Name: Sophia With the Gold Tooth
Made by and When: Mary E. Washington, 1991
Material: Porcelain head, hands, and below the knees; stuffed cloth full-figured body, upper arms, and upper legs with a mature bosom.
Marks: The back of the neck bears the artist’s signature and ©1991. The doll’s left leg bears the artist’s signature and the date, 09/19/92.
Height: 23 inches
Hair, Eyes, Mouth: Painted and sculpted upswept bun, brown inset eyes with painted upper and lower eyelashes, open-closed smiling mouth with sculpted teeth; the doll’s left front-upper tooth (left central incisor) is gold.
Clothes: Long-sleeved burgundy cotton dress with a white crocheted collar adorned with a circular gold pin, crochet-trimmed sleeve cuffs, white pantaloons, and slip; wears gold hoop earrings and painted-on low-heeled pumps.
Other: Mary E. Washington’s original dolls were made in ultra-limited editions to honor historical figures and the trends and customs of ordinary people. Gold-capped front teeth (full crowns or open-face crowns) became popular during the Jim Crow era among African Americans who viewed gold teeth as status symbols. However, gold teeth ornamentation is “an ancient practice which dates back as far as 4,000 years… in Southeast Asia (Gold Teeth). In this hand-sculpted, original full-figured doll with broad facial features, Ms. Washington captured this African American trend (which in today’s hip-hop culture is often displayed as full gold “grills”).
The current owner purchased Sophia With the Gold Tooth in 1992 at the Leo Moss Doll Show in Detroit, Michigan.
Gallery (Photos and description courtesy of Mildred Wilson)
Reference:
Gold teeth. (2024, April 17). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold_teeth
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