Antique 1922 Jamaican b.w.i. Handmade Folk Art Market Woman Doll With Basket

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Exceptional antique Jamaican handmade folk-art doll dating to 1922, depicting a traditionally dressed market woman balancing a handwoven basket on … Read more Exceptional antique Jamaican handmade folk-art doll dating to 1922, depicting a traditionally dressed market woman balancing a handwoven basket on her head.
The underside of the cloth-covered base bears the important handwritten inscription “JAMAICA B.W.I. 1922,” identifying the piece with Jamaica during the British West Indies colonial period and providing an unusually specific early date.
Entirely handcrafted, the figure features a molded and hand-painted face and hands, a fabric-wrapped and stuffed body, layered period textiles, floral-print skirt, apron, head wrap and a finely woven natural-fiber basket. One arm is raised while the other holds a small object against the body. The combination of materials and individually constructed details gives the doll wonderful folk-art character.
A particularly appealing survivor of early 20th-century Jamaican material culture and travel/souvenir folk art. The original handwritten 1922 Jamaica B.W.I. inscription substantially adds to its historical and collectible interest. See less