black americana joyful african american girl cheri miss martha holcombe figurine

Description

the sweet little girl
just a lovely little joyful girl with a radiant smile. her name is cheri. she is numbered «49» though i do not know the significance of that number: maybe her model № or № in the limited series. her original price sticker is still on her base at .00 in 1993. she is 5 1/2" tall and 3" wide from the farthest outside left point to the farthest outside right point. i can find no issues with her: she has only ever been displayed. made by miss martha (martha holcombe) in gadsen alabama for the «all god's children» she was inspired to create for the purpose of having money to give to her church for roof repairs. (see more on this farther down in the «about miss martha» and «about all god's children» sections). has alot of information hallmarks: see images 6, 7, 8:
base is marked
made in usa (imprinted)
original sticker price of from 1993 from the store? butterflies & critters?
on the figure itself
signed in sculpture «m holcombe» («m» for martha)
impressed in print: «m holcombe» («m» for martha)
impressed: «
©
1993»
impressed: «god is love»
about miss martha
from: collectiblyyoursgifts.com/gallery4a.htm
a self-taught sculptress, martha holcombe brings these delightful children to life. their innocent expressions are captured forever in hand-painted resin figurines and dolls, proudly made in gadsden, alabama.
about all god's children
from: fabtintoys.com/all-gods-children/
the «all god's children" story as told by miss martha.
in 1980 the pastor at my church asked the congregation to make a faith promise (pledge an offering amount) to help raise money to repair the leaky roof on our church building. without a job and with three children the family funds were tight. after praying and seeking god's guidance, i felt that god wanted me to pledge 0.00. i had no idea how i would get this money but since this is what god had impressed upon me, i knew he would make a way. soon after this, i created a soft sculpture doll and took it to church. several people wanted to buy a pattern to make their own doll. several days later i was looking at a craft magazine when the idea came to me to market the patterns through mail order.
all the ads listed business names so i used the name my sunday school kids called me... «miss martha». i added the «originals» part just to give it a finishing touch. i borrowed 0.00 to place a 2" x 2" ad in the back of the magazine. i worked 18 hours a day for the next three months getting my first pattern «lisa» ready for the printer.
as soon as the magazine was published, my first trip to the post office was filled with joy and excitement. wow! twenty envelopes were there with each one containing a .25 check. i immediately called my pastor to share the good news. orders came in steadily and i was able to pay my faith promise and design more patterns. the more we gave to god, the more he continued to bless.
what started out as nothing more than a desire to help repair the church was quickly turning into a booming business.my education was in the field of mental health andi knew absolutely nothing about running a business. the bible is true when it says god uses the simple things of the world to confound the wise. i wanted nothing more than to honor christ with my efforts.
in 1984 we moved into a new building in the industrial park. we had 33 employees at the time.
that was one of our highs. a low came shortly thereafter when the market for doll patterns all but vanished. although we didn't have money to make our building payment, my best friend and company manager, carolyn snead, and i refused to give up. we knew god had started the business and he would let us know when it was time to close.
so, in 1985, with only four employees left, i started sculpting a line of figurines we christened... All god's children. this name was chosen from 1 John 3:1 «see how much the father loves us! his love is so great that we are called god's children».
having no formal art training, i didn't really know what i was doing but once again god blessed my efforts.
in 1989 we introduced a black historical series of figurines. this was done to increase awareness of the unsung heroes and heroines of america's past who had a positive influence in shaping the history of our country with their courage, beliefs, and determination.
maker's and/or other marks
has alot of information hallmarks: see images 6, 7 , 8:
base is marked
made in usa (imprinted)
original sticker price of from 1993 from the store? butterflies & critters?
on the figure itself
signed in sculpture «m holcombe» («m» for martha)
impressed in print: «m holcombe» («m» for martha)
impressed: «
©
1993»
impressed: «god is love»
dimensions
she is 5 1/2" tall and 3" wide from the farthest outside left point to the farthest outside right point.
condition
i can find no issues with her: she has only ever been displayed.
the fine print
the images are the majority of the listing description, so take a look at them closely.
shipping costs have really increased—this is calculated into the buy-it-now price.
i am not able to sell individual items from items i have listed as a group. i just don't have the stamina to create new listings for those. i apologize for that. i haven't initially individually listed items because i don't have enough listing slots to so.
trying to downsize some, though extremely melancholically.
shipping time: i otherwise work more than full time and my health isn't great, so kindly excuse the longer handling time. if i am able to ship sooner, i absolutely will do that
. i appreciate you taking the time to view my listing.