$85.00
Baskets such as these are made by the women in the Hausa tradition utilizing vegetable fiber, grasses and straw, all of which are typically harvested in the summer. The top of the basket is very smooth, while the base is rougher and unfinished in appearance.
These baskets are often given as wedding gifts and are traditionally used to store grain.
In addition to the natural color of straw, these baskets generally include the colors brown, red, and green, as does this one, which features two individuals joined together (celebrating marriage) as well as colorful triangular figures, one atop the other, representing the joining of two homes or families.
Condition is very good with just four single stitches missing along the basket rim (see photos).
$695.00
The piece is signed in the lower right hand corner by LISTED American artist, Olga Lea Rosenson, who was born September 10, 1892, in Brooklyn, New York (died 1959). She was best known for her work capturing town and city landscapes as well as portraiture. This portrait intimately captures the soul of its subject as he pensively awaits his next customer, and it is supposed to have been inspired by a young man whom Ms. Rosenson frequently observed on the streets of Brooklyn.
Painted in 1934, the framed piece measures 20" x 26.5"; the watercolor, 13” x 19.5 “. It is completed in various subtle tones of blue, gray, green, and brown, and it is double-matted in cream with a subtle gray under-mat.
This watercolor remained in the same collection for over 60 years and was professionally re-framed by the original owner in 1987, with information on this re-framing taped to the back side of this piece. The wood frame is in very good condition with a couple of small, age-related areas of wear that are minimally noticeable. There is a 5 inch vertical tear to the paper backing as seen in a photo that was taped closed by the earlier owner; there is no damage to the foam-core backing underneath. To the left of this tear, is cut-out information on the artist that was also taped on back by the earlier owner.
Ms Rosenson's works are owned both privately and by museums around the world, including Washington D.C.'s National Gallery of Art.
$75.00
$495.00
Demonstrating some degree of age-related paint loss as seen in photos, Shufflin' Sam remains fully functional, shuffling his feet and twirling his blue umbrella when he is gently pulled along a flat surface. His manufacturer is unknown. On his base is written in ink, a very OLD price of $22.00!
The paint loss imperfections do not interfere with the toy's overall charming visual appeal! This exceptional toy has never been repaired or repainted; it remains in all-original condition!
Wooden toys were produced with less frequency than their tin counterparts and also tended to be less hardy, and thus, a far fewer number of them survive today as compared to the more frequently discovered tin and metal toys of the same era.
"Shufflin' Sam" is very RARELY found (The FIRST time I have ever been able to offer him!!!), and the opportunity to acquire him should not be overlooked!
$695.00
This stunning, 125 year old+ example of statuesque Black Americana is in wonderful condition absent two very tiny areas of loss, not unexpected given the age and use of the piece. One area is at the extreme edge of the right tip of the base, and the other, very minor loss to the tips of the right thumb and index finger. Neither of these areas of loss are easily noticed, nor do they distract from the truly incredible rarity of this early piece.
Very well made, the frame easily comes apart into 3 pieces for safe shipping and/or storage.
An extraordinary opportunity to acquire an extremely RARE and highly coveted piece of turn-of-the-19th-into-20th-century Black Americana! One will be very hard-pressed to find another example!
$95.00
$165.00
Fabulous colored and black and white illustrations (see photos) adorn this 26 page book! The book features the adventures of a little Southern boy who lives with his gran'mammy and gran'daddy in a log cabin set down in a cotton field.
Interior pages are in very nice, near mint condition, are clean and bright and are tightly bound together. The only intrusion is a former owner's name, "Weaver", written in blue ink on the interior cover page (see photo). The hard bound cloth covers are in fine condition, with very, very slight wear to cover spine edges and book corners typical of a book of its age. This is a verified first edition as later editions had the cloth board without the color pastedown. Illustrated on every page, alternating color and black and white. This copy includes a worn, tattered, but nearly complete dust cover, which accounts for the pristine condition of the front and back hardcovers.
