$7,500
Sold
sold
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Description
26" (66 cm.) Hand-pressed paper mache head with flanged neck,rich black
complexion,sculpted black hair in very tight curls,sculpted angled black brows,heavily lidded
inset brown eyes with black eyeliner,broad rounded nose,closed mouth with very full
downcast lips in wistful expression,very plump cheeks,three modeled tears on cheeks,brown
muslin torso and upper legs,composition lower limbs,wearing white cotton dress and
sweater,undergarments,shoes,striped stockings. Condition: generally excellent. Marks: L.M.
(head) Violet Mae Collins 6-12- 1922 (hand lettered on torso). Comments: attributed to Leo
Moss,circa 1920,the itinerant black carpenter of Georgia is believed to have created a small
number of one-of-a-kind dolls depicting children of his small town world; his materials were
those found-at-hand; for example,the left-over scraps of wall paper from his day job. The
tearful-faced children were signature to his style,and each was created uniquely. Value Points:
rare American doll with outstanding sculpting and portraiture,enhanced by the mysterious
background of the artist,superb state of preservation.