Portraits of Childhood: Black Dolls from the Collection of Deborah Neff
Portraits of Childhood: Black Dolls from the Collection of Deborah Neff explored themes of race, gender, and identity through 135 handmade Black dolls dating from around 1850 to 1940 as well as almost 60 period photographs and paintings depicting dolls posed alongside both children and adults. A selection of more recent Black dolls from the Museum’s collection provided additional perspectives on the exhibition’s themes to consider. Educators, students, and community members were invited to respond to the exhibition thoughtfully and critically through visiting both independently and in organized groups, participating in workshops and facilitated conversations, and attending public lectures.
Past Events
- Johnson County Community College Capstone Honor Students – December 16, 2024 | 3-4PM
- UMKC Multi-Genre Graduate Students – December 9, 2024 | 6:30-7:30PM
- Sherry Evon Whetstone – November 10, 2024 | 2-3PM
- Kelly G. Loeb, MSW – October 19, 2024 | 2-3PM
- Mother Mary Moses Moore, Leonard Johnson, Sharon Sanders Brooks, and Sanaya Smith – October 13, 2024 | 2-3PM
- Dr. Deja Beamon – October 4, 2024 | 11AM-12PM
- Dr. Carmaletta Williams – August 28, 2024 | 11AM-12PM
Black Dolls Symposium with Keynote Speaker Tiya Miles
The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures hosted a research symposium on February 6th and 7th, 2025, on the historical significance of Black dolls in America, c. 1850-present. This symposium was part of programming for the exhibition Portraits of Childhood: Black Dolls from the Collection of Deborah Neff, which was on view through March 3, 2025, and featured lecture, “Material Culture as Archive: Finding Black Women’s History in Sacks and Dolls,” by keynote speaker Dr. Tiya Miles.
Tiya Miles is the author of eight books, including four prize-winning histories about race and slavery in the American past. Her latest work is the biography Night Flyer: Harriet Tubman and the Faith Dreams of a Free People. Her 2021 National Book Award winner, All That She Carried: The Journey of Ashley’s Sack, a Black Family Keepsake, was a New York Times bestseller that won eleven historical and literary prizes, including the Cundill History Prize and the Frederick Douglass Prize. All That She Carried was named A Best Book of the Year by The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, The Atlanta-Journal Constitution, NPR, Publisher’s Weekly, The Atlantic, Time, and more.
This research symposium on the historical significance of Black dolls in America, c. 1850-present, featured 17 presenters from around the world. It featured a lecture by keynote speaker Dr. Tiya Miles, “Material Culture as Archive: Finding Black Women’s History in Sacks and Dolls.”
Presenters
- Deja Beamon (University of Missouri-Kansas City), “Black Girlhood: Intersections of Theory, Memory, and Material Culture”
- Marlee Bunch (University of Illinois), “How Dolls Carry Forward Stories and Oral Histories”
- Wanett Clyde (The New York City College of Technology, CUNY), “Size, Shape, Textile, Texture, Color, Condition: The Physicality of a Doll”
- Destiny Crockett (Rutgers University-Camden), “’Grandma Ruby and Me’: Black Age and Archiving Girlishness”
- Randall K. Johnson (University of Missouri-Kansas City), “Race, Dolls and The Law”
- Loren Macon (University of Missouri-Columbia), “From Play to Perception: Exploring Race, Identity, and Beauty Standards through Bratz Dolls”
- Karen McCarthy Woolf (Goldsmiths College, University of London), “Were s/he inclined to speak…”
- Janine Napierkowski (Girl Scouts USA), Blake Changnon (The Changnon Family Museum of Toys and Collectibles), and Connie Porter (American Girl author), “Addy Walker: Why She Matters”
- Emily L. Newman (East Texas A&M University), “’What’s Hair Got to Do with it:’ CROWNing Black Dolls”
- Madelyn Shaw (Independent Scholar), “Bodies of Evidence: The Material Culture of Black Dolls”
- Karina Simonson (Institute of Asian and Transcultural Studies, Vilnius University), “Black Dolls in White Spaces: Navigating Cold War and Race in the Baltics”
- Kipton D. Smilie (Missouri Western State University), “Black Dolls in American Public Schools: Implications of a History of Absence”
- Rhoda Terry-Seidenberg (Bronx Community College), “Coconut and Bananas: Dolls from the Black Diaspora”
- Sabrina Thomas (Duke University), “Zora’s Sara Lee: The First Anthropologically Correct Negro Doll”
- Telia Mary U. Williams (Northern Illinois University), “Doll Story: A Fashionable Legal History of Resistance to, and Engagement with, Sumptuary Laws by Enslaved Persons in Antebellum and Postbellum America.”
