by Suelin Low Chew Tung
Rebecca’s Dolls: A Stitched Story of Slavery in Grenada is on view at the Grenada National Museum until 12 September 2025.
This exhibition tells the remarkable life of Rebecca Ahmuty Snagg, who was born enslaved in Grenada and died a free woman in 1839. Her story unfolds through 3 dolls she once sent to her former enslaver — now held at the Bristol Archives in England. Themes explored include Indian textiles, trade between India, Britain, and Grenada, the experiences of free coloured women, and entrepreneurship after emancipation.
As the original dolls are too fragile to travel, two dolls were locally created for this show, dressed in authentic Madras fabric from Chennai, India. The larger doll’s skirt features floral motifs from 9 plantation crops cultivated in Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique during Rebecca’s lifetime.
Funded by the Karun Thakar Fund of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, and supported locally by the Grenada Office of Creative Affairs through the Grenada Development Bank, the exhibition is designed for all ages, with free colouring pages for children, and a read-aloud digital book.
With only a few weeks left, schools, families, and lovers of history are encouraged to stop by the Grenada National Museum and uncover this hidden gem.
Can you let me know if she makes these dolls to sell please
This is a story of a former slave who lived in the 1800s. She sent two dolls to her former enslaver, and the original dolls now reside in a museum in the UK. This is a historic exhibition.