Costume doll
Category
Dolls
Date
circa 1950 - circa 1976
Materials
Fabric doll
Measurements
178 mm (height)
Place of origin
Belorusska
Order this imageCollection
Sudbury Hall Museum of Childhood, Derbyshire
NT 658948
Summary
A mid-20th century national costume doll (also known as souvenir, world costume, tourist and foreign travel dolls) representing a person from Belarus. The doll with moulded head covered with flesh-coloured fabric, the facial features painted, the body made of stuffed fabric. The doll with blonde hair parted at centre and wearing a brown fabric headscarf, a white flannel overcoat, a red cotton skirt, white drawers, brown stockings and cross-gartered and plaited straw shoes. Sewn on the drawers a label inscribed 'Foreign, Made, 808A Belorusska'. 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.
Marks and inscriptions
Sewn on the label: 'Foreign/ Made/ 808A BELORUSSKA'