Two Hundred Years of Black Paper Dolls November 12, 2006

This exhibition looks at the history of black paper dolls, beginning with the first African American paper doll, an image of Topsy, made in 1863 to promote the book Uncle Tom's Cabin. Through historical and biographical sketches culled from newspapers, magazines and books of the period, it provides full context for the narrative, revealing how stereotypes of African American people were created and institutionalized through this aspect of popular culture.