14 Vintage Native American Dolls - 5 Skookum

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Ancient & Ethnographic From Around the World

By Artemis Gallery

Nov 5, 2020

Set Reminder 2020-11-05 10:00:00 2020-11-05 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : Ancient & Ethnographic From Around the World https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/ancient-ethnographic-from-around-the-world-5916
Ancient art from Egypt, Greece, Italy and the Near East, as well as Asian, Pre-Columbian, Native American, African / Tribal / Oceanic, Spanish Colonial, Russian Icons, Fine art, much more! All categories, all price ranges... all legally acquired and guaranteed to be as described or your money back. Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com

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• Lot Description
  New World, America, California, 1920 to 1969. An intriguing set of 14 male and female Native American "Skookum" dolls, all standing and wrapped in polychrome blankets of geometric designs. All of these fascinating figurines feature round faces with slender eyes looking out to their right, slim eyebrows, flat noses, thin lips, and high cheekbones framed by long black hair and are dressed in linen and felt dresses, shirts, and pants of varying colors and patterns and tan moccasins. Many are additionally adorned with rosy cheeks, cloth or paper headbands, beaded necklaces, and braided hair. A few exhibit additional ornaments, such as a feathered headdress, a bandana, or a baby. Although 5 include a Skookum marking on their foot, all are clearly influenced by the Skookum doll aesthetic. The composite medium of the dolls can help to date them; while the earlier dolls are mostly made of wood with dowel rod legs, bodies stuffed with twigs, leaves, straw, and grass, and feet wrapped in suede, leather, or paper, the dolls made after 1948 are almost entirely plastic. Size of Largest: 5.25" L x 3.5" W x 17" H (13.3 cm x 8.9 cm x 43.2 cm)
  
  Mary McAboy (1876 to 1961) started making Native American dolls wrapped in blankets with apple heads in 1913, following the tradition of her mother who frequently made apple head dolls to give to friends and sell at social events. Astounded by their popularity, she soon obtained a patent for their design and the name "Skookum", a slang term from the United States Pacific Northwest meaning excellent or mighty. In 1920, Mary joined forces with the H.H. Tammen Company and began mass production and nationwide distribution of her Skookum dolls, which gradually changed from apple head dolls to dolls completely made from plastic composite, and continued to oversee production until her death in 1961. An excellent representation of her work, these dolls are just a small example of her business empire.
  
  Another example of a Skookum doll can be found at Hood Museum of Art at Dartmouth College under the accession number 987.35.26724.
  
  Provenance: private Orange County, California, USA collection
  
  All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
  
  A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
  
  We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.
  
  #157427

  Condition

  Excellent with some miniscule fraying and apertures of fabric and chipping to paint as commensurate with age. Remarkable remaining pigment.
• Shipping Info

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