Martha Ann192325 1/2 x 11 1/2 x 5"MuslinGift of Wendy Lavitt2017.22.201562006102P1.1983.2Letta VanderhoofToys and GamesThe American Folk Art Museum believes this work to be in the public domain.WoodsworthWoodsworthUnited StatesWisconsinThree Dimensional Works
WoodsworthLetta (Mrs. Charles) Vanderhoof made Betty for her daughter’s seventh birthday on October 14, 1897. In 1923 she made a second cloth doll, Martha Ann, for her granddaughter’s seventh birthday on June 19, 1923. The dolls were cherished within the family as they moved to Kalamazoo and Battle Creek, Michigan; Chicago; Woodsworth, Wisconsin; Sarasota, and ultimately Las Cruces, New Mexico where they were sold in 1981 to the donor. Letta Miller married Charles Vanderhoof in September, 1889. She filed for divorce in 1918 on charges of cruelty and non-support. Following her divorce she appears in city directories as occupation “dressmaker.” Vanderhoof died at the age of eight-four and is buried in Oak Grove Cemetery in Coldwater, Michigan.The two dolls were prominently featured in the exhibition American Folk Dolls and were used in much of the promotional material.
A distance of twenty-six years and more than two hundred miles separate Betty, the doll Letta Vanderhoof made for her daughter Emily’s seventh birthday on October 14, 1897, and Martha Ann, the second cloth doll that she made for her granddaughter Barbara’s seventh birthday on June 19, 1923. Each of the dolls features similarly hand-painted cloth faces, and their dresses are meticulously stitched. They wear underclothes and socks. Nothing hints of their distance in time and space, yet together they tell a story of generations and unwavering affection despite the vagaries of life. The dolls were cherished within the family as they moved variously to Sarasota, Florida; Chicago, Illinois; Kalamazoo and Battle Creek, Michigan; Las Cruces, New Mexico; and Woodsworth, Wisconsin. Letta Miller married Charles Vanderhoof in September 1889. Their first and only child, Emily, was born almost exactly one year later. In 1912, Letta Vanderhoof filed for divorce on grounds of cruelty and non-support. The ensuing years were marked by relocations and hardships as Letta supported herself through her dressmaking skills, appearing in city directories as "dressmaker" and "seamstress." Emily married Charles Hixson one year after her parents officially divorced and bore her own first child, Barbara, in 1916. The couple divorced between 1930 and 1940, when the Federal Census for Chicago lists Emily as head of household, working as a clerk in a furniture company. Her household also included daughters Barbara and Esther, and her mother, Letta Vanderhoof, who continued to live with her daughter and her family until her death at the age of eight-four.
Stacy C. Hollander, "Betty, 1897, Martha Ann, 1923," exhibition copy for American Perspectives: Stories from the American Folk Art Museum Collection. Stacy C. Hollander, curator. New York: American Folk Art Museum, 2020.
Object information is a work in progress and may be updated with new research. Records are reviewed and revised, and the American Folk Art Museum welcomes additional information.
To help improve this record, please email photoservices@folkartmuseum.orgP1.1983.219231923 2017 22 2 Letta (Mrs. Charles) Vanderhoof made Betty for her daughter’s seventh birthday on October 14, 1897. In 1923 she made a second cloth doll, Martha Ann, for her granddaughter’s seventh birthday on June 19, 1923. The dolls were cherished within the family as they moved to Kalamazoo and Battle Creek, Michigan; Chicago; Woodsworth, Wisconsin; Sarasota, and ultimately Las Cruces, New Mexico where they were sold in 1981 to the donor. Letta Miller married Charles Vanderhoof in September, 1889. She filed for divorce in 1918 on charges of cruelty and non-support. Following her divorce she appears in city directories as occupation “dressmaker.” Vanderhoof died at the age of eight-four and is buried in Oak Grove Cemetery in Coldwater, Michigan.The two dolls were prominently featured in the exhibition American Folk Dolls and were used in much of the promotional material.
A distance of twenty-six years and more than two hundred miles separate Betty, the doll Letta Vanderhoof made for her daughter Emily’s seventh birthday on October 14, 1897, and Martha Ann, the second cloth doll that she made for her granddaughter Barbara’s seventh birthday on June 19, 1923. Each of the dolls features similarly hand-painted cloth faces, and their dresses are meticulously stitched. They wear underclothes and socks. Nothing hints of their distance in time and space, yet together they tell a story of generations and unwavering affection despite the vagaries of life. The dolls were cherished within the family as they moved variously to Sarasota, Florida; Chicago, Illinois; Kalamazoo and Battle Creek, Michigan; Las Cruces, New Mexico; and Woodsworth, Wisconsin. Letta Miller married Charles Vanderhoof in September 1889. Their first and only child, Emily, was born almost exactly one year later. In 1912, Letta Vanderhoof filed for divorce on grounds of cruelty and non-support. The ensuing years were marked by relocations and hardships as Letta supported herself through her dressmaking skills, appearing in city directories as "dressmaker" and "seamstress." Emily married Charles Hixson one year after her parents officially divorced and bore her own first child, Barbara, in 1916. The couple divorced between 1930 and 1940, when the Federal Census for Chicago lists Emily as head of household, working as a clerk in a furniture company. Her household also included daughters Barbara and Esther, and her mother, Letta Vanderhoof, who continued to live with her daughter and her family until her death at the age of eight-four.
Stacy C. Hollander, "Betty, 1897, Martha Ann, 1923," exhibition copy for American Perspectives: Stories from the American Folk Art Museum Collection. Stacy C. Hollander, curator. New York: American Folk Art Museum, 2020.
Object information is a work in progress and may be updated with new research. Records are reviewed and revised, and the American Folk Art Museum welcomes additional information.
To help improve this record, please email photoservices@folkartmuseum.org