INDIAN TRADE BLANKET DOLLS

TRADE BLANKET DOLLS

WERE CREATED BY

AWARD WINNING ARTIST

CAROL JOHNSON FULLER

Her “inspiration” for these dolls comes from stories which have been handed down for generations.  Stories of Native American children playing with dolls handcrafted by their mothers and grandmothers, from blankets given to them by the government. With these stories in mind .....Carol Johnson Fuller created  the  first  ‘Trade Blanket Doll’ in 1993.  Since that time, she has continued to maintain the high quality and individual touch of the artist, in each doll and art object she creates.  No two are exactly alike and they are individually handcrafted  by the artist.

Carol Johnson Fuller has painted since the age of eleven years old.  Her artistic interests and hands were guided by her artist father Henry Lee ‘Heinie’  Johnson.  Her father  traveled the United States during the 20’s and 30’s painting Theater Marquees with the faces of the stars of that era such as ‘Cary Grant, Greta Garbo and the Marx Brothers’ just to name a few.  Carol attended Bacone Indian College in Muskogee, OK  during the 1960’s and there her hand was guided by teacher and renowned Indian Artist  Dick West.

She was also honored by renowned Oklahoma artist John Kennedy who took a personal interest in helping her develop her artistic techniques. Carol has taught art classes and given private art lessons for over 45 years. She has received awards for her work from Indian Art shows such as: The Five Civilized Tribes Museum, Muskogee, OK,  The Cherokee National Museum, Tahlequah, OK, and  The Northeast Oklahoma Art Guild, Vinita, OK.   

Carol decided to create a unique Indian doll with a historic background.  In 1993 she created  and copyrighted  the first ‘Trade Blanket Doll’.