Hickory nut doll made by formerly enslaved man, Obadiah Beverly: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

This doll was handmade by Obadiah Beverly, known as Obe, a formerly enslaved man in Virginia. The doll is composed of a hickory nut, wooden stick, fabric and lace. The nut, used for the head, is wrapped in a section of faded cotton cloth, with part of the nut surface exposed as the face. The fabric is gathered together under the nut by a piece of lace, wound several times around the object. The body of the doll is a stick wrapped in cotton cloth. The doll's skirt is made of a gathered section of cream colored cotton cloth with a faded pattern.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: ca. 1876
• Created by: Obadiah Beverly, American
• Type: dolls
• Medium: hickory nut with wood, cloth, lace and thread
• Dimensions: H x W x D: 6 1/2 × 6 × 2 in. (16.5 × 15.2 × 5.1 cm)
• Place made: Saltville, Smyth County, Virginia, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Children
• Topic: Emancipation
• Topic: Families
• Topic: Slavery
• Object number: 2016.57
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of P. Douglas Groseclose in memory of Virginia Dare Vawter Groseclose
• 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 displayed image also has an explicit CC0 designation. The underlying object's rights statement is: No Known Copyright Restrictions Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.