Doll's Cushion
1690-1700 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Object Type
Cushions were frequently used in the 17th century to soften wood furniture. The majority of wooden chairs and stools were not upholstered, and in more prosperous homes decorative cushions were widely used both for comfort and for the attraction of their appearance. Lady Clapham's cushion is thought to have been intended for the doll's back. However, placed at her back it is very difficult to position the doll in her chair, so the cushion is usually put under her feet.
Materials & Making
The cushion is made of ivory silk damask exported from China for the European market. The seam is overlaid with pink silk thread and couched in blue silk thread. Normally cushions were stuffed with wool, but in this example it was filled with sawdust.
Cushions were frequently used in the 17th century to soften wood furniture. The majority of wooden chairs and stools were not upholstered, and in more prosperous homes decorative cushions were widely used both for comfort and for the attraction of their appearance. Lady Clapham's cushion is thought to have been intended for the doll's back. However, placed at her back it is very difficult to position the doll in her chair, so the cushion is usually put under her feet.
Materials & Making
The cushion is made of ivory silk damask exported from China for the European market. The seam is overlaid with pink silk thread and couched in blue silk thread. Normally cushions were stuffed with wool, but in this example it was filled with sawdust.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Silk damask couched in silk thread |
| Brief description | Doll's cushion of silk damask, London, 1690-1700 |
| Physical description | Doll's cushion of ivory silk damask. The seam is laid over with pink silk embroidery thread which is couched down with blue silk embroidery thread. It is square and hard stuffed. |
| Dimensions |
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| Gallery label | British Galleries:
These dolls were probably made for the amusement of adults at home, as were dolls' houses at this time. They were named 'Lord and Lady' of the family home in Clapham, London by their owners, the Cockerell family. The outfits of the dolls are perfect miniatures of London fashions of 1690 and 1700. She wears a mantua (gown) of Chinese silk over stays (a stiff corset), with an under-wired cap and high-heeled shoes.(27/03/2003) |
| Credit line | Purchased by public subscription |
| Object history | The doll is thought to have belonged to the Cockerell family, descendants of Samuel Pepys. The daughter of Pepys' nephew John Jackson(son of his sister, Pauline) married a Cockerell. The doll and its partner were named 'Lord' and 'Lady' of the family home in Clapham. Historical significance: The doll and its partner are costume documents; their clothes being, in style, cut and material, perfect miniatures of the fashions of the late 17th century. Their importance is underlined by the almost total lack of other good visual source material for this period, whether pictorial or in the form of surviving garments. In particular the survival of accessories and the informal garments is extremely rare. |
| Historical context | Dolls were widely produced in the 17th century, although very few survive. It is most unlikely that these particular examples were the playthings of children. Their production is of a high quality; almost all the accessories survive and there is little wear and tear on the dolls and their garments. The dolls were most probably purchased for the amusement of adults, and as a decorative accessory to a home. |
| Summary | Object Type Cushions were frequently used in the 17th century to soften wood furniture. The majority of wooden chairs and stools were not upholstered, and in more prosperous homes decorative cushions were widely used both for comfort and for the attraction of their appearance. Lady Clapham's cushion is thought to have been intended for the doll's back. However, placed at her back it is very difficult to position the doll in her chair, so the cushion is usually put under her feet. Materials & Making The cushion is made of ivory silk damask exported from China for the European market. The seam is overlaid with pink silk thread and couched in blue silk thread. Normally cushions were stuffed with wool, but in this example it was filled with sawdust. |
| Associated object | T.847-1974 (Object) |
| Bibliographic reference | Hillier, Mary, Pollock's Dictionary of English Dolls, London: Robert Hale Ltd., 1982, 51, 202pp. ill |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.846X-1974 |
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| Record created | August 7, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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