Program Schedule
Thursday, February 6, 2025
10:30-10:50am: Opening Remarks
Petra Kralickova (Executive Director, The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures)
Natasha Ria El-Scari (Director of University of Missouri-Kansas City Women’s Center)
10:50am-12:10pm: Session I, Black Girlhood
Deja Beamon (University of Missouri-Kansas City)
“Black Girlhood: Intersections of Theory, Memory, and Material Culture”
Destiny Crockett (Rutgers University-Camden)
“‘Grandma Ruby and Me’: Black Age and Archiving Girlishness”
Rhoda Terry-Seidenberg (Bronx Community College)
“Coconut and Bananas: Dolls from the Black Diaspora”
12:10-12:20pm: UMKC Student Reading by Josephine Sebunyenzi
12:20-1:20pm: Lunch
1:20-2:40pm: Session II, Law and Education
Telia Mary U. Williams (Northern Illinois University)
“Doll Story: A Fashionable Legal History of Resistance to, and Engagement with, Sumptuary Laws by Enslaved Persons in Antebellum and Postbellum America”
Randall K. Johnson (University of Missouri-Kansas City) “Race, Dolls and The Law”
Kipton D. Smilie (Missouri Western State University) “Black Dolls in American Public Schools: Implications of a History of Absence”
2:40-2:50pm: UMKC Student Reading by Kyra Afolabi and Community Reading by Phyllis Becker
2:50-3:00pm: Break/public departs
6:00-7:00pm: Keynote by Tiya Miles (Harvard University) “Material Culture as Archive: Finding Black Women’s History in Sacks and Dolls,” UMKC Student Union Theater
7:00-8:00pm: Book sale and signing, UMKC Student Union Theater
Friday, February 7, 2025
9:00-9:25am: Coffee and pastries
9:25-10:20am: Session III, Race and Identity
Sabrina Thomas (Duke University)
“Zora’s Sara Lee: The First Anthropologically Correct Negro Doll”
Karina Simonson (Institute of Asian and Transcultural Studies, Vilnius University)
“Black Dolls in White Spaces: Navigating Cold War and Race in the Baltics”
10:20-10:30am: UMKC Student Readings by Lanisha Stevens, Tiana Ford, and Iyanna Moss
10:30-10:40am: Break
10:40am-12:00pm: Session IV, Material Culture and Identity
Emily L. Newman (East Texas A&M University)
“‘What’s Hair Got to Do with it:’ CROWNing Black Dolls”
Madelyn Shaw (Independent Scholar)
“Bodies of Evidence: The Material Culture of Black Dolls”
Loren Macon (University of Missouri-Columbia)
“From Play to Perception: Exploring Race, Identity, and Beauty Standards through Bratz Dolls”
12:00-1:00pm: Lunch
1:00-2:20pm: Session V, Addy Walker: Why She Matters
Janine Napierkowski (Girl Scouts USA)
Blake Changnon (The Changnon Family Museum of Toys and Collectibles)
Connie Porter (American Girl author)
2:20-2:30pm: UMKC Student and Community Readings by Alex Tretbar, Courtenay Kantanka, Annie Newcomer, and Ebele Mgbemena
2:30-2:40pm: Break
2:40-4:00pm: Session VI, Telling Stories
Wanett Clyde (The New York City College of Technology, CUNY)
“Size, Shape, Textile, Texture, Color, Condition: The Physicality of a Doll”
Karen McCarthy Woolf (Goldsmiths College, University of London)
“Were s/he inclined to speak…”
Marlee Bunch (University of Illinois)
“How Dolls Carry Forward Stories and Oral Histories”
4:00-4:10pm: Closing Remarks
Screening and Talkback with Lagueria Davis
The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures was thrilled to partner with Lagueria Davis, Writer and Director of BLACK BARBIE: A DOCUMENTARY, for a film screening and talkback on December 5, beginning at 6PM. This exciting conversation was moderated by Natasha Ria El-Scari, Director of the UMKC Women’s Center.
