Intriguing Turn-of-the-Century Cloth Doll
Clearly the work of a resourceful maker, this curious doll is 16 inches tall and has oil painted features and hair over a muslin head. Her arms are constructed of an early brown cotton over which the maker has sewn mitten-style hands from snippets of an old kid glove. The torso is made of the same cloth as the arms, but she’s a different brown fabric from the waist down. Her clothing consist of a pair of early bloomers (recently padded with a “tissue paper pillow”); a petticoat trimmed with five-inch deep crochet; a long, full gathered skirt; a fitted blouse with an outrageous ruffled collar; and a “jeweled” belt to cinch it all together. I don’t think this is a “marriage” or “make-do” doll; however, I do think the maker was “making do.” The result is a delightful, folky doll with great presence. c. 1900
SOLD