Costume Doll thumbnail 1
Costume Doll thumbnail 2
Not currently on display at the V&A

Costume Doll

ca. 1890 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Female doll of stuffed cotton fabric dressed in garments of satin damask, cotton and silk, gold beaded silk gauze, gold braid, and beads of white metal and of silvered glass.
The figure represents a Muhammadan lady of high rank. The features and hair are stitched onto the white cotton ground in black, red and white thread. She wears full trousers of white cotton striped with satin, short outer robe of flowered white satin damask edged round the bottom and at the cuffs with cherry coloured satin and embroidered at the waits, front and cuffs with gold thread. In the right hand is a pink silk handkerchief, and round the neck is a blue silk scarf. Over this scarf is a triple string of white metal beads and an initation diamond (glass) brooch. On her head is a small round cap of gold braid, with a pink cotton rose to the right side. Down the back hangs a long plait-case of black satin edged with sliver braid. Enveloping the whole upper body is a brown silk gauze veil, speckled with raised gilt sports The hands and feet are covered with red silk to imitate the henna stain.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Cotton, satin damask, silk, gauze, metal and glass beads
Brief description
Lady of the Harem, rag toy; Kabul, ca.1890
Physical description
Female doll of stuffed cotton fabric dressed in garments of satin damask, cotton and silk, gold beaded silk gauze, gold braid, and beads of white metal and of silvered glass.
The figure represents a Muhammadan lady of high rank. The features and hair are stitched onto the white cotton ground in black, red and white thread. She wears full trousers of white cotton striped with satin, short outer robe of flowered white satin damask edged round the bottom and at the cuffs with cherry coloured satin and embroidered at the waits, front and cuffs with gold thread. In the right hand is a pink silk handkerchief, and round the neck is a blue silk scarf. Over this scarf is a triple string of white metal beads and an initation diamond (glass) brooch. On her head is a small round cap of gold braid, with a pink cotton rose to the right side. Down the back hangs a long plait-case of black satin edged with sliver braid. Enveloping the whole upper body is a brown silk gauze veil, speckled with raised gilt sports The hands and feet are covered with red silk to imitate the henna stain.
Dimensions
  • Height: 12in
Credit line
Purchased from Mrs Kate Daly, 25 Percy Circus, W.C.1
Object history
Register entry 28 March 1922. Information in the Acquisition Register, "Made by Ladies of the Royal Harem at Kabul during the reign of 'Abd al-Rahman Khan, Amir of Afghanistan from 1880-1901.

Purchased from Mrs Kate Daly, 25 Percy Circus, W.C.1. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Museum records (Asia Department registers and/or Central Inventory) as part of a 2023 provenance research project.

R.P. 1922-1838
Other number
RP 1922/1838 - RF number
Collection
Accession number
IM.19-1922

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Record createdJune 25, 2009
Record URL
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