Name: African Dolls
Made by and When: Heidi Ott, 1988
Material: Hard cast vinyl, cloth, synthetic wigs, glass eyes, pellets for the baby’s body stuffing
Marks: Heidi Ott is handwritten on the heads. Underneath the artist’s name, the dolls are marked (boy) 90.88.408; (girl) 94.88.346; (baby) 95.88.200.
Height: The larger dolls are 18 inches; the baby measures 12 inches.
Boy
Hair, Eyes, Mouth: Short curly black synthetic wig, stationary brown glass eyes, closed mouth
Girl
Hair, Eyes, Mouth: The girl’s original black wig disintegrated*. It is replaced with a handmade double-strand twisted wig. The stationary brown glass eyes are inset. The mouth is closed.
Baby
Hair, Eyes, Mouth: Sculpted black circular curls, brown stationary eyes, parted full lips
Clothes: Dressed in their original clothes, the boy wears a blue and tan plaid hat that matches the shirt fabric and blue striped pants. The boy has bare feet. The girl wears a burgundy paisley-print tunic, burgundy pants, white knit socks, brown leather shoes, and has a tan striped baby sling. The baby wears a white shirt under an orange and tan checkered hooded top. White shorts replace its original tan shorts; its feet are bare.
Other: Made in Switzerland, this doll trio represents African children with ethnically correct facial features. All dolls have Heidi Ott hang tags and certificates of authenticity. A second identical baby (not shown) appears in the Heidi Ott 1988 catalog along with the boy, girl, and baby featured in this installation. In the catalog, the dolls’ names are not revealed by Ott, who explained, “Naturally, all my dolls have their own names, but unfortunately, they have to remain a secret. The reason being is that many firms in countries all around the world have registered almost all [childrens’] names in existence, therefore I wish to avoid any legal action involving copyright.” In later years, Ott revealed her dolls’ names.
The boy and girl have stockinette-over-vinyl torsos. The baby’s cloth torso is pellet-filled. *The girl’s wig disintegration occurred with most (if not all) girl dolls in this collection.
Slideshow (Arrow or swipe pictures if slideshow is not automatic.)
1988 Catalog Photos
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