Featured Help ID’ing Native American doll.

Picked this one up at auction recently. Luckily I didn’t have to pay an arm and a leg... just an arm. I believe the man referenced on tag may have been the Dean of University of Illinois for a time. If that’s the right RWR then they have the years wrong by a bit at least as he was born 1914. Would love to know what tribe and time the doll is from?

 

Interesting it has the tag with the former owner's name, does imply the sellers thought this was worth mentioning. Was the auction in Illinois? If you are correct that this Dean of UI was the owner as a child, not thinking it adds too much to value one way or another but maybe helps with dating and always interesting to know the history of things.

Other thoughts, wondering if it was a doll made to look Native American, versus actually being made by a a Native American. I'm not an expert -- just would expect leather, or beads or something, but wait for others.

 

Not a typical style for any traditional Native American group. It looks like it may be a reuse of knitted socks, made to look like an "Indian".

 

I agree ... Joy.

 

In the for what it's worth category, Robert W Rogers is not an unusual name in the US. In a single Ancestry search for that name with a birth date in 1904 and living at some point in Chicago, I found one that matched it all. Born in Chicago but didn't die in Illinois, though - Rhode Island.

I don't think you'll find the tribe and when made from knowing more about the white man who owned it.

 

I believe the tag with that info was put there before it got to the auction house. Either by the collector who owned it before sending it there or by whenever sold it to them, or earlier down the line. The doll came in an antique basket. The basket also had a tag with RWR and was described as a dressing basket. Looks like a sewing basket to me but maybe they dressed babies or dolls in it.

I wouldn’t expect it to add much value but any information is good information as far as I’m concerned. As you mentioned the date is key and possibly the location could be helpful.

Certainly very possible it’s not made by a NA. It was auctioned on the same day as a lot of other Native American items and NA related items. Most or all I suspect came out of the same collection. I think it’s a cool little doll either way and at $10 with a basket I’ll sell for multiples of that I’m happy with him.

Thanks

 

basket....what basket?

 

Never heard of a "dressing basket" .. may we see it please ?
Joy.

 

Hahaha. I’ll post it. If you’re a basket case I have a couple I should throw up here someday. One is Filipino and IMO absolutely beautiful. The other I have no idea. It’s wooden and unlike anything I’ve ever seen, guessing American. I would like to know more about each.

 

I've been called worse....

 

@J Dagger I would recommend starting a brand new post on the baskets. We have a few additional members who are knowledgeable about baskets that would be alerted if basket was in the title.

 

I’ll start new posts for the other baskets I have for sure. If this one piques anyone’s interest as being more than an old sewing basket I’ll make a new post for this one too. Thanks for the advice.

 

this one...???

 

This is the basket the little doll came in. It’s roughly a foot long or so. There’s a pin cushion under one handle that you can see in the first photo. The attached tag calls it a dressing basket. Seems like a sewing basket. See any difference or anything else here? I plan to sell the basket. I know sewing baskets have their own collectors. If you can recommend a good starting price that would be great too

Edit:the clothes mentioned on tag weren’t present upon my purchase.

 

Premature reference. You looked to soon., it’s theres now .

 

what can I say......I got excited !!!!

 

hummmm...single rod coiled basket w/ handles......
i've not seen one gussied up in this fashion, and don't believe it to be a sewing basket....but more , someones idea of a makeshift station for their kids dolls to be played with.....

can you say Barbies Bedroom playset......


From the designs on the basket......native american...perhaps...

If we nail it down as a NA basket......it may help the sale...but not sure it would help the price .....as this looks like a one off dolls dressing basket...

I just don't see selling the basket without the doll and the tags....

 

the sewing baskets I'm used to all have lids...and no dolls...

 

Hahaha. That’s what someone said!

You know the design had me thinking the same thing (NA?) but I just cast that thought off as being hopeful and not being knowledgeable enough to know any better.

I know nothing about sewing baskets either but in looking at others in my initial search I did notice a lid was often if not always there. Not out of the question that it just went missing though. If it is what it says and what you think it may be, a dolls dressing basket then maybe it will interest a doll collector enough to take a gamble. I like the doll so I’m not giving that up at this time. I like the basket too but I’m trying to trim my collection down a touch and don’t have the space for too much excess. If we did find out it was NA that would change my mind on keeping it though.

If it’s not NA any sale will have to happen sans doll with just the story and we’ll see what happens.

I wonder what kind of interest that doll would bring anyways?

Oh and in other NA news I gathered a couple other things recently. A neat northwest totem plaque. Just a wood (not sure it it’s cedar yet) totem carving, painted black, mounted on plain board. Probably a pretty modern tourist piece but I got it for $5 so it’s more than $5 worth of cool. Got it in last minutes of a sale and really haven’t looked at it yet. Also got a nice gourd canteen/flask that has a beaded hide strip and a nicely decorated arrow. Both tourist pieces I guess but the gourd has a little age. The arrow I have no idea, I haven’t really inspected it yet but it was interesting enough. One exciting thing I did find was a little collection of artifacts I bought at auction in the spring. I never took it out of the box after the auction and just did for a second today. There’s a bannerstone I didn’t even know was there which is awesome and is my only one. A very cool large scaping tool with a natural handle and about a dozen points. One nice large one and one nice bird point. I’m excited to do some digging on those and hopefully find out where they come from! The large point reminds me of ones I’ve seen from TX but I’m a virgin when it comes to sourcing points.

 

With the pin cushion added I'd definately say ''sewing basket'' .. I've seen many antique sewing baskets even fancier than this one .. padded silk linings, ribbons and lace .. with or without lids,often the lids were missing or never had one. In all of my years of doll collecting I've never ONCE heard of a 'dressing basket' .. even after working with Native women for years. This appears to be a typical old fancy sewing basket ... Joy.