Attendees discovered the untold story of the first Black Barbie and the pivotal role trailblazing Black women at Mattel had in creating a doll who looked like them.
Talk and Signing with Zoe Oli
The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures hosted Zoe Oli, 12-year-old CEO of Beautiful Curly Me, for a presentation, book/doll sale, and signing.
Beautiful Curly Me is an Atlanta-based Toy and Media company on a mission to instill and inspire confidence in young girls. Along with a line of beautiful black dolls and empowering puzzles, Zoe is also the author of several children’s books.
Zoe has been featured on various platforms including Good Morning America, Black Enterprise, Forbes, and The Kelly Clarkson Show. She is a Time & Nickelodeon Kid of the Year Finalist and the world’s youngest black TEDx speaker.
Talk and Book Signing with Brit Bennett
Brit Bennett hosted a talk and book signing with The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures.
Brit Bennett is the New York Times best-selling author of the dazzling coming of age novel The Mothers and the National Book Award nominated novel, The Vanishing Half. Already a much buzzed about social commentator, well-known for her powerful personal essays, Bennett is one of today’s most exciting new voices in literary fiction. Her lectures are as unflinching and memorable as her writing and give audiences a window into her craft while exploring broader themes of race and systemic injustice.
Make and Sip with Karen E. Griffin
Karen E. Griffin (KE), Artist in Residence at Englewood Arts Center, led a Make and Sip at The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures!
An opportunity to connect with the exhibition Portraits of Childhood: Black Dolls from the Collection of Deborah Neff in a memorable way, participants created a 2D art piece reflecting on the meaning of clothing and its relationship to identity. In this handcrafted experience, attendees formed a 1-14”L x 11”W art piece using a dress pattern designed by Griffin, fabric, glue, buttons, and rickrack. No experience was required.
Art supplies, wine, and light refreshments were provided.
Make and Sip with NedRa Bonds
Attendees joined NedRa Bonds—artist, educator, activist, and great grandmother—for a holiday Make and Sip at The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures.
An opportunity to connect with the exhibition Portraits of Childhood: Black Dolls from the Collection of Deborah Neff in a memorable way, participants created handmade holiday ornaments using household materials.
Art supplies, wine, and light refreshments were provided. This event was 21+.
This exhibition would not be possible without the incredible support and collaboration generously shared by the following individuals and sponsors:
Advisory Group
Dr. Deja Jontelle Beamon
Keichanda Dees-Burnett
Natasha Ria El-Scari
Tiana Ford
Morgana Wilborn
Interpretation Writers
Kyra Afolabi
Dr. Deja Jontelle Beamon
Phyllis Becker
NedRa Bonds
Dr. Antonio Byrd
Adrianne Clayton
Natasha Ria El-Scari
Tiana Ford
Karen E. Griffin (KE)
Sheri Hall
Dr. Roland A. Hemmings Jr.
Iyanna Moss
Glenn North
Josephine Sebunyenzi
Lanisha Stevens
Sonié Joi Thompson-Ruffin
Morgan Wafer-Lyman
Dr. Carmaletta M. Williams
This project was supported in part by the City of Kansas City, Missouri Neighborhood Tourist Development Fund and the Hall Family Foundation.
Photographs of the Deborah Neff Collection
Ellen McDermott Photography, New York.
