Dolls have been part of early childhood for thousands of years. They had many purposes such as protection, magic, religious roles, and entertainment. Dolls have been a part of humankind since the prehistoric era. They have been found in Egyptian graves dating as far back to 2000 BC. There are many purposes for dolls that are being investigated in this exhibit: From the earliest example of an Egyptian Paddle Doll, to the Grecian Jointed Doll, all the way to the American Barbie Doll. Every doll has a different significance and purpose.
Dolls can be used to express the periods in which they were made, and what fashions were in style. The materials are also useful in investigating the time period, starting with dolls being made from wood, to porcelain, to plastic. The fashion that the doll depicts was often the fashion of the times. These objects are examples of people and culture in the time that they were made.
These works were selected because they depict different cultures spanning a number of centuries. Dolls were everywhere, and were used for many different reasons. Each doll has a purpose, a story, and a maker. Travel through time and experience dolls from all around the world and their story.
Paddle Doll, Unknown, ca. 2008-1630 B.C.E., From the collection of: Brooklyn Museum
Egyptian Paddle Doll
The paddle doll consists of a flat piece of wood depicting the torso, arms and neck of a woman. The body is often painted with jewelry, textile patterns and/or tattoos. These dolls were not toys, it has been suggested that paddle dolls were used by troops of singers and dancers who performed at religious ceremonies.
This is one of the first examples of “dolls” throughout time.
Jointed doll, Unknown, "circa 490 BC" - "", From the collection of: Museum of Cycladic Art
Grecian Jointed Doll
Clay
Greek (Corinthian)
Late Archaic - Early Classical Period
H: 12.5 cm
This is a terracotta female doll or marionette with headdress and a short chiton. The doll has articulated arms and legs that were joined to the torso with string or wire and were moveable.
A tiny hole at the top of the head was used for dangling the figurine from a string, as if dancing.
This is one of the rare finds that shed a light on the world of children and of play in antiquity.
Rag doll, Unknown, 7th century - 8th century, From the collection of: The Israel Museum, Jerusalem
Jewish Rag Doll
Byzantine Period
A soft, cuddly rag doll was often a child’s first toy. The term “rag doll” actually describes almost any stuffed, cotton-cloth doll made from scraps of fabric.
This doll is an example of how something fun can be created with limited resources.
Doll, Unknown, 1800/1900, From the collection of: Museo Nacional de Antropología, Madrid
African Wooden Doll
Doll formed by a cylindrical body covered partially with blue and white glass beads, finished at the ends with two small round gourds. This fragile doll was not created or used as a toy to play with, but were rather used by girls and adolescents as a symbol of fertility that will ensure their future maternity, an aspect extremely important in traditional African societies.
This doll in an example of a tradition and a symbol.
Doll, Kammer & Reinhardt, 1890/1900, From the collection of: McCord Stewart Museum
German Doll
Doll 55 cm
Kammer and Reinhardt Dolls
Company formed in 1886 in Germany. Early K&R dolls were made of wax.From 1886 to 1909 they made only dolly faced dolls with an open mouth and teeth.
This doll has a bisque (pottery) socket head, composition ball jointed body, glass eyes, feathered brows, and painted upper and lower eyelashes.
This doll can be used to investigate the time and the place in which they were being made. From the fashion, to the materials used, to the details added, a lot can be told about Germany around 1900.
Ceremonial Dolls, Unknown, 1900 AD, From the collection of: National Museum - New Delhi
Indian Ceremonial Doll
Madhya Pradesh, India
The Indian Ceremonial doll usually comes in a pair of a male and a female. The Muria Tribe of the Bastar district in India used these dolls for ceremonies and festivals.
This doll is useful in investigating the Muria Tribe, and their ceremonies and festivals.
Doll, Unknown Lakota artist, c. 1900, From the collection of: Maryhill Museum of Art
Lakota Female Doll
Made with North or South Dakota hide, glass beads, and human hair.
Dolls play a very important role in the culture of the Native American people. Just about every tribe from every region of the world has created their own dolls, and each are made with different materials, and all have their own special meanings.
This doll was made from materials from their region, and their family. Using the hide from the hunt, the glass beads, and the human hair, these dolls were made for children to play with.
This doll depicts how the Lakota women may have dressed around 1900.
Kachina Doll, Unknown, 1900/1940, From the collection of: Museo Nacional de Antropología, Madrid
Hopi Kachina Doll
Male figure in coloured wood.
Kachina are supernatural beings that connect Hopi people with their gods. The Hopi have around 300 kachinas, most of them related to rain and fertility of the lands and harvest. This doll represents kachina Ma-alo, he appears in kachina dances and the Niman ceremony, which is when kachinas bid farewell to the human beings until the following year.
The body represents a typical body paint of dancers that participated in kachina ceremonies, and also is an example of what the Hopi people believe in.
Innu doll, Woman and child, Angela Andrew, 1985/1990, From the collection of: McCord Stewart Museum
Innu Tea Doll
Innu people are the indigenous people of the land of Labrador and Quebec, which they call Nitassinan. Innu children played with Innikueu tea dolls, and they were a fun part of their childhood years. While the tribe was on the move looking for caribou, the older women made dolls for the little girls and filled them with a kilogram of loose tea leaves. When the family needed tea, it was taken from the dolls, and replaced with lichen and moss. The children were taught through these dolls that they were helping to carry the load, and they learned sharing in the community.
This doll was not only used as entertainment for the children, but was used as a lesson about community and helping.
Udoli/Doll, Thokozile Gwala, 1996, From the collection of: Iziko Museums of South Africa
South African
Zulu/Udoli Doll
Zulu dolls are fertility dolls that are made by girls at the time of their engagement. After the wedding a piece of red wool is put on the doll’s head, this means that the woman is married. The doll is kept at a special place in woman’s home, later it is passed down to her daughter or granddaughter.
The Zulu doll is useful in investigating this African regions marriage traditions, and common fashion of the people.
Poupée kwamatwi, Unknown, 1900/1933, From the collection of: Musée d'ethnographie de Neuchâtel
Poupee Kwamatwi
Doll Kwamatwi
w 6.5 x h21.5 x d5cm
Most dolls in Africa, and throughout the world are used by children, primarily girls, to help them imagine their future roles as adult women.
The most common type of doll, among both the Kwanyama and the Kwanatwi, is mounted on a wooden fork whose two branches are used as legs and the handle for the body. The hair is adorned with glass pendant beads. The eyes are made from ostrich egg, and the nose from two glass beads.
This doll is an example of what resources the Kwanyama and the Kwanatwi people could use to make items. The doll also portrays an important message to young girls of their tribes.
Barbie, KOO, Sung-soo, 2005/2005, From the collection of: Korean Art Museum Association
Barbie Doll
Mattel introduced Barbie, the Teen-age Fashion Model at the annual Toy Fair in New York on March 9,1959. Barbie dolls are sold in 150 countries, and has represented more than 40 different nationalities. Over the years, Barbie dolls have always been a reflection of the times, she has been a Patriot, a Chinese Empress, Marie Antoinette, Marilyn Monroe, Princess Diana, Mona Lisa, and many more.
Today, Barbie is the most popular doll in the world.
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