Name: Cecily a Leo-Moss-Type Doll
Made by and When: Rubin Quintano, 1992
Material: Papier-mâché over composition head, shoulder plate, and limbs; brown stuffed-cloth body
Marks: 204-R.Q. 92 is written on the nape of the neck in red paint. A tag pinned to the front of the dress reads, “Cecily R.Q”.
Height: 22 inches
Hair, Eyes, Mouth: Sculpted short black tightly coiled hair; inset brown eyes, frowning eyebrows, and a sculpted and painted teardrop on each cheek create a sad expression. The dark rose-colored down-turned full lips further illustrate sadness.
Clothes: Cecily wears an aged (tea-stained) light blue dress, a white infant’s undershirt with side snaps, white lace-trimmed pantalettes, white socks, and vintage light-blue leather shoes.
Other: As documented in part 3 of the Ebony-Essence of Dolls in Black four-part series on Leo Moss Dolls, Cecily’s former owner purchased the doll at a UFDC Convention in Indianapolis in 1992. (This might have been a regional event.) Cecily is also featured on page 417 in Black Dolls an Identification and Value Guide Book II by Myla Perkins wherein the former owner provides a description of Quintano’s doll-making process—stripping the paint from composition dolls, repainting them and remolding the head with Moss doll characteristics resulted in his nice Moss doll replicas… Quintano added new inset eyes and new bodies. Note that in Black Dolls… Book II, Cecily’s name is spelled “Cicely” and the doll’s height is recorded as 23 inches (58 cm).
Little else is known about doll artist, Rubin Quintano, who made one-of-a-kind dolls during the 1990s in the fashion of late 19th-century doll maker Leo Moss. Quintano’s dolls possibly date back to the 1970s or 1980s, but 1990s examples have been documented. His dolls are notable for their tightly coiled sculpted hair, down-turned mouths, big brown eyes, and sometimes tears. They can often be mistaken in pictures for authentic Leo Moss dolls. The smooth texture of his dolls’ faces and extremities is a major difference between Quintano’s Moss-type dolls and authentic Leo Moss dolls. Quintano’s dolls usually bear his initials and/or numbers that precede and follow the initials.
See another Rubin Quintano doll installation here.
Reference
Through the Eyes of Leo Moss: His Story, His Dolls Part 3 of 4
Gallery
________
Your comments are valued. Donations aid the initiative to preserve Black-doll history.
If you subscribe to DeeBeeGee’s Virtual Black Doll Museum™ by email, click the post title in the email, which links to the website to view all text and associated media. Please “like” and share this installation with your social media contacts. If you’d like to subscribe, add your email address to the subscribe or sign-up field in the footer or right sidebar. Add your email address to the subscribe or sign-up field in the footer or right sidebar.
Search: Use the search field at the website to search for specific dolls and/or specific doll categories, e.g., “antique dolls”.
DeeBeeGee's Virtual Black Doll Museum™ 