Bisque shoulder-head doll
Category
Dolls
Date
Unknown
Materials
Bisque-headed doll
Measurements
310 mm (height)
Order this imageCollection
Sudbury Hall Museum of Childhood, Derbyshire
NT 658901
Summary
A bisque shoulder-head doll with the name Mabel impressed on her back. She has moulded and painted facial features, with open-and-shut blue glass eyes and an open mouth with four teeth visible. She has short, light-brown mohair hair with a fringe. Her body, upper arms and legs are of stuffed cotton, with seams at the shoulders, tops of legs and knees to enable these joints to be flexed. Her lower arms are of composition (a small piece is missing from her left hand). Around the knees are 'collars' of cream-white 'leather-look' fabric with scalloped edges. She is wearing a front-fastening, cream satin dress with a dropped waist, long sleeves and a high neck edged with a stand-up frill of the same fabric. Down the front of the bodice is a line of white tubular beads, with three circles made up of similar beads close to the open edge. There is a small hook-and-loop fastening at the neck edge. There are many small holes in the dress. Underneath she is wearing a cream silk petticoat which also has a dropped waist. The skirt has two layers - a pleated top one and a plain bottom one. The bodice has narrow straps over the shoulders. The silk is badly shattered. Under this she has a cream silk bodice with lace edging at each side of the shoulder straps. It is difficult to see more of this garment as the next layer's silk is so fragile. She is also wearing cream silk drawers edged with lace.
Marks and inscriptions
In the back: 'Germany/ Mabel 15 (slash) 0'