Doll with original clothing

Date1840-1850

MediumPapier mache, wood, paint, kidskin, cotton

DimensionsOH: 12 3/4"

Credit LineGift of an Anonymous Donor

Object number1971-1726

DescriptionThe doll has a papier mache head/shoulders with a molded hairdo of black curls falling on her shoulders with a center part, looped hair in front of the ears, and ears exposed. The face is painted with brown eyes, pink cheeks, and red mouth. The head and shoulders are attached to a white kidskin body with carved wooden forearms and calves. The wooden parts are painted white and blue shoes are painted at the feet. Red paper bands cover the joints where the kidskin and the wooden limbs attach. The doll wears a white cotton self-striped dress with a fitted bodice tucked from below the bustline to the waist. The sleeves are fitted to the elbow and trimmed with three tiers of lace. The neckline is trimmed with lace. The full skirt falls to mid-calf with one vertical ruffle on the right side from waist to hem. The hem is trimmed with lace. She also wears a charcoal grey silk apron over the dress with a double ruffle at the hem. She wears two white cotton underskirts and pantaloons that are cotton from waist to knee and same cotton as the dress from knee to ankle, where they are trimmed with lace at hem.
Label TextThis doll is fashioned from wood and papier-mache that clearly depict the date of construction through the 1840s hairstyle and body shape. By this period, fashionable posture was less erect than it had been in the eighteenth century, with the back more naturally rounded. In contrast to those of the eighteenth century, nineteenth-century corsets allowed for the fullness of the breasts, but continued to compress the waist. The doll's short skirt and visible pantaloons suggest that this represents the clothing of a girl, rather than a full-grown woman.

Exhibition(s)

German Toys in America