A very charming addition to one's Black Americana collection, and a black-themed children's book that is very rarely found in today's collectible market!!
$245.00
The front side graphic showing an African American woman picking cotton with her little girl at her side retains its vivid coloring and is in near mint condition with very minor wear specs here and there visible along the black tray rim. The tray underside shows a bit more wear along the tray rim and around the tray base edge.
The front of the tray bears the advertisement, “ The Source of Cottolene- ‘Nature’s Gift From the Sunny South’”, and obviously refers to the cotton plant as the source of Cottolene Lard or shortening which was manufactured by the N.K. Fairbanks Company.
In extraordinarily microscopic-size lettering on the bottom front of the tray at the base of the cotton-picking scene can be read (with a super-magnifying glass), the name of the manufacturer of this metal tip tray: " Passaic Metal Ware Co. Litho. Passaic NJ".
The tray underside depicts a can of Cottolene lard which provides the backdrop for the Fairbanks Company product advertising. It advertising reads, "Way Down South in the Land of Cotton’ If you could see cotton growing in the fields in all its purity, could observe the skill and care used in extracting and refining the oil, you would appreciate while COTTOLENE- the perfect shortening- is so much purer and more healthful than lard could ever be. COTTOLENE is pure and wholesome as the finest olive oil; makes food palatable, digestible, healthful. COTTOLENE shortens your food- lengthens your life.” Wow, quite a testimony!!
A wonderful crossover piece that is becoming very difficult to find and is equally appropriate for one’s Advertising, Black Memorabilia, or Tip Tray collection!
$135.00
This story is a much-beloved children's classic written in the early 1900's by Englishwoman, Helen Bannerman, for her two daughters while they lived in India. Sambo, in the original Bannerman tale, was an Indian boy and not an African-American child. He was converted to this race overtime, however, by subsequent story tellers and illustrators. This age-old tale tells of Little Black Sambo and his frightening tiger encounter, which fortunately, has a happy ending!
Condition is a 8 out of 10! All the wear on this cloth-bound hardcover book was absorbed by its cover with wear to book edge points and book cover edges. The interior binding is intact and tight as are all pages. No creasing or bends to pages. Illustrations remain very brightly colored and vibrant and are particularly notable for their fine artistry. A couple of very small page edge tears (less than 1/2") are present. A penned inscription is noted: "To Evelyn Field From Dorothy Field Christmas 1943".
Amazing condition for an 80 year M.A. Donohue Publishers book- a book that is exceedingly difficult to find in today's market!
To see all of the Little Black Sambo items currently available for sale, simply type “Sambo” into the search box on our website homepage.
$45.00
This offering features two lovely die cuts- one, a well-to-do Victorian era husband and wife sitting down to dinner, and the second, a colorfully dressed bride and groom at the altar about to take their wedding vows. The third offering is a glossy finish mini-size litho featuring three siblings arriving at school with book bags on their backs, and one sporting an umbrella in case it later rains. Three children peer out the school window awaiting their arrival.
The products for which these die cuts and litho were meant to endorse is unknown. The litho features a very glossy finish, and the die cuts feature an embossed, glossy finish which compliments the beautiful detailing and intense coloring of each piece. All would look fabulous either framed individually or as a grouping! Think gift!
Approximate measurements are as follows:
The dining couple & the Wedding: 4" tall x 5.75" wide
School children: 6" tall x 4.50" wide
Priced each at $45.
Please note that any white specks that seem prominent in the closeup photos are the result of light bouncing off the surfaces of the aged die cuts. These pieces are approximately 140 years old, and while in very good condition given their age, tiny surface imperfections may be evident here and there.
The photo of the verso of all three pieces reveal that only the wedding die cut has a small restoration made to one of the altar candlesticks using archival quality tape. There have been no repairs or restorations made to either the school litho or the Dinner die cut.
