#Repost from @thedayafter2016 with @regram.app ... Not so long ago: Leo Moss, a Black doll maker and Macon, GA native made dolls in the late 1800s through the early 1900s. Friends and family are reported to have been the subjects for his dolls, many of which bore sad faces with actual teardrops molded into their papier-mâché faces. Moss was a handyman by trade, and while most of his dolls were Black, a few white dolls were made on commission. Moss traded for chickens and vegetables to feed his family. The dolls were made from paper scraped from walls, boiled and made into a paste. Each head was molded individually and colored with a spray gun used for killing flies. Boot dye and stove blacking were used as the base color. The glass eyes were brown and inset into the heads, however a few had painted eyes. Their hair was molded, their nostrils were usually pierced, and their bodies were cloth with legs and arms mostly composition. The bodies were made by Lee Ann Moss, Leo's wife, and some were from broken dolls they had been given. Another source of doll parts was from a toy supplier, a white man from New York who sold defective parts to Moss. It is said that the salesman ran off with Lee Ann taking the youngest child, Mina, with them. The dolls had tears on their faces and most appeared very sad and dejected, reflecting the unhappiness he felt over this tragic event. Author and historian Debbie Behan Garrett noted in her 2008 book, Black Dolls: A Comprehensive Guide to Celebrating, Collecting, and Experiencing the Passion, that if one of Moss’ young models was unhappy or crying while he was trying to capture their image on a doll, he added their tears. Moss’ dolls are extremely rare and perhaps only 100 of them still exist today. Highly sought after by collectors the dolls sell for thousands of dollars, with one selling in 2010 for $10,350. Moss dolls gained national exposure after one of his dolls was entered in the 1973 United Federation of Doll Clubs 24th Annual Exhibit at Louisville, Kentucky. #leomoss #dolls #blackdolls #blackdollmakers #dollmaker #dollcollector #Notsolongago #nsla