Portraits of Childhood: Black Dolls from the Collection of Deborah Neff explored themes of race, gender, and identity through 135 handmade Black dolls dating from around 1850 to 1940 as well as almost 60 period photographs and paintings depicting dolls posed alongside both children and adults. A selection of more recent Black dolls from the Museum’s collection provided additional perspectives on the exhibition’s themes to consider. Educators, students, and community members were invited to respond to the exhibition thoughtfully and critically through visiting both independently and in organized groups, participating in workshops and facilitated conversations, and attending public lectures.
Past Events
- Johnson County Community College Capstone Honor Students – December 16, 2024 | 3-4PM
- UMKC Multi-Genre Graduate Students – December 9, 2024 | 6:30-7:30PM
- Sherry Evon Whetstone – November 10, 2024 | 2-3PM
- Kelly G. Loeb, MSW – October 19, 2024 | 2-3PM
- Mother Mary Moses Moore, Leonard Johnson, Sharon Sanders Brooks, and Sanaya Smith – October 13, 2024 | 2-3PM
- Dr. Deja Beamon – October 4, 2024 | 11AM-12PM
- Dr. Carmaletta Williams – August 28, 2024 | 11AM-12PM
Black Dolls Symposium with Keynote Speaker Tiya Miles
The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures hosted a research symposium on February 6th and 7th, 2025, on the historical significance of Black dolls in America, c. 1850-present. This symposium was part of programming for the exhibition Portraits of Childhood: Black Dolls from the Collection of Deborah Neff, which was on view through March 3, 2025, and featured lecture, “Material Culture as Archive: Finding Black Women’s History in Sacks and Dolls,” by keynote speaker Dr. Tiya Miles.
Tiya Miles is the author of eight books, including four prize-winning histories about race and slavery in the American past. Her latest work is the biography Night Flyer: Harriet Tubman and the Faith Dreams of a Free People. Her 2021 National Book Award winner, All That She Carried: The Journey of Ashley’s Sack, a Black Family Keepsake, was a New York Times bestseller that won eleven historical and literary prizes, including the Cundill History Prize and the Frederick Douglass Prize. All That She Carried was named A Best Book of the Year by The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, The Atlanta-Journal Constitution, NPR, Publisher’s Weekly, The Atlantic, Time, and more.
This research symposium on the historical significance of Black dolls in America, c. 1850-present, featured 17 presenters from around the world. It featured a lecture by keynote speaker Dr. Tiya Miles, “Material Culture as Archive: Finding Black Women’s History in Sacks and Dolls.”
Presenters
- Deja Beamon (University of Missouri-Kansas City), “Black Girlhood: Intersections of Theory, Memory, and Material Culture”
- Marlee Bunch (University of Illinois), “How Dolls Carry Forward Stories and Oral Histories”
- Wanett Clyde (The New York City College of Technology, CUNY), “Size, Shape, Textile, Texture, Color, Condition: The Physicality of a Doll”
- Destiny Crockett (Rutgers University-Camden), “’Grandma Ruby and Me’: Black Age and Archiving Girlishness”
- Randall K. Johnson (University of Missouri-Kansas City), “Race, Dolls and The Law”
- Loren Macon (University of Missouri-Columbia), “From Play to Perception: Exploring Race, Identity, and Beauty Standards through Bratz Dolls”
- Karen McCarthy Woolf (Goldsmiths College, University of London), “Were s/he inclined to speak…”
- Janine Napierkowski (Girl Scouts USA), Blake Changnon (The Changnon Family Museum of Toys and Collectibles), and Connie Porter (American Girl author), “Addy Walker: Why She Matters”
- Emily L. Newman (East Texas A&M University), “’What’s Hair Got to Do with it:’ CROWNing Black Dolls”
- Madelyn Shaw (Independent Scholar), “Bodies of Evidence: The Material Culture of Black Dolls”
- Karina Simonson (Institute of Asian and Transcultural Studies, Vilnius University), “Black Dolls in White Spaces: Navigating Cold War and Race in the Baltics”
- Kipton D. Smilie (Missouri Western State University), “Black Dolls in American Public Schools: Implications of a History of Absence”
- Rhoda Terry-Seidenberg (Bronx Community College), “Coconut and Bananas: Dolls from the Black Diaspora”
- Sabrina Thomas (Duke University), “Zora’s Sara Lee: The First Anthropologically Correct Negro Doll”
- Telia Mary U. Williams (Northern Illinois University), “Doll Story: A Fashionable Legal History of Resistance to, and Engagement with, Sumptuary Laws by Enslaved Persons in Antebellum and Postbellum America.”
