The Roosevelt family’s personally-owned handmade rag doll, measuring 16″ tall, kept by the family in the White House living chambers. Includes a letter of provenance on White House letterhead from Lillian Rogers Parks, who was a housekeeper and seamstress at the White House for over 30 years, from Hoover through Eisenhower. In part: “After the death of President Franklin D. Roosevelt…I was given the doll ‘Rastis.’ The President and Mrs. Roosevelt owned ‘Rastis.’ It was always kept in the White House Family Living Quarters. I never heard the Roosevelts refer to the doll as ‘Rastis.’ That is what I called him as I moved him about while serving the Roosevelt Family. I do not remember what they called him…He has a brown face and is wearing a green checkered shirt, tan corduroy pants, and a black tie, belt and shoes. I always liked ‘Rastis.’ The Roosevelts must have too. He was frequently around the House.” Antique toys and dolls are often coveted by collectors, even when not associated with an iconic personage.
