By Kevin Williams
This is more of our occasional glimpses into what is selling on Etsy that has an Amish theme. I'm always amazed at the finds!
JAM CRATE: This was an intriguing item, although I can't tell whether it is Amish-made or just owned by an Amish family. Too bad the seller isn't including the jam with the crate!:) Click here to see this interesting piece.
BLACK DOLL: I'm not sure how I feel about this piece. I think an ethnic doll is great, although it almost seems to skate a bit close to caricaturing. But there has to be a interesting backstory here and it intrigues me. First, an Amish dollmaker creating an African-American doll would seem to be somewhat unusual. There's just not a great deal of cultural overlap between the two groups. Second, is the dollmakers name: Ruth Wise. Now I don't profess to know every Amish surname out there, but Wise is not one that is on my radar. So I'm wondering if the dollmaker is a convert. I'm going to reach out to see if I can get more of the backstory behind this doll and the maker. Although the seller says she bought it at a Salvation Army store and that the dollmaker lived near Winesburg, Ohio (a heavily Amish area), so the seller may not know much more than what is on the listing.
PENNSYLVANIA DUTCH CANDY TIN: SIGH, too bad the candy isn't still in this tin. As it stands now, you're just getting a tin. But this is a classic Pennsylvania Dutch/Lancaster County folk art from the mid--20th century. If I had unlimited funds and space, I'd probably have an office full of such decor. Click here to check it out.
AMISH STRAWBERRY-RHUBARB JAM: This is jam that is apparently made by an Amish family in a small commercial kitchen. I LOVE strawberry-rhubarb jam and it is definitely a staple among the Amish. I am going to reach out to the sellers to see if I can find out where this jam is made. Would love to visit and share some photoss and recipes with everyone! Stay tuned! In the meantime, check out the jam here.
OLD AMISH GERMAN BIBLE? Not sure how the seller has determined that this Bible was once owned by an Amish family (the surname is not a very common Amish one), but this is an interesting entry. Check it out here.
A beatuful Cheryl McNulty watercolor
CHERYL MCNULTY AMISH LAUNDRY WATERCOLOR: I found this Cheryl McNulty watercolor of an Amish washday in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. I love the vivid colors! You can read more about it or get your own print here.
Coreen D'Angelo
The black doll though I have ot seen the Amish black doll yet may have been from a British person originally. In england we had Gollywogs now banishhed because they were made in image of a black mistrel. They were to be determined to be racist later. To me they were cute dolls mom made of rags, have two at home here, If you google Gollywog you might see if they are similar. Coreen D'Angelo
Kevin
Coreen, interesting, I did google that it there is a resemblance, I think that is why the doll sort of rubbed me the wrong way...