Costume doll
Category
Dolls
Date
circa 1950 - circa 1976
Materials
Composition headed doll
Measurements
330 mm (height)
Order this imageCollection
Sudbury Hall Museum of Childhood, Derbyshire
NT 658921
Summary
A mid-20th century composition-headed male Hungarian national costume doll (also known as souvenir, world costume, tourist and foreign travel dolls). The head moulded with painted facial details and brown painted hair. The body made from stuffed fabric. The doll wears a white cotton shirt with wide long sleeves which are trimmed with blue and red embroidered cuffs and two green plastic buttons on the front. Over the shirt the doll wears a blue felt waistcoat with gold trim on which are two metal balls. Attached to the shirt are white cotton trousers over which is a black apron with multi-coloured embroidered decoration trimmed with red lace. The doll wears soft red leather boots. Costume 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.