Pandora
Fashionable Dressed Doll
1835 (made)
1835 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Wax over composition shoulder head, moulded to show bust line, with stuffed cloth body, pink kid arms, blue glass eyes and brown human hair sewn to a canvas skullcap to form the wig (which is styled in ringlets).
The doll is wearing a long dress of light brown silk trimmed with lace; a petticoat with bodice and sleeves; stays; 'combinations'; and a straw bonnet lined with silk. She carries a handkerchief.
The doll is wearing a long dress of light brown silk trimmed with lace; a petticoat with bodice and sleeves; stays; 'combinations'; and a straw bonnet lined with silk. She carries a handkerchief.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts. (Some alternative part names are also shown below)
|
| Title | Pandora (popular title) |
| Materials and techniques | wax over composition, human hair, calico, linen, silk, glass |
| Brief description | Pandora, German, 1835 |
| Physical description | Wax over composition shoulder head, moulded to show bust line, with stuffed cloth body, pink kid arms, blue glass eyes and brown human hair sewn to a canvas skullcap to form the wig (which is styled in ringlets). The doll is wearing a long dress of light brown silk trimmed with lace; a petticoat with bodice and sleeves; stays; 'combinations'; and a straw bonnet lined with silk. She carries a handkerchief. |
| Dimensions |
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| Production type | mass produced |
| Object history | Historical significance: Two incidents are recorded concerning Pandora dolls. The first was that they were recorded as one of the commodities lost at the Boston Tea Party. The second was that during the Napoleonic Wars between England and France, the dolls were allowed through from Paris to London, so that the English gentlewoman would know the latest Paris fashions. |
| Historical context | Pandora was the name given to dolls which were often used as manikins to illustrate current dress fashions before the advent of fashion magazines and models. Dress makers used the dolls to show the latest fashions of the day and the customer decided which style she wanted and which material. All the necessary undergarments and accessories were shown on the dolls. |
| Production | Reason For Production: retail |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.235-1918 |
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| Record created | January 26, 2001 |
| Record URL |
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