$195.00
The puppet, itself, is 14 inches tall and is colorfully dressed in blue and white checked pants, red shoes, orange and whit polka dot shirt, straw hat and red patterned neck scarf.
The puppet's face is composition and bears evidence of some age-related crackling as noted in photos. He has a tiny piece if composition missing on the left side of his neck partially covered by his neck scarf, so it is very difficult to notice. He bears a manufacturer stamp on the bottom of his right foot, but it is partial and unreadable. His hands which hold colorful pink straw maracas are a heavy molded plastic.
The puppet is free of stains, dirt and odor. He retains his original black strings and wooden airplane controller!
$625.00
Prominent facial features- eyes and brows, nose, cheekbones, lips and teeth -and tight curly hair rise from the surface of the bowl. The bowl is rather heavy for its diminutive size and has no markings. Measures 4 inches in diameter and 1.5 inches high. Condition is excellent with some tarnishing that may be cleaned if desired; our preference was to offer this 140+ year old piece in as found condition.
A rare, outstanding and highly collectible offering to add to one's advanced Black Americana collection! I have only come upon 2 of these bowls in my 40+ years in the field.
SOLD
Constructed of tin with a cardboard lithographed image and a glass cover, this game has a mirrored back. The puzzle is in all-original condition with the graphic remaining in bright color and free of scratches and abrasions. Although the glass front is somewhat cloudy, as one can see in photos, the image is readily visualized. The mirrored back shows significant loss of silvering due to its 110+ years of age. (Please disregard any light or shiny spots in photos which are due to flash reflection off of the glass.)
A delightful piece of early, pocket-toy, Black Memorabilia!
$475.00
The toy is in very fine, working condition. When wound, the black dancers bob up and down, moving their hinged legs about and swinging their arms. The dancer's heads, bodies, and arms are constructed of flat tin, while their legs and feet are three dimensional. Other than a few light scratches here and there, the surface lithography and paint is in fabulous condition.
The toy measures 8” tall and 5 ½” wide. Marked with “MADE IN U.S.A.” on the back of the dancer's jackets as well as "MADE IN USA" and "PAT 2072308" (Patent Year 1937) on the bottom of the toy base.
$475.00
These dolls were conceptualized as advertising pieces and were only obtainable from the Aunt Jemima Mills of St. Joseph, Missouri, in return of 24 cents in stamps along with 4 box tops from select Aunt Jemima products for the full set which also included children, Little Diana and Wade Davis, OR for JUST ONE DOLL, 1 box top and 6 cents in stamps! Dolls were then shipped promptly, postpaid upon receipt!
The original purchaser of these uncut dolls, Mrs O. W. Lewis of Ethel, Missouri, clearly only ordered the Aunt Jemima and Uncle Mose dolls, as these dolls remained within the family, untouched in the original mailing envelope, until their recent discovery by the purchaser's descendants.
It is quite unusual to find uncut versions of these dolls -along with the original mailing envelope which typically is quickly tossed away- as more commonly, the dolls are found by chance as "singletons" here and there-- already cut, sewn, stuffed and played with as opposed to the pristine, uncut versions offered here.
The pair is in quite wonderful condition given their 100+ years of age and are suitable for framing. Each doll is printed on a separate piece of linen, and the color of each doll remains amazingly crisp and brilliant! Aunt Jemima measures 10.5" wide by 35" long, and Uncle Mose measures 10" wide by 35" long. (Please note that any variation in color noted in photos is a result of lighting issues and light reflection only. Background of linen remains its original, crisp, bright white with each doll retaining its "like-new" consistent and brilliant color.)
Mild foxing is noted only on Aunt Jemima and not on Uncle Mose, likely due to the manner of storage. The Uncle Mose doll fabric was folded and stored inside of the Aunt Jemima fabric, and then they were placed inside of the envelope, with only Aunt Jemima coming into contact, for decades, with the high-acidic content of the envelope which caused the foxing. Fold lines are evident as well; however, these fold lines are the result of original factory packaging and storage in the envelope for over 100 years. Other than the foxing as described, the pair remain in truly fine condition!
