Name: OOAK La Diva Dolls by Tiffani Dean–Simone, Rachel, and Ivy
Made by and When: Tiffani Dean of La Diva Dolls
Material: Mixed textiles, paint, and stuffing; the larger dolls have button-jointed upper arms and upper legs and stitch-jointed elbows and knees. The smallest doll is unjointed. All three have mitten hands.
Marks: Simone and Ivy are signed and dated by the artist on the back of the left upper thigh; Rachel is not signed.
Simone and Rachel
Height: 24 and 12 inches, respectively
Hair, Eyes, Mouth: Simone and Rachel have handmade black wigs of synthetic fibers. Simone’s wig is styled in two huge Afro puffs with long bangs parted in the middle. Rachel’s wig is styled in two long braids. Both have hand-painted facial features. Simone has open eyes and applied-cloth ears. Rachel’s eyes are closed.
Clothes: Simone has arms and legs of yellow fabric and wears a multicolored fabric dress with an attached sateen gray overskirt with black fabric shoes, and a ribbon necklace with a Lucite pendant.
Rachel wears sewn-on lace-embellished clothes created from different fabrics including mudcloth pantalettes and leather strips across the white fabric bodice; wears a cowrie shell pendant necklace.
Ivy
Height: 18 inches
Hair, Eyes, Mouth: Green synthetic natural-textured hair, painted facial features with a closed mouth
Clothes: Ivy has a white print fabric body and wears a green and black print dress with a matching choker, black and white polka dot over-the-knee stockings, and black faux leather Doc Marten-style boots.
Other: Tiffani Dean is a mixed media artist from Philadelphia who, for nearly three decades, has created one-of-a-kind whimsical art dolls that feature nature hairstyles. The artist sold these dolls at the Queenish Black Doll Showcase in Lancaster, Texas on February 24, 2024. Ivy was named by the artist’s online fans. Read more about Dean and her dolls in a CBS News Philadelphia online article here (where a glimpse of Simone is included in the embedded video).
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