Composition doll
Category
Dolls
Date
1930 - 1949
Materials
Composition doll
Measurements
500 mm (length); 210 mm (width); 500 mm (height); 134 mm (depth)
Order this imageCollection
Sudbury Hall Museum of Childhood, Derbyshire
NT 663582
Summary
A composition doll with moulded and painted facial features, including a moulded and painted red mouth, a moulded nose, orange painted eyebrows, moulded ears and a moulded dimple on her chin. The donor of this doll quotes 'The doll was a 9th birthday present in 1949. I loved dolls but my mother thought this one would be the last she bought for me at my age. I knew a doll was hidden in the house somewhere before my birthday and searched until I found her in a box behind my mother's dressing table. One look was enough to secure my satisfaction and I never told of my secret discovery.' The doll may be 1930s. The doll's hair might have been altered at some point and orginally been a 'Shirley Temple' cut. Her eyes are open and close blue inset eyes, with black bristle eyelashes on the top lids and black painted lashes on the bottom lids. Her hair is a dark brown mohair wig with one brown hair grip in place at the front right-hand side of her face. She has a swivel head, and she is jointed at the shoulders and hips. Her feet have moulded toes, although unlike the fingers they are not separate. There are signs of chips and general wear all over the doll. The doll is wearing a purple knitted cardigan. It has a collar and four white plastic buttons down the front. The sleeves are three-quarter length. Underneath the cardigan she is wearing a full-length off-white skirt of cotton. The skirt has an elasticated waist band and the bottom of the skirt has stitching and embroidered flowers in cotton the same colour as the skirt. Underneath the skirt she has a pair of knee-length bloomers on which also have an elastic waist band. The bloomers have lace with a floral pattern around the bottom of each leg, and the bloomers are made of nylon.
Provenance
Donated to the Museum of Childhood by Mrs Janette Gardiner in August 2010.