Magge Head Bisque Man

Name: Magge Head Bisque Man

Made by and When: Magge Head, 1950s-1960s

Material: Bisque head, hands, feet; white cloth body

Marks: M. HEAD (incised in the back shoulder plate)

Height: 15-1/2 inches

Hair, Eyes, Mouth: Applied black mohair, painted brown sculpted eyes; wide grinning open-closed mouth with eight individually molded teeth and pink gums

Clothes: Gold and brown silk jacket with orange crepe silk lining; white dickey, black pants, molded black bisque boots with molded white spats

Other: Magge Head Kane (whose first name is often misspelled Maggie) was a 1963 co-founder of the National Institute of Doll Artists (NIADA), an association of original doll artists. As an independent doll artist, Kane began making character dolls in the late 1950s. She also taught mold- and doll-making, and sold her molds to others. Her black dolls usually depict maids, butlers, and others in positions of servitude. Kane’s dolls can be marked M. Head, Magge Head, or Magge Head Kane for those sculpted after her marriage. Kane’s doll-making continued into the 1980s.

The doll featured in this installation was purchased at auction with one accompanying tag that reads, “5-30-94 #AO 142 Magge Head 16. Another tag reads, FT / M. Head (and) 505 (on the back).

In the last gallery photo, see an example of an unmarked female doll that uses a Magge Head Kane sculpt referred to as “Old Lady” and made by an unknown doll artist. Read more about that doll here.

Gallery

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