A rare opportunity for the advanced collector to acquire an uncut, complete pair of C1917, Aunt Jemima and Uncle Mose Advertising Rag Dolls, suitable for framing!
This offering will only be sold as a pair; offers for an individual piece will not be entertained.
$150.00
This 1920-30s, hinged, wooden game piece box features an original, hand-executed, ink-on-paper drawing of a black figure in a tuxedo that has been pasted to the box cover. The drawing has been preserved with a shellac covering.
The box contains fifty, sequentially numbered 1-50, wooden game pieces painted red and white. The game pieces are in mint condition and appear to have only been lightly used. They remain firmly in place within the box with the support of non-stick, archival tape which may be easily removed without damage to the game pieces, if desired.
The game box measures 5.25 inches wide x 10.50 inches long x 1 inch high.
Truly a one-of-a-kind piece of vintage Black Memorabilia! Displays wonderfully!
$95.00
This circa 1940's (perhaps even earlier!) Mammy has a polished cotton half body firmly stuffed with cotton batting which is attached to a fabric-covered, cardboard platform that enables her to sit. Such a doll is often referred to as a platform or toaster doll as her voluminous skirt was designed to cover unsightly kitchen appliances - most commonly the toaster!
Most notable is this Mammy's exquisitely executed, hand-embroidered face, and her elaborate dangling beaded hoop earrings!
Mammy's clothing is machine stitched and is absent of holes, rips or repairs. While all her patterned clothing retains its original and uniform coloring, all of the purple cloth has faded- obviously a less stable dye used there. When one opens the folds of the cloth, one sees the rich, deep purple it once was!
An unusually well-detailed doll for its type!
$125.00
This story is a much-beloved children's classic written in the early 1900's by Englishwoman, Helen Bannerman, for her two daughters while they lived in India. Sambo, in the original Bannerman tale, was an Indian boy and not an African-American child. He was converted to this race overtime, however, by subsequent story tellers and illustrators. This age-old tale tells of Little Black Sambo and his frightening tiger encounter, which fortunately, has a happy ending!
Condition is a 8 out of 10! All wear on this brightly colored hardcover book was absorbed by its cover with minor wear to book edge points, book cover edges, and spine edges. Light scuffing to front and back covers. The interior binding is intact and tight as are all pages. No missing pages, rips, creasing, pen/pencil markings or bends to pages with one exception: the initial front blank page is missing its lower corner, and it also has five circular hole punches running at the bottom of the page. Child mischief, no doubt!
The fourteen colored illustrations remain very bright and vibrant with the McLoughlin Bros. well known for their very fine artistry. Three black ink illustrations. Pages printed with a larger font suitable for young readers. Subtle age discoloration to pages.
Wonderful condition for a nearly 90 year old book that is exceedingly difficult to find in today's market!
To see all of the Little Black Sambo items currently available for sale, simply enter “Sambo” into the search box on our website homepage.
$575.00
The signs were purchased directly from the fish shack owners, and were, thirty-something years later, sold out of that purchaser's estate sale. During the purchaser's lifetime, the signs hung, one-over-the-other above the fireplace in the purchaser's den. They have been in my personal collection since 2003.
These signs have a very colorful, folk-art appeal and are certainly utterly unique! They very much fit into the American, Southern "Outsider Art" collecting genre, a genre which highlights the work of self-taught, rural area artists who create fabulous and highly expressive art using the media and materials that they have at hand and which reflects the world that they know and live in.
The signs are quite heavy as each is painted on a solid wood board. The signs are nearly identical in size and measure approximately 25 1/2 inches wide x 14 5/8 high x 3/4ths of an inch thick. One of the signs has very, very slight warping, but the warping is not readily evident as seen in pictures. Each sign has 2 holes from which to hang them, and the old rusted hanging wire which is seen in the photos has been replaced with new wire.
