Delia

Name: Delia

Made by and When: Helen Kish Designs, 1988

Material: All-porcelain (the palms of the hands are painted a lighter color and the knees are blushed and dimpled).

Marks: (Incised in the head) Delia / #1/25 / 1988 Helen Kish (incised signature)

Height: 11 inches

Hair, Eyes, Mouth: Black yarn cornrowed wig with multicolored beads attached to the braided ends, painted brown squinting eyes with painted upper and lower eyelashes, open smile with six sculpted upper teeth

Clothes: Royal blue dress, white pinafore with multicolored beads and embroidery on the bodice, white panties, white socks, blue faux suede Mary Jane shoes; the dress is tagged NIADA* certified doll.

Other: Numbered as the first doll, Delia is from a limited edition of 25 NIADA-certified dolls by renowned artist, Helen Kish, who is now an honorary member of the *National Institute of American Doll Artists. In the artist dolls chapter of Black Dolls a Comprehensive Guide to Celebrating, Collecting, and Experiencing the Passion, a description of Kish’s doll art is included as follows.

Helen Kish began making dolls in the mid-1970s. She is well known throughout the collecting community for her doll-making expertise. Her precious little girl dolls with their well-proportioned bodies and charming dispositions are favored. Black-doll collectors and others with an appreciation for all types of dolls, look forward with anticipation for each new dark-skinned doll created by Ms. Kish. Delia, a [10-1/2in/26.67cm], full-body porcelain doll, created in a limited edition of 25, dates back to 1988 and is one of the artist’s first AA dolls. Her first vinyl dolls to grace the cover of a doll publication included a dark-skinned doll. Sugar, along with Hannah and Andie were featured on the cover of the September 1993 issue of Contemporary Doll Magazine.  This award-winning artist continues to incorporate dark-skinned dolls, including an occasional dark-skinned male, in her doll lines. 

Note: Delia actually measures 11 inches.

Gallery

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