Dancing Dolls (Hylton Set)

People

Maker/Creator: Roger Oliver Slusher, Jr.
Associated Person: Andrew Jackson Hylton

Date

1984

Places

Rush Fork (Burks Fork District)

Material/Medium

Reclaimed wood and found objects

Specifications

• Height (female): 13 1/4 inches
• Height (male): 13 1/2 inches
• Waist (female): 3 1/2 inches
• Waist (male): 4 1/2 inches

Description

This was the second set of dolls R.O. Slusher, Jr., made. The dolls are sawed from lumber salvaged from an old Weddle house on the Slusher farm.  Movement from  jointed legs and separate arms makes their dancing more realistic.  To keep them together as a couple, R.O. tinkered with ways to suspend the dolls from a dowel rod. Having grown up using single trees in working with horses, he settled on using rubber bands connecting the ends of the dowel to hooks on the backs of the dolls.

Keywords

limber jacks, dancing dolls, single trees

Bio Sketch

Roger Oliver Slusher, Jr. (1920-2006) and Andrew Jackson Hylton  (1922-1994) were first cousins.

R.O. was the son of Roger Oliver, Sr., and Pearl Clyde Sutphin Slusher.  Andy Hylton was the son of George Matthew Hylton and Nola Lillian Slusher Hylton.  Both cousins grew up playing guitar and singing with their Uncles Rom, George, and Freeman Slusher.

Notes

R.O. Slusher, Jr., and Andy Hylton are pictured on the cover of Music Makers of the Blue Ridge Plateau (Images of America series) which is available in our Gallery Shop.