Doll Wearing Seminole Woman's Outfit

Seminole dolls evolved from simple children’s playthings in the nineteenth century to elaborate tourist souvenirs by the 1930s. As their market transformed, Seminole doll makers continued to respect cultural taboos about representation by limiting facial features. Like Vili artists who carved souvenir tusks on the Loango Coast, Seminole artists carefully replicated clothing, foregrounding this cultural aspect for outsiders. The dolls faithfully represent changing Seminole fashions in clothing and hairstyles. This large example wears an elaborate dress, cape, and glass-bead necklaces. Its smooth, fabric-covered hairstyle and colorful patchwork suggest it was made in the 1940s. Seminole souvenir dolls remain sources of income and artistic pride for makers and their families.