Museum Collections
Luce Center
Topsy-Turvy Doll
Object Number:
1961.30
Date:
1855-1880
Medium:
Textile, paint
Dimensions:
Overall: 18 1/8 x 9 1/2 x 2 in. ( 46 x 24.1 x 5.1 cm )
Description:
Cloth topsy-turvy doll; one side African-American female figure, opposite side European-American female figure; both faces painted; red printed dress and white dress with blue floral print.
Gallery Label:
The figures represented by this topsy-turvy doll come from Harriet Beecher Stowe's "Uncle Tom's Cabin" published in 1852. Topsy is a slave girl and Little Eva is from a white slave-owning family.
Bibliography:
Weinstein, Amy A. “Children’s toys.” The Magazine Antiques, Vol. 167, no.1, January 2005, p.188-193.
Credit Line:
Gift of Katharine Prentis Murphy
Due to ongoing research, information about this object is subject to change.