Wooden Doll
Maker
Unknown
(English)
Dateca. 1720
OriginUnited Kingdom
MediumTurned and painted wood, hair, glass eyes, paint; silk, linen, cotton
Dimensions21 in. (53.3 cm)
ClassificationsDoll
Credit LineGift of Carolyn K. and Richard F. Barry III
Object number2017.211
Label TextUnknown maker, (British, 18th century)
Wooden Doll
Turned and painted wood, hair, glass eyes, paint; silk, linen, cotton. Unmarked, about 1720
Gift of Carolyn K. and Richard F. Barry III
This fine and tall doll representing a lady is the earliest example in the Barry collection. She has a fully articulated wooden body with mortise and tenon joints, a finely carved face, and glass eyes. Her long neck and narrow waist reflect the female ideal of the period. Her informal dress is not original but period-appropriate: it includes a dressing gown worn over a petticoat and a chemise (a body garment), as well as stockings and a cap. Her good condition indicates that she was admired rather than used for play. The concept of children dressing and undressing dolls for educational purposes did not become common until the nineteenth century.
Dolls were often purchased at fairs, such as the famous St. Bartholomew Fair at Smithfield in Britain. The doll making industry thrived in London for most of the eighteenth century. It was protected by the government, which levied heavy import duties on toys from abroad.
Status
On view
Rochard, Antoine Edmond (French, b. 1836)
about 1868