Program Schedule
Thursday, February 6, 2025
10:30-10:50am: Opening Remarks
Petra Kralickova (Executive Director, The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures)
Natasha Ria El-Scari (Director of University of Missouri-Kansas City Women’s Center)
10:50am-12:10pm: Session I, Black Girlhood
Deja Beamon (University of Missouri-Kansas City)
“Black Girlhood: Intersections of Theory, Memory, and Material Culture”
Destiny Crockett (Rutgers University-Camden)
“‘Grandma Ruby and Me’: Black Age and Archiving Girlishness”
Rhoda Terry-Seidenberg (Bronx Community College)
“Coconut and Bananas: Dolls from the Black Diaspora”
12:10-12:20pm: UMKC Student Reading by Josephine Sebunyenzi
12:20-1:20pm: Lunch
1:20-2:40pm: Session II, Law and Education
Telia Mary U. Williams (Northern Illinois University)
“Doll Story: A Fashionable Legal History of Resistance to, and Engagement with, Sumptuary Laws by Enslaved Persons in Antebellum and Postbellum America”
Randall K. Johnson (University of Missouri-Kansas City) “Race, Dolls and The Law”
Kipton D. Smilie (Missouri Western State University) “Black Dolls in American Public Schools: Implications of a History of Absence”
2:40-2:50pm: UMKC Student Reading by Kyra Afolabi and Community Reading by Phyllis Becker
2:50-3:00pm: Break/public departs
6:00-7:00pm: Keynote by Tiya Miles (Harvard University) “Material Culture as Archive: Finding Black Women’s History in Sacks and Dolls,” UMKC Student Union Theater
7:00-8:00pm: Book sale and signing, UMKC Student Union Theater
Friday, February 7, 2025
9:00-9:25am: Coffee and pastries
9:25-10:20am: Session III, Race and Identity
Sabrina Thomas (Duke University)
“Zora’s Sara Lee: The First Anthropologically Correct Negro Doll”
Karina Simonson (Institute of Asian and Transcultural Studies, Vilnius University)
“Black Dolls in White Spaces: Navigating Cold War and Race in the Baltics”
10:20-10:30am: UMKC Student Readings by Lanisha Stevens, Tiana Ford, and Iyanna Moss
10:30-10:40am: Break
10:40am-12:00pm: Session IV, Material Culture and Identity
Emily L. Newman (East Texas A&M University)
“‘What’s Hair Got to Do with it:’ CROWNing Black Dolls”
Madelyn Shaw (Independent Scholar)
“Bodies of Evidence: The Material Culture of Black Dolls”
Loren Macon (University of Missouri-Columbia)
“From Play to Perception: Exploring Race, Identity, and Beauty Standards through Bratz Dolls”
12:00-1:00pm: Lunch
1:00-2:20pm: Session V, Addy Walker: Why She Matters
Janine Napierkowski (Girl Scouts USA)
Blake Changnon (The Changnon Family Museum of Toys and Collectibles)
Connie Porter (American Girl author)
2:20-2:30pm: UMKC Student and Community Readings by Alex Tretbar, Courtenay Kantanka, Annie Newcomer, and Ebele Mgbemena
2:30-2:40pm: Break
2:40-4:00pm: Session VI, Telling Stories
Wanett Clyde (The New York City College of Technology, CUNY)
“Size, Shape, Textile, Texture, Color, Condition: The Physicality of a Doll”
Karen McCarthy Woolf (Goldsmiths College, University of London)
“Were s/he inclined to speak…”
Marlee Bunch (University of Illinois)
“How Dolls Carry Forward Stories and Oral Histories”
4:00-4:10pm: Closing Remarks
Screening and Talkback with Lagueria Davis
The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures was thrilled to partner with Lagueria Davis, Writer and Director of BLACK BARBIE: A DOCUMENTARY, for a film screening and talkback on December 5, beginning at 6PM. This exciting conversation was moderated by Natasha Ria El-Scari, Director of the UMKC Women’s Center.