$65.00
Quite multi-purpose in nature, his legs hold spools of thread, and under his red vest, he hides a pincushion (his chest) along with 2 felt strips for needle and pin storage (his arms)! Four decorative plastic rings can be used to hold safety pins! He also sports a ring on the top of his hat to allow one to hang him on the wall.
Condition is quite fine! No rips, stains or tears with just some subtle fading to his green felt bowtie and black face and legs--all age-related. He has two, insignificant moth holes on the BACK of his red vest.
Handy to keep by the sewing machine, but also just a delightful, vintage, Black Memorabilia whimsy to decorate your sewing room!
$495.00
The image, itself, measures 32" long x 24" wide, while the framed artwork in total measures 41" long x 32.5" wide. The giclee print was framed using museum-quality, acid-free double-mat board and backing materials, within a fine quality solid wood frame and topped with non-glare glass. This artwork was purchased directly from artist, Kelvin W. Henderson, it was signed by him at the time of our purchase, and it cheerily hung in our dining room for ten years!
The artwork is actually brighter in color than my camera was able to capture- closeups appear a bit "darker" than reality. Condition is absolutely perfect! And its presence---well, it will command one's attention hanging on an entire wall-space all by itself! It is, as stated earlier, a Limited Edition giclee lithograph-- Number 18 of a 150 Limited Edition series, with an additional 50 canvas editions. The provenance of this piece with all details is attached on the back side of the artwork as seen in one of our photos. A buoyant and effervescent piece of art!
As this piece exceeds typical shipping criteria in terms of dimensional size and weight, we regret that we cannot offer free shipping. We will provide a $25 shipping credit, but the remaining cost of shipping will rest upon the purchaser.
SOLD
Pull the original string attached at the base, and Mr. Googly's eyes move into all sorts of silly positions! Three photos are included to demonstrate the variety of eye positions possible.
The paint is in wonderful condition with just the tiniest, pinprick size dots of loss noted here and there, and only well-seen under magnification. A small crease under the nose is present with no impact to the toy's integrity. This toy was also designed to be wearable, and on the backside one of the two original clothing pins remain.
The toy is marked "Made in Germany" on the reverse side. Two photos were taken in an attempt to clarify this marking, although the beginning and the end of the word "Germany" have worn away over time, making the task difficult!
A seldom found vintage toy in functional, all-original condition! Displays nicely!
Enter "Googly" into the SEARCH box to see our other Googly-Eye collectibles!
$175.00
Marked "Pat Applied For" on its base, this darling match holder features two small black boys playing around a rather large cotton bale (the bale is labeled "COTTON").
Well-executed detail! A lovely piece seldom found in today's collectible market!
$18.00
$1,595.00
Merrill, known for creating extraordinary art collages of cut paper, cut birch bark, ink, and watercolor mounted on black construction weight paper, fashioned this particular piece depicting the fictional African-American Blackville Debating Society, by encompassing all of these preferred artistic mediums.
One can see the beautiful grain of the white birch bark Merrill used to execute each figure and form, which he then detailed using black ink and added depth and color by applying varying natural tones of watercolor. Merrill added additional elements of detail to the black mounting paper using a lighter toned ink, such as the entrance/exit door to the left of the moderator. The resulting work of art is simply exquisite!
Merrill's subject matter ranged from various genre pieces to racist scenes inspired by Solomon Eytinge, Jr.'s, (1833-1905) "Blackville" series that Eytinge created for Harper's Weekly in the 1870s. Merrill's artwork offered here was inspired by Solomom Eytinge's "Blackville" lithograph printed in the January 4, 1879, edition of Harper's Weekly. (A photo of Eytinge's litho is presented for client reference and comparison to E.W. Merrill's work and is not available for sale.) When comparing the two pieces, one will note that Merrill changed his artwork from that of Eytinge's by eliminating one of the "scorner's" in the right corner, many of the club members featured at the bottom Eytinge's litho as well as the signage above the debate moderator and by adding the 25 lb "Best Soap" box under the moderator's table leg.
