Costume doll
Category
Dolls
Date
circa 1950 - circa 1976
Materials
Plastic doll
Measurements
165 mm (height)
Order this imageCollection
Sudbury Hall Museum of Childhood, Derbyshire
NT 658919
Summary
A mid-20th century national costume doll ((also known as souvenir, world costume, tourist and foreign travel dolls) made to resemble a woman in Spanish national dress. The doll has a plastic moulded face with painted facial detail and black artificial hair. The body, arms and legs of plastic, jointed at the shoulders and hips. The doll wears a black gauze mantilla (veil) with a yellow peineta (comb) and decorative pink flower; a bodice of black lace with gold sash and voluminous blue skirt with white lace bands; black lace knickersCostume dolls representing people of different nationalities in their local dress have been made since the mid-19th century. As global travel expanded ‘world’ dolls were produced as tourist souvenirs as well as children’s toys. They appear in a variety of media, from paper to porcelain, polymer to plastic. Produced to be instantly recognisable and collectible, ‘world’ dolls can portray a stereotypical view of peoples and cultural identities.
Provenance
One doll from a collection of costume dolls donated by Mr R.T. Macfarlane in 1976.