Continuing our club's virtual doll meeting commemorating Black History Month, today we present a pair of early-all bisque dolls in their original box and elaborate costumes. The 4.75-inch tall dolls have set brown glass eyes and swivel necks. They are barefoot and have molded gold bracelets and anklets. On the cover of their fragile box is written in pencil "Sadie Newell from Grace Bronen." Inside the cover, also in pencil, is "Robert Newell Kinnaird 7 years 27 of Aug" and "Given to Sara Newell when she was about 8 yrs old." Inside one of the sections in the box is written in pencil "From Grace to Sadie Newell Christmas 1889."
The dolls' festive finery may indicate that they are prepared to participate in a cake walk. The dance originated on slave plantations in which enslaved men and women dressed in their best clothing danced in a procession. The winning couple was awarded a prize, typically a cake. In some cases, the dance was performed for the white slaveholder, who judged the contest, and white guests. However, according to some sources, the exaggerated steps and gestures of the cakewalkers were subtly mocking the highly-mannered dances of the white upper class. Following an exhibit at the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial which featured Black dancers performing a version of the cakewalk, the dance became a feature in minstrel shows and music halls. The costumes were increasing colorful and elaborate, with men often attired in top hats, gaudy topcoats, and striped or patterned pants and the women donning fancy hats and gowns. The cakewalk was performed in 1889 at the Paris World's Fair, spreading the dance craze throughout Europe, where it was performed everywhere from the stages of Paris to the aristocratic ballrooms of England. The idioms "to take the cake" and "a piece of cake" may originate from the cakewalk.
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