At the base of this work reads the following: The Blackwell Debating Society- "Wedder Lord Dorwin Involved Hisself or Somebody Else." -The Scorner in the Corner Will Reply Drawn By E.W. Merrill Concord NH .
Measurements including the handsome, original oak frame are 26" wide x 18.5" in length. The original hanging eyelets have been removed for ease in shipping and are present under the tape as seen in the photo of the verso of the artwork.
$155.00
Very few of these pieces survive due to the high level of use they encountered. This piece has obviously not seen much if any use as the paint remains absolutely perfect! A single, very minor, very tight age crack is present at the outer edge of the handle bottom. Two superficial craze lines noted: one at the base of the right-side tulip, the second noted at the "R" in "SPOONREST". No other imperfections.
This fine and very hard-to-find piece of Black Memorabilia is an essential addition for the advanced collector! Fabulous detailing!!
$395.00
This very scarce piece is very much reminiscent of Johnny Griffin items with the exception of the intact, broad-rimmed hat on this piece versus the torn rim typically seen on all "named" Johnny Griffin pieces.
This circa 1920-30's novelty piece is constructed in solid brass, is hefty in weight, and was likely used as an ash tray given its tobacco leaf design/theme. The "Johnny Griffin-like" head of the young African-American boy that serves as the centerpiece of this wonderful piece, was molded separately and screwed into place. The screw is concealed under an original brass cap, done purely for esthetics.
The piece is in all original condition with the delightful, warm, rich, golden patina of old brass- not a reproduction- no replaced parts- and measures 7 inches long x 4 1/2 inches wide. It does not retain any markings, and country of origin is unknown, although likely of European origin.
A very seldom found piece of Black Memorabilia, that indeed pairs well with Johnny Griffin items or one's Tobacciana collection!
To view all of the Johnny Griffin items currently available for sale, simply type “Johnny Griffin” into the search box on our web home page.
SOLD
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 quite good condition. 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 age-related, light soiling is present. Tusker the elephant has been lightly colored with colored pencil in some places as is Sambo's grass hut, and evidence of penciled-in page numbers, long since erased, is noted. (Any blurring in photos is due to camera technique and does not reflect book condition.)
This rarely-found, miniature-size (possibly a rare salesman's sample) 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.
$125.00
(Also currently available is Fern Bisel Peat's companion Little Black Sambo Puzzle!)
Published by The Harter Publishing Company, Educational Publishers, Cleveland Ohio, this book along with a companion puzzle which features one of the illustrations from this book, were likely released to the public at the same time. Both the book and puzzle were intended for use in the school setting, grades K-2, as well as in the home. The aforementioned Little Black Sambo puzzle is also available for purchase on this website (type Sambo into the SEARCH box).
This story is a much-beloved children's classic written in the early 1900's by Englishwoman, Helen Bannerman, for her two daughters while they lived in India. Sambo, in the original Bannerman tale, was an Indian boy and not an African-American child. He was converted to this race overtime, however, by subsequent story tellers and illustrators. This age-old tale tells of Little Black Sambo and his frightening tiger encounter, which fortunately, has a happy ending!
Condition is an 8.5 out of 10! This unnumbered, softcover book has seen little use with just a teeny bit of wear to book edges and very small creases here and there on the covers which do not effect structural integrity. The eight large folio, color illustrations retain their intensely vibrant hues and are simply just spectacular, and they alternate with lovely black ink line drawings. (My camera did not do justice to the intensity of color, washing it out.) An inked inscription is present on the inside front cover. The front and back covers have separated completely from the staple binding; there is separation of book pages only at the following point: below the lower of the two remaining staples. The third and lowest staple is missing.
Despite these imperfections, this rarely found,soft-cover, children's book is in amazing condition given its 90 years of age!
