Fabulous Group of Four Carved Burl Women's Heads toy pins with ebony backs

with ebony backs

though I also like the specificity of "Durham CT" declared at the bottom

the drawing resembles a hex sign

carved of burl with painted detail for eyes and lips

Fabulous Group of Four Carved Burl Women's Heads toy pins with ebony backsThese are quite small, which to my sensibilities makes them all the more curious and fabulous perhaps carved as the heads of homemade dolls, though they do pretty well as bottle stoppers too! (As usual with things that have a lot of life in them, I really enjoyed photographing these.) Great faces, each with a very singular personality, carved of burl with painted detail for eyes and lips. Definitely with a good age to them, c. 1910s 30s I would guess.