Name: Danielle and David
Made by and When: (Danielle) Yolanda Bello, Edwin M. Knowles, 1991; (David) Yolanda Bello for Ashton-Drake Galleries, 1992
Material: Porcelain heads, lower arms, and legs; stuffed white cloth bodies and upper arms, acrylic eyes, paint
Marks: (Danielle’s head) Yolanda Bello (incised) / 3721F (handwritten); (David’s head) 1989C (handwritten) / Yolanda Bello (incised)
Height: 9-1/2 inches in the seated position
Hair, Eyes, Mouths: Sculpted black hair, brown inset acrylic eyes with painted upper and lower eyelashes; Danielle has an open/closed mouth. David’s mouth is closed with a slight smile.
Clothes: (Danielle) Aqua floral-print dress, pink floral-print bloomers, lace- and ribbon-trimmed bonnet matches the bloomers fabric, ecru lace apron, ecru socks; (David) burgundy plaid cap and short overalls, white shirt, red bow tie, bare feet.
Other: Sculpted by Yolanda Bello, Danielle and David are from two numbered collections of porcelain dolls. Danielle is from Yolanda’s Picture Perfect Babies Collection. David is the first issue in Yolanda’s Precious Playmates Collection. Danielle was produced by the Edwin M. Knowles China Company. Ashton-Drake Galleries produced David. Both dolls have hang tags. “Danielle was a nominee for the DOLLS Award of Excellence in the porcelain: under $100 category… David’s edition ended on December 31, 1993. At that time, the molds were broken and no more dolls using this mold were cast” (Perkins, 1995, p. 362).
Danielle and David are examples of early mass-produced porcelain dolls that introduced many adult collectors to the world of doll collecting solidifying their place in doll history.
Gallery
Reference
Perkins, Myla. Black Dolls an Identification and Value Guide Book II. Collector Books, 1995.
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