The memory is sweet and simple. I never thought of paper dolls as historic artifacts. But like everything, they can be. Mills College is presenting an unusual black history exhibit of black paper dolls that reflects the status of black people since the first doll was issued 140 years ago.

The dolls are from the collection of Arabella Grayson. The first black paper doll was Topsey, based on the character in "Uncle Tom's Cabin" (spelled Topsy in the book).

In a picture, the doll is about 2 inches tall with three outfits -- a red polka-dot dress with a blue-checkered apron, a blue-and-yellow-striped dress with a bib apron, and a dress with a shawl. Surprisingly, her face is not drawn as a racial caricature, a popular style at the time.

A black baby articulated paper doll with movable legs and arms attached with brass brads, made in Germany in 1885 and imported to the United States, also has realistic features. The one in the exhibit is smiling; another version was unsmiling. The dolls were sold in envelopes with tissue and crepe paper.

According to the exhibit, in the early 20th century several magazines printed black paper dolls using the fast-printing method, which combined photography and lithography, creating images from tiny, uniform dots.

One of those was "Mammy and her Thanksgiving Dinner," printed by The Delineator magazine in 1912. Mammy had the stereotypical mammy-face with a wrap-around skirt, a white apron and a red head scarf. Accessories included a turkey and pies.

"Aunt Dinah the Colored Cook comes to join the paper doll family" was published by McCall's in 1911. Her image was more distinguished than Mammy's, with a realistic face and a hand on her hip. Paper dolls became popular features in comic strips. The Philadelphia Record printed a black male servant doll in 1932 with a Sambo-type face and three servant uniforms.

One of the more interesting black paper doll characters was Torchy Togs, drawn by Jackie Ormes and published in the Pittsburgh Courier, an African-American newspaper, in the 1950s. Breaking the mammy or maid mold, she was curvaceous with a snazzy short haircut and wore the latest European fashions, including a green silk faille coat, a white sharkskin dress and a red linen suit. "Hi Girls," she says. "This week we pay special attention to those special occasions when dressing up is a must."

A similar character was created by Dale Messick, who also created the Brenda Starr comic strip, and ran in the Chicago Tribune in the early '50s. She was leggy with big hoop earrings and costumes that included a cowgirl's outfit and a Hawaiian grass skirt.

We move to 1968 and a "Julia" paper doll box set based on the breakthrough television series that starred Diahann Carroll as a widowed nurse raising her son in Los Angeles. It was the first role featuring an intelligent, independent African-American woman on a television series.

And the 1969 "Black is Beautiful" box of four paper dolls. The dolls have huge brown eyes, but don't yet sport the afros that would become almost mandatory. "Just touch with the wand and the clothes stay on," the set promised, including a thin red plastic wand to do the trick.

Other interesting dolls: a Cecil Williams Paper Doll by Trina Robbins, published in San Francisco Magazine in 1991. The reverend is holding a Bible. His outfits include a dashiki with huge angel wings and a halo and a Santa Claus suit carrying a bag full of groceries.

The exhibit offers many other glimpses of how black paper dolls have evolved during the years. What an interesting way to look at the history of black people in America. When we were cutting out our dolls and trying to make those tabs work, who knew?

"Precious Playthings: Black Paper Dolls, 1885-2003" is on exhibit at the Heller Rare Book Room at Mills' Olin Library through February. Call (510) 430-3250 for library hours and more information.

Brenda Payton's column appears in the local section on Tuesdays and Fridays and on the opinion page on Sundays.

The Oakland Tribune: Cityside
Leanne McLaughlin, Managing Editor
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