high, the black color-toned set was manufactured by A.D. Handy, Stereopticon & Supplies, Boston.

The four slides tell the story, through drawings and southern black dialogue, of a black boy attempting to steal a watermelon (slide 1). Four other black boys hiding behind a fence and watching, spook him, making the boy think there is a ghost behind him (slide 2)! Dropping the watermelon in fright, he dashes off for safety (slide 3). The shattered watermelon is then left on the ground, already broken into bite-sized pieces for the 4 other boys to enjoy!

This offering is truly an exceptionally scarce Black Americana collectible!!

Measuring 9 inches high, these delightful examples of Folk Art styling represent three of a series of Black cloth character dolls made in Alabama in the 1930’s by unknown craftsmen/women employed under President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's (FDR) Depression era program, the Work Projects Administration (WPA), in existence from 1935-1943.

The Work Projects Administration was designed to provide jobs across the country during the Great Depression when hundreds of thousands were out of work. While most WPA jobs were in construction and infrastructure, the most well-known project arm of the WPA, known as Federal Project Number One, employed musicians, artists, writers, actors and directors in arts, drama, media, and literacy projects. The five projects assigned to this consortium were: the Federal Writers’ Project (FWP), the Historical Records Survey (HRS), the Federal Theatre Project (FTP), the Federal Music Project (FMP), and the Federal Art Project (FAP).

The creation of these fabulous dolls fell under the WPA Federal Art Project, with the goal of representing and preserving the various aspects of the culture, work and lives of the Southern black community of this time period. All of the WPA black folk dolls produced for this project were placed on asphalt shingle stands, they all feature elderly folk, they all share black leather shoes, a cotton-batting stuffed body, and identical hand-stitched facial features with subtle and unique variations in expression around the eyes due to the clever positioning of the eyebrows!

The Country Preacher is fully decked out to conduct worship services, from his black, wide-brimmed top hat down to his leather shoes, the left one, unfortunately, showing a bit of wear with his socked big toe peeking out! His machine-stitched clothing is all in the color black with the exception of his white ministerial collar. The preacher holds his real-wood walking stick securely in his right hand while clutching the Holy Bible under his left arm. Note the colorful red handkerchief that was placed in a back pants pocket, peeking out between the tails of his suit coat. The fully bearded preacher wears silver, wire-rimmed spectacles surrounding his soft and compassionate eyes and offers an open smile showing his front two teeth!

The white haired, bearded male country gentleman doll is attired in machine-sewn cotton, blue-striped britches with a patch at the left knee, black suspenders and a tan striped cotton shirt with a red kerchief tied around his neck. His hat is constructed of cranberry-colored felt. Under his right arm, he holds a nicely crafted fabric chicken that has sustained a tiny bit of fabric loss to its face, while his left arm holds a wooden walking stick. His complete asphalt shingle is missing, but remnants remain firmly attached on the soles of his shoes. He bears a very sweet, surprised expression on his face as evidenced by his slightly upturned eyebrows!

The female doll in this grouping is clad in a red and white checkered, machine-stitched dress topped over with a cream-colored linen apron which evidences, here and there, some very light, age-related discoloration. Her apron pocket displays a red and white polka-dotted hankie- a lovely detail-, while a bright, multi-colored head wrap protectively covers her graying hair from dust and grime while she completes household chores. Her outfit is fully completed with the cream-colored linen chemise and pantaloons underneath her dress, and she wears black leather shoes. Even though she is working at chores, as evidenced by the wicker-straw broom she holds in her right hand, she has not forgotten to wear her brass-toned, double hoop earrings! And she wears a pleasant expression on her hand-stitched face, showing a bit of a smile and her two front teeth.

Three very special dolls, which today, are becoming very, very difficult to find, representing a snapshot of history, capturing the lives of poor southern black folk of the Depression era! The Preacher and Lady with the Broom are priced at $295.00 each, with the Country Gent Holding a Chicken priced at $275.00 to compensate for his incomplete asphalt shingle.

Offered is a very interesting, scarcely-seen, Black Americana child's toy from the 1930's era.

Measuring 7" long x 4.5" high x 4" wide, this colorful toy features two African-American boxers who are activated by jiggling the paddle which causes the boxer's arms and legs to freely fly about.

The boxers have painted wooden bodies with lithographed tin arms and legs. They are attached to the wooden paddle by a thin metal wire.

The toy is complete and in all-original condition and has not been subjected to any repair or repaint. Wear to the painted faces is evident as noted in the extreme close-up photos provided. No manufacture marking evident.

This seldom-found toy displays very nicely and would be a delightful addition to a Black Americana toy collection.

Measuring 13 inches in height, this vintage 1930's, Mammy Bottle Doll is in lovely condition, with nicely detailed clothing and a very darling face! Mammy bottle dolls were constructed to be quite functional; they were used as doorstops back in the day. Their sand-filled bottles added enough weight to readily keep that door in place.

This mammy's cute face is completely hand-stitched and is accented by original celluloid hoop earrings. She wears a flowered bandanna, a cream colored flowered shawl, and an off white apron over her green and black mini-checked dress. She even has a cream colored petticoat underneath all! Her machine-stitched clothes are odor free and are nicely constructed, although her apron does have tiny age holes!

Although her bottle frame is covered by a black stocking, the stocking has risen up revealing her sand-filled milk bottle with red lettering from R.W. Tripp's Dairy, established 1889. The milk bottle lettering is in great shape and even features a graphic of a school boy and girl! Among milk bottle collectors, this particular milk bottle is quite rarely found and quite highly sought after, adding further collectible value to this sweet doll!

