Doll parts from the Rock Rest Tourist Home: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

Three matching handmade baby doll parts found in drawer E of the Singer cabinet table from the Rock Rest Tourist Home. The handmade, clay sculpted parts include the doll’s head (2011.12.18.2.8a), foot (2011.12.18.2.8b), and fragment (2011.12.18.2.8c) which have all been painted a uniform dark brown.

2011.12.18.2.8a: The head has short, cropped curly hair, ears, and part of the neck. The doll’s facial features include round cheeks, thick lips, a short button nose, and open eyes. It has a serious expression on its face. The hair curl texture is defined with stippling and swirls in the clay. On the bottom of the neck are dabs of yellow and orange paint.

2011.12.18.2.8b: The foot is a right foot. The toes are undefined, and it has a thick ankle. A fragment has sheared off the front exposing the bright clay below. The top of the foot, above the ankle, is unpainted.

2011.12.18.2.8c: The fragment is roughly hand shaped. It is thicker at the top and thins towards the bottom. The top side is cross hatched stamped. The back is rough textured and has losses at the top and down the center.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: mid 20th century
• Created by: Unidentified
• Subject of: Rock Rest Tourist Home, American, 1948 - 1976
• Owned by: Clayton Sinclair, American
• Owned by: Hazel Sinclair, American
• Type: dolls
• Medium: paint on clay
• Dimensions: H x W x D (2011.12.18.2.7a): 2 3/8 × 1 15/16 × 2 3/16 in. (6 × 5 × 5.5 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W x D (2011.12.18.2.7b): 1 1/8 × 9/16 × 1 1/8 in. (2.9 × 1.4 × 2.8 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W x D (2011.12.18.2.7c): 1 × 1/2 × 5/16 in. (2.6 × 1.3 × 0.8 cm)
• Place collected: Kittery, York County, Maine, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Black Enterprise
• Topic: Business
• Topic: Recreation
• Topic: Segregation
• Topic: Travel
• Object number: 2011.12.18.2.7abc
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Portsmouth Black Heritage Trail, Inc.
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The underlying object's rights statement is: Unknown – Restrictions Possible Rights assessment and proper usage is the responsibility of the user.