Bisque shoulder-head doll
Category
Dolls
Date
Unknown
Materials
Bisque shoulder-head doll
Measurements
Doll - 600 mm (height), Cardigan - 180 mm (length)
Place of origin
England
Collection
Sudbury Hall Museum of Childhood, Derbyshire
NT 669806
Summary
A bisque shoulder-head doll which has moulded and painted facial features with blue glass eyes and an open mouth with several teeth visible. She has a very sparse dark brown mohair wig styled in ringlets. Her body, upper arms and upper legs are made of pink cotton stuffed possibly with wood shavings. There has been a repair made to her right arm using floral-patterned fabric. Her forearms and hands are made of a quite darkly-painted bisque, and her lower legs and feet are painted and glazed composition. The paint has worn off in many places, and is quite dirty. She is wearing a cream cotton pinafore patterned with tiny red circles. This fastens at the back with two white plastic buttons and has a belt of the same fabric which is sewn on at the centre front and should fasten with a button at the back, but this is missing. Under this is a (dirty) white muslin dress with frills at the neck, hem and sleeve cuffs, which fastens at the back with a hook and (presumably missing) eye. Under this is a plain white cotton petticoat which has narrow lace at the neck and armholes and fastens at the back neck with narrow tapes. On her feet are white cotton socks, and around her waist is a sash made from blue ribbon, tied in a large bow at the back. Also in the box is a cardigan or jacket knitted in blue wool. It has a scalloped edge all around and on the turned-back sleeve cuffs. A piece of blue ribbon is threaded through a row of knitted holes at the neck. The colour has faded badly from the wool, especially at the front. Total number of items is 2.
Marks and inscriptions
On the back of the shoulders: 'MELBA/ [IN]/ 6 ENGLAND'