This great, early mammy bottle doll is one of 3 currently offered mammy bottle dolls --- rarely found in today's market and all priced separately.

Measuring 6 1/4 inches high x 5 3/4 inches wide, this circa 1930's, VERY RARE, Japan made, Polka Dot Kerchief, Mammy Head String Holder is in near mint condition with no chips, cracks, or hairlines! Mammy is the mate to the Maruhon Ware Mammy series--Cookie Jar, Basket Handle Biscuit Jar, Teapot and related kitchen items-- all made with this same Mammy's face.

The String Holder is stamped "JAPAN" on the back side, and it has a hole in the center of her mouth to accommodate the string! This wonderful piece has expected and typical glaze crazing and even comes complete with vintage string! On the upper right hand side of her forehead, these is a small white spot about 1/4 of an inch long where the face paint was not applied prior to factory glazing (see photo)- a tiny, insignificant manufacturer imperfection that does not detract from this rare piece! The entire piece is glazed with the exception of Mammy's lips which are cold-painted (meaning that the paint was applied after firing). As such, this area of paint would be the most vulnerable to wear, and Mammy does have 2 microscopically-sized specks on her upper lip where the paint has come off. Too tiny to be picked up in a photo!

Please note that photos were taken with a flash, so any white markings on the piece are flash reflections only and not imperfections.

Measuring 6 inches high, this darling, mint condition, Black Memorabilia, pudgy and naked, Girl Child Nodder was made in 1950’s Japan by the Ardalt China Company. She modestly attempts to conceal herself by holding a pair of pink and red polka dotted panties in front of her! Such a sweet piece!

The child’s head nods up and down in a "yes" motion by pivoting on a tiny metal bar inserted through her neck (see photos).

Condition is mint, and the piece is signed on the bottom of her right foot: “Hand Painted Lenwile China Ardalt Japan 6530 B”.

Black nodders are quite difficult to come by and have become an interesting sub-collecting category in the field of Black Americana! Not to be missed!

Please see the equally-difficult-to-find companion piece also available - the Black Boy Child Clown Nodder. And an additional offering that is not part of the Ardalt Black Child Nodder series is the RARE 1950s Black Americana Sailor Nodder by UCAGCO, Japan.

Measuring 13 inches long, this very RARE, Ca 1910, Black, Composition Shoulder Head Doll is in wonderful condition!

She has a muslin, machine-stitched body which is stuffed with sawdust. Her feet are black cotton. Upper arms are also stuffed muslin with composition forearms.

Her curly-haired head is molded composition; eyes, nostrils, and lips are handpainted-- note the BLUE EYES!!

She wears a muslin slip under a Victorian styled, machine-stitched, tiered ruffled dress. Her clothing has been professionally laundered but does remain darkened with age in some areas- the photos make these dark areas appear more prominent than they are when viewed by the naked eye.

Condition: Difficult to photograph due to camera glare off the composition, her head remains in pristine, all original condition- no repaint- with just a couple of very teeny white flecks here and there! The breastplate has an old glue repair which appears to be quite solid. The repair is not visible unless the doll is undressed. Superficial wear to each thumb is evident as is seen in photos. No cracking or peeling to composition. She was very well cared for over the years!

A very lovely and rare Black doll!

Measuring only 2.75 inches high, this darling 1920's Black Memorabilia souvenir piece is in amazing condition considering its delicate, sea shell construction.

A tiny bisque black boy holding a watermelon slice is seated on a throne of sea shells. The name of the location that this sea shell souvenir was meant to commemorate is worn and is no longer readable.

Two very minor chips are present as shown in photos which do not detract from the beauty of this piece!

Offered for individual sale are two, circa 1960's, "Days of the Week", cotton muslin Hand Towels each featuring a cross-stitched Mammy hard at work tackling a different household chore on each day! The towels are priced at $38 each or both for $65. Please specify preference when making inquiries.

One of the hand towels, "Monday", is entirely hand-cross-stitched and hand-hemmed on a somewhat heavy-weight, cream-colored, cotton muslin. It measures approximately 36 inches square and features Mammy washing clothes using a washboard in a wooden barrel. Condition is quite good with small, scattered, stain spots here and there- none in the area of the cross-stitching.

The other hand towel, "Friday", is made of a slightly lighter weight and whiter-colored, cotton muslin. It measures 28 x 29 inches, and again, it has a tiny stain spot here and there away from the cross-stitched area. The hems are machine stitched while the cross-stitching is entirely hand-completed. This towel features a humorous scene of Mammy serving/making pancakes while a pitcher of milk or water unknowingly spills behind her!

These delightful towels would look charming folded and displayed on a kitchen wall rack or could even be framed - folded so that only the cross-stitched area is visible in the frame!

As the towels are priced both separately or as a pair, please email us stating whether you wish to purchase the pair or only one of the towels so that we can customize your order form.

Measuring just 11 inches tall, this sweet cloth doll with a composition face may be placed in either a standing or sitting position.

Her composition face is in impeccable condition with sharp, well-drawn painted facial features. Her face is further accented by 3 darling curls peaking out from under her brightly colored cloth bandanna!

Her body is machine-stitched cotton fabric stuffed with sawdust. On the back of her right thigh, her place of origin is stamped: "POLAND". Her little flowered skirt is also machine stitched and is the only piece of clothing that may be removed.

Condition is superb with the exception of a hand-stitched repair to the seam line of her left foot where the foot is joined to the leg. Does not detract.