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Doll

ca. 1900 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Bisque-headed doll, representing a young Caucasian girl dressed in a simplified version of Welsh costume. The doll has a socket head with moulded and painted features; sleeping blue glass eyes; and an open red-painted mouth with five upper teeth. The head is hollow with a cork pate to which the short, fringed, chestnut-coloured woollen wig is attached. The child body and the forearms with hands are made of composition, and the legs and upper arms are of wood. The arms are jointed at the shoulders and elbows and the legs at the thigh and knee, although the kneecaps are depicted on the lower legs, below the knee joint.

The doll is wearing a piece of cream coloured cotton, edged with machine made filet lace, wrapped around her as a petticoat and secured at the neck back with a safety pin and at the waist with a ring of elastic. Her much shorter dress is of unlined scarlet tarlatan, and has a bodice cut with a round neck and vestigial sleeves, with a lightly gathered skirt attached at the waist; an apron of multi-coloured striped cotton is stitched to it at the shoulders and waist. The high crowned hat with a narrow circular brim is made of card painted black with Indian ink.

(original 1980 register entry)
Doll, bisque socket head with a jointed composition body, blue glass sleeping eyes and wool hair. The doll is wearing a Welsh national costume. The costume consists of a white knee length linen petticoat with crocheted hem, a crimson overdress and a striped multi-coloured cotoon pinafore. On her head is a black cardboard Welsh hat, broken, with white lace fringe.

Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Bisque, composition and wood with glass, cork and wool; cotton, filet lace, tarlatan and ink-painted card
Brief description
Bisque-headed doll, representing a Caucasian girl dressed in Welsh costume; made by Armand Marseille in Germany ca. 1900
Physical description
Bisque-headed doll, representing a young Caucasian girl dressed in a simplified version of Welsh costume. The doll has a socket head with moulded and painted features; sleeping blue glass eyes; and an open red-painted mouth with five upper teeth. The head is hollow with a cork pate to which the short, fringed, chestnut-coloured woollen wig is attached. The child body and the forearms with hands are made of composition, and the legs and upper arms are of wood. The arms are jointed at the shoulders and elbows and the legs at the thigh and knee, although the kneecaps are depicted on the lower legs, below the knee joint.

The doll is wearing a piece of cream coloured cotton, edged with machine made filet lace, wrapped around her as a petticoat and secured at the neck back with a safety pin and at the waist with a ring of elastic. Her much shorter dress is of unlined scarlet tarlatan, and has a bodice cut with a round neck and vestigial sleeves, with a lightly gathered skirt attached at the waist; an apron of multi-coloured striped cotton is stitched to it at the shoulders and waist. The high crowned hat with a narrow circular brim is made of card painted black with Indian ink.

(original 1980 register entry)
Doll, bisque socket head with a jointed composition body, blue glass sleeping eyes and wool hair. The doll is wearing a Welsh national costume. The costume consists of a white knee length linen petticoat with crocheted hem, a crimson overdress and a striped multi-coloured cotoon pinafore. On her head is a black cardboard Welsh hat, broken, with white lace fringe.
Dimensions
  • Approximately length: 35.5cm
  • Approximately length: 14in
The original 1980 register entry states that the doll is a dolls' house doll measuring 7.6 cm/ 3 inches, but the description tallies very well otherwise. This is probably a mistranscription, given that at this date the registers were written up from draft descriptions, with the object not necessarily present for this second stage.
Production typeMass produced
Marks and inscriptions
Armand Marseille/ Germany/ 390/ A. 5/0 M.
Translation
Doll maker/ country of origin/ mould number/ maker's initials with numerals indicating size
Credit line
Given by Miss J Evans
Object history
Given by Miss J Evans (RF 80/592). The doll was found with the furniture of dolls' house Misc.302-1980, given by the same donor, which may have led to the description of it as a dolls' house [sic] doll. The dolls' house belonged to the donor's mother, Mrs Beatrice Evans.
Production
Attribution note: (doll only)
Subject depicted
Collection
Accession number
MISC.303-1980

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Record createdJuly 1, 2009
Record URL
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