Sylvia (Possum Trot Doll)

Calvin Black, Ruby Black, Sylvia (Possum Trot Doll), ca. 1953-1972, carved and painted redwood with fabric, cord, and nails, (figure seated): 30 ⁷⁄₈ x 16 ³⁄₈ x 21 ³⁄₄ in. (78.4 x 41.6 x 55.2 cm) (figure standing (without base)): 43 ³⁄₄ x 13 x 8 in. (111.2 x 33.1 x 20.4 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson, 1986.65.233

Artwork Details

Title: Sylvia (Possum Trot Doll)
Artists: Calvin Black
Ruby Black
Date: ca. 1953-1972
Location: Not on view
Dimensions: (figure seated): 30 ⁷⁄₈ x 16 ³⁄₈ x 21 ³⁄₄ in. (78.4 x 41.6 x 55.2 cm) (figure standing (without base)): 43 ³⁄₄ x 13 x 8 in. (111.2 x 33.1 x 20.4 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson
Mediums: nails
redwood
iron
cotton
Mediums Description: carved and painted redwood with fabric, cord, and nails
Classifications: Sculpture
Subjects: Figure female — full length
Object Number: 1986.65.233
Linked Open Data: https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1986.65.233

Artwork Description

The Blacks opened a small rock shop and refreshment stand along the desert highway in California's Death Valley in 1953. Their property, affectionately named Possum Trot, became home to the Fantasy Doll Show. Calvin carved, Ruby dressed the dolls, and together they attached speakers to their backs that played original recorded songs and voices for each one.

Though Sylvia's dress has been tattered by the wind, weathering has not erased her features. She originally wore a hat and sat on a table beside a wind-driven, outdoor merry-go-round amid other whirligigs and roadside attractions. Like their other eighty creations, Sylvia possesses a distinct personality.

"This is a doll show for people who like art. Art, real art, this is it. Don't come in if you don't like Art."
—Calvin Black

Exhibition Label, Smithsonian American Art Museum, 2006