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.
$85.00
The two larger brushes have natural bristles, while the small red Mammy has solid red "plastic" brushes. They range in height from the Mammy at 6.5 inches and the Railroad Porter at 8 inches tall, to the smaller Mammy at 4.5 inches tall.
The two larger brushes are priced at $85 each. The small red 4.5" Mammy, is priced at $60.
All three brushes are in very good condition with evidence of having been very lightly used as described below:
Red Railroad Porter(A): small, superficial "dings" to paint here and there, with three teeny specks between the eyes. The majority of paint wear is seen around the bottom of the pedestal that the porter is standing on. The brush bristles are a mix of faint red and natural coloring.
Small Red Mammy(C): paint in excellent condition with only one superficial ding to the paint on her left side. An unusual feature: the black bow painted atop her hat!
Large Green Mammy(B): --paint in very good condition with tiny dings here and there and subtle paint wear to her hat on the right side. Slight bend to bristles, likely due to storage conditions at some point in time. Has a bit of faded green string around her neck which once may have been tied into a bow.
Please note that many of the white spots seen in the photos are light reflections and are NOT areas of missing paint. If one looks closely, the teeny areas of missing paint can be distinguished from the light reflections.
Enter "BRUSH" into the SEARCH BOX to find other Black Americana brushes for sale.
$95.00
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!
$175.00
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.
$195.00
This never-used tote bears the original paper tag which states, "Handmade by African Cripple; Ematupeni / Zimele Cripple Care Centers; Durban, England".
The artistry of the wool felt, hand-appliqued cut-outs featuring a mother and her three children is further enhanced by colorful bead work which was carefully placed for symmetry in design and form! A gorgeous piece of vintage African Artwork!
Measuring 14 long x 14 wide x 2 deep, the bag retains a "brand-new" appearance with no fading, rips, stains, or other blemishes.
Please see the companion "tea cozy" offered for sale and priced separately.
$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!
$45.00
$625.00
From 1901-1924, Bruckner produced this original, 12" Topsy Turvy doll for Horsman's Babyland Rag Doll line that features Caucasian, "Betty", on one end and African American, "Topsy", on the other. The inspiration for this doll is based on the character of Topsy in Harriet Beecher Stowe's classic 1852 novel, "Uncle Tom's Cabin".
The Bruckner Topsy Turvy doll was advertised in a 1907 Babyland Rag Doll catalog as follows:
"TOPSY-TURVY---What is this?
Looks like just a pretty miss.
But turn her over and you'll find,
She is quite another kind.
First she's White and then she's Black,
Turn her over and turn her back.
Topsy that side--Betty this--
Yet complete, each little Miss."
The detail on this hard to find classic doll is lovely. Both heads indeed have the pressed, molded mask faces with lithographed features. Topsy's face is in mint condition! Betty's face is very fine with superficial rubs to the flesh-toned coating of her mask; her lithographed facial features, however, remain beautiful. (Such rubs are not unexpected as these particular doll masks are, unfortunately, prone to rubbing.)
Grinning Topsy has red bows tied to her black mohair braided pigtails which are tucked into her red headscarf. Her red blouse, which matches her head scarf, is trimmed with cream banding around the sleeve and neck edges. The cream scarf she wears around her shoulders tucks into her very full, red/cream checked, gingham skirt. Flip her over, and....
Betty's more subtle Anglo face and her hair are lithographed. She wears the same red/cream checked gingham fabric of which both her dress and ruffled bonnet are constructed. Over her very full gingham dress, Betty also wears a sheer, ruffled pinafore.
Both dolls have the typical "mitten" hands of the stuffed rag dolls of this era. There are no other difficulties to report other than the rubs to Betty's face and some tiny, stray (original) glue spots here and there. No rips, tears, soiling, or odors, and she has been stored in a smoke-free home. The photos show it all- these two girls are a charming pair! A very difficult to find doll in near excellent condition!