Name: Ruby B.
Made by and When: Karen Oyekanmi, 2018
Material: Porcelain
Marks: The neck marks are covered by the wig; only the year 2001 is legible. The hangtag bears a headshot of 6-year-old Ruby Bridges on the front; the back reads: Ruby B., 2018 4/10 by Karen O. ABBDA
Height: 13-1/2 inches
Hair, Eyes, Mouth: Handmade black wig made of texturized synthetic hair is styled in several plaits with a large white bow adorning the top plait. The brown eyes are stationary with applied upper eyelashes and painted lower eyelashes. The mouth forms a circle.
Clothes and Accessories: Ruby B.’s white dress has a white floral print. The doll has matching panties, white lace ankle socks, and black patent-leather Mary Jane shoes. A black leatherette bookbag contains five hardcover mock children’s books made by the artist.
Other: Made originally in a limited edition of 10 as raffle dolls for the 2018 Festival of Black Dolls Show and Sale, which was hosted by American Black Beauty Doll Artists in Oakland, California, this doll is #4 of the first 10 dolls made. Ruby B. represents 6-year-old Ruby Nell Bridges, the first African American child to desegregate the William Frantz Elementary School in Louisiana in November 1960 during the New Orleans desegregation crisis. See more Ruby Bridges tribute dolls by different artists here.
Gallery
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