Doll's pram
Triang
Category
Dolls' accessories
Date
circa 1954
Materials
Metal, vinyl or plastic and fabric
Measurements
Pram - 700 mm (length); 425 mm (width); 650 mm (height)
Collection
Sudbury Hall Museum of Childhood, Derbyshire
NT 661617
Summary
A circa 1954 Triang doll's pram with a dark blue vinyl or plastic covered body and folding hood with a matching apron. Described by Noreen Marshall (former Curator of Dress, Doll and Childcare Collections Victoria & Albert Museum) as ‘an unusual convertible pram. It would have been an expensive pram that was well engineered'. A smaller version of a large baby’s one’ The body can be removed to use as a carry cot and is fixed to the chassis by a wing nut on either side. The chassis is made of metal and is sprung at each corner where it joins the axles. Each axle supports a pair of metal spoked wheels with white rubber tyres which have metal mudguards. All the wheels are the same size and there is a foot brake on the rear wheels. The hinged metal handle has its horizontal portion wrapped around with a brown leather strip to form the handrail. The interior is lined with cream vinyl or plastic and has a varnished wooden plate at the foot end. At the head end is a folding vinyl or plastic covered panel which can be raised and supported by a dark blue painted metal bar which swivels on a fastening at each side. Fixed to the top edge of each side of the interior near the front edge of the hood is a brown leather strap with a metal rectangular loop at the end. There is a silver-coloured metal handle on either side of the exterior of the body and a blue painted metal frame. At the foot end there is a device for dropping down this portion to use as a push-chair, also in blue painted metal. There are four white rubber `feet' on the carry-cot frame which rest on the chassis. The rubber on these is beginning to perish and break off. The hood is edged in cream-coloured braid. There are various items of bed linen inside the pram - a mattress, a pillow, a cover and two sheets. The rectangular mattress is possibly a nightdress case made of pale green cotton on one side, pale green silky-patterned fabric on the other, with a pink silky-patterned lining and wadding between the layers. The pillow is covered in a green silky-patterned fabric (with some cream-coloured details) and stuffed with an unknown substance. The cover is made of the same fabric as the pillow over wadding with a stitched border. The sheets are identical, each made from a strip of patterned pink winceyette fabric, hemmed along one long edge and blanket-stitched in dark pink thread along the other. The pattern consists of dark pink and blue rabbits, lambs, ducks and houses, blue trees and yellow and blue flowers. Total number of items is 8.
Provenance
Donated to the Museum of Childhood by Mrs Sharman Bailey in November 1992.
Marks and inscriptions
Label on the footrest: 'Tr[iang]/MAD' Around each side of each tyre: 'Solar CUSHION TYRE 8~ x 7/8~ TO FIT RIM 6~ DIA E/E x 3971 LINES BROS LTD MADEIN ENGLAND'
Makers and roles
Triang , maker