Attendees discovered the untold story of the first Black Barbie and the pivotal role trailblazing Black women at Mattel had in creating a doll who looked like them.
Talk and Signing with Zoe Oli
The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures hosted Zoe Oli, 12-year-old CEO of Beautiful Curly Me, for a presentation, book/doll sale, and signing.
Beautiful Curly Me is an Atlanta-based Toy and Media company on a mission to instill and inspire confidence in young girls. Along with a line of beautiful black dolls and empowering puzzles, Zoe is also the author of several children’s books.
Zoe has been featured on various platforms including Good Morning America, Black Enterprise, Forbes, and The Kelly Clarkson Show. She is a Time & Nickelodeon Kid of the Year Finalist and the world’s youngest black TEDx speaker.
Talk and Book Signing with Brit Bennett
Brit Bennett hosted a talk and book signing with The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures.
Brit Bennett is the New York Times best-selling author of the dazzling coming of age novel The Mothers and the National Book Award nominated novel, The Vanishing Half. Already a much buzzed about social commentator, well-known for her powerful personal essays, Bennett is one of today’s most exciting new voices in literary fiction. Her lectures are as unflinching and memorable as her writing and give audiences a window into her craft while exploring broader themes of race and systemic injustice.
Make and Sip with Karen E. Griffin
Karen E. Griffin (KE), Artist in Residence at Englewood Arts Center, led a Make and Sip at The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures!
An opportunity to connect with the exhibition Portraits of Childhood: Black Dolls from the Collection of Deborah Neff in a memorable way, participants created a 2D art piece reflecting on the meaning of clothing and its relationship to identity. In this handcrafted experience, attendees formed a 1-14”L x 11”W art piece using a dress pattern designed by Griffin, fabric, glue, buttons, and rickrack. No experience was required.
Art supplies, wine, and light refreshments were provided.
Make and Sip with NedRa Bonds
Attendees joined NedRa Bonds—artist, educator, activist, and great grandmother—for a holiday Make and Sip at The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures.
An opportunity to connect with the exhibition Portraits of Childhood: Black Dolls from the Collection of Deborah Neff in a memorable way, participants created handmade holiday ornaments using household materials.
Art supplies, wine, and light refreshments were provided. This event was 21+.
This exhibition would not be possible without the incredible support and collaboration generously shared by the following individuals and sponsors:
Advisory Group
Dr. Deja Jontelle Beamon
Keichanda Dees-Burnett
Natasha Ria El-Scari
Tiana Ford
Morgana Wilborn
Interpretation Writers
Kyra Afolabi
Dr. Deja Jontelle Beamon
Phyllis Becker
NedRa Bonds
Dr. Antonio Byrd
Adrianne Clayton
Natasha Ria El-Scari
Tiana Ford
Karen E. Griffin (KE)
Sheri Hall
Dr. Roland A. Hemmings Jr.
Iyanna Moss
Glenn North
Josephine Sebunyenzi
Lanisha Stevens
Sonié Joi Thompson-Ruffin
Morgan Wafer-Lyman
Dr. Carmaletta M. Williams
This project was supported in part by the City of Kansas City, Missouri Neighborhood Tourist Development Fund and the Hall Family Foundation.
Photographs of the Deborah Neff Collection
Ellen McDermott Photography, New York.
Date
- Jun 29 2024 - Mar 03 2025
- Expired!
Time
- All Day
Labels
- Exhibition,
- Featured Exhibition
Category
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