Doll's Breeches
1690-1700 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Object Type
These breeches were made for a doll, known as Lord Clapham, that is thought to have belonged to the Cockerell family, descendants of the diarist Samuel Pepys (1633-1703). The daughter of Pepys's nephew John Jackson (the son of his sister Pauline) married a Cockerell, who had a family home in Clapham, south London.
Designs & Designing
Lord Clapham offers a fine example of both formal and informal dress for a gentleman in the 1690s. His formal outfit includes a coat, waistcoat and breeches, while his informal dress is represented by the nightgown. Accessories such as the stockings, stock (a form of stiff, close-fitting neckcloth) and gloves are very valuable since very few items from this early period survive in museum collections. Equally important is the demonstration of how these clothes were worn together.
Ownership & Use
Dolls were widely produced in the 17th century, although very few survive, due to the wear and tear they usually undergo. The high quality of Lord Clapham and his clothes indicates that he would have been expensive. There is little evidence of use, which suggests that he was admired by adults rather than played with by children.
These breeches were made for a doll, known as Lord Clapham, that is thought to have belonged to the Cockerell family, descendants of the diarist Samuel Pepys (1633-1703). The daughter of Pepys's nephew John Jackson (the son of his sister Pauline) married a Cockerell, who had a family home in Clapham, south London.
Designs & Designing
Lord Clapham offers a fine example of both formal and informal dress for a gentleman in the 1690s. His formal outfit includes a coat, waistcoat and breeches, while his informal dress is represented by the nightgown. Accessories such as the stockings, stock (a form of stiff, close-fitting neckcloth) and gloves are very valuable since very few items from this early period survive in museum collections. Equally important is the demonstration of how these clothes were worn together.
Ownership & Use
Dolls were widely produced in the 17th century, although very few survive, due to the wear and tear they usually undergo. The high quality of Lord Clapham and his clothes indicates that he would have been expensive. There is little evidence of use, which suggests that he was admired by adults rather than played with by children.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Silver tissue with silks, lined with chamois leather, silk, and flannel |
| Brief description | Doll's breeches of silver tissue, London, 1690-1700 |
| Physical description | Doll's breeches of silver tissue in a semi-naturalistic floral pattern carried out in paired shoots of plain silver thread on a white silk tabby ground. They have a fly front and a flapped horizontal pocket at each hip, lined with chamois leather, the flaps are faced with silk. To the left side is stitched the sword hanger, of the same silver tissue, lined with blue spotted silk. The breeches are lined with white flannel. |
| Dimensions |
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| Gallery label |
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| Credit line | Purchased by public subscription |
| Object history | The doll and its partner are 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 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. They were most probably purchased for the amusement of adults, and as a decorative accessory to a home. |
| Summary | Object Type These breeches were made for a doll, known as Lord Clapham, that is thought to have belonged to the Cockerell family, descendants of the diarist Samuel Pepys (1633-1703). The daughter of Pepys's nephew John Jackson (the son of his sister Pauline) married a Cockerell, who had a family home in Clapham, south London. Designs & Designing Lord Clapham offers a fine example of both formal and informal dress for a gentleman in the 1690s. His formal outfit includes a coat, waistcoat and breeches, while his informal dress is represented by the nightgown. Accessories such as the stockings, stock (a form of stiff, close-fitting neckcloth) and gloves are very valuable since very few items from this early period survive in museum collections. Equally important is the demonstration of how these clothes were worn together. Ownership & Use Dolls were widely produced in the 17th century, although very few survive, due to the wear and tear they usually undergo. The high quality of Lord Clapham and his clothes indicates that he would have been expensive. There is little evidence of use, which suggests that he was admired by adults rather than played with by children. |
| Associated object | T.846-1974 (Object) |
| Bibliographic reference | Hillier, Mary, Pollock's Dictionary of English Dolls, London: Robert Hale Ltd, 1982, 50-51, 202pp. ill |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.847B-1974 |
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| Record created | August 8, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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