Name: 2011 WLBDA Club Doll Aliah
Made by and When: Lorna Paris, 2010
Material: Leather, angora skin, stuffing paint, thread, other materials
Marks: Signed and dated by the artist on the body:
Lorna Paris / Leather Doll Creation / No. 2008 / Created by / Lorna for [the] / 2011 WLBD Club / Lorna Paris (signature) / ©2010
(No. 2008 on the doll’s hang tag indicates Aliah is the 2008th doll made by the artist.)
(Handwritten on the front of the hang tag)
EACH DOLL IS / HANDCRAFTED FROM / THE FINEST ITALIAN / LEATHER AND MATERIALS / By Doll Artist / Lorna Paris (signature) / ©2010
(Handwritten on the back of the hang tag)
My Name is Aliah
Height: 12 inches
Hair, Eyes, Mouth: Brown angora skin (goatskin) for hair with beautifully painted facial features
Clothes: Wears a chartreuse yellow leather top and skirt, a ribbon belt, gold leggings, gold sneakers, earrings, and a bracelet
Other: In 2010, the former Yahoo! email discussion group, WeLoveBlackDolls, commissioned Lorna Paris to make their 2011 club dolls. The artist named each doll and separately shipped them to each club member. Aliah was made for the founder of the group. Seventeen one-of-a-kind (OOAK) dolls resulted. (See headshots of all dolls in the gallery.)
Identical WLBD club dolls date back to 2004, but 2011 was the first year the club dolls were OOAK. Lorna used different brown shades of leather to fashion exquisite, approximately 12-inch one-of-a-kind dolls. The dolls’ hand-applied hair varies in texture from straight to kinky-curly in various colors using angora, mohair, and other usually natural fibers. The artist made the clothing, most of which is also leather. In many cases, she handcrafted the shoes. Just like members of real families, the dolls, which could be sisters, possess unique personalities created by the artist.
Gallery (Except for Aliah, photos are courtesy of the dolls’ owners.)
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