Fabric doll
Käthe Kruse
Category
Dolls
Date
circa 1925
Materials
Fabric doll
Measurements
525 mm (height)
Order this imageCollection
Sudbury Hall Museum of Childhood, Derbyshire
NT 662181
Summary
A life-size sleeping baby doll made of stuffed cloth, by Kathe Kruse, the head made of cloth, stiffened and painted (circa 1925). She has light brown painted hair on the back half of the head, closed eyes, and painted cheeks and half-closed lips. The arms are jointed at the shoulders and the legs jointed at the hips. She wears a white lace bonnet tied under her chin and a long white, probably linen, robe with a richly ornamented front panel down to the hem. This contains bands and scalloped frills of broderie anglaise alternating with bands of twelve fine pin tucks, with a scalloped broderie anglaise trim down each side. There is also a band of five larger pin tucks at the back hem. Under this she wears a long plain white linen petticoat with ten pin tucks and a wide hem, then two short white petticoats. Next comes a fine cream flannel petticoat with a scalloped embroidered hem and a leaf and flower motif at one corner. There are two holes, possibly old moth damage. The body is covered with a brown stockinette material and there is a large sewn-on navel. This ‘Träumerchen’ doll, made by the German doll maker ‘Käthe Kruse’ was designed to teach little girls how to look after a real baby. Its body contained small sand bags and weighed 7 pounds (3Kgs) with the head having to be supported just like a real baby. It was given the nickname of Sandbaby. Some dolls she made were weighted to feel like real babies and were used as training aids in maternity hospitals. The doll came in two models, the more expensive one had a removable cover for easier cleaning and even had a sewn on belly button. The cheaper one was lighter and stuffed with deer hair.
Makers and roles
Käthe Kruse, maker