The very first dolls I was interested in, as a small child living in Britain, were those wearing national costume. Of course these were more innocent times, and my interest was piqued by the cultural differences that the dolls suggested, as well as an intrigue in global languages. I was also very keen on flags of the world, and even had a collection of flag cards issued by Brooke Bond Tea. In those more carefree days, I was unaware of such concepts as xenophobia, racial discrimination, and the oppression of other countries by my own.
As an adult, it’s not possible to divorce the depiction of dolls of other nations from an understanding of what those countries represent historically, and in the present day. The vintage dolls shown here hark back to a time when many of us were less informed politically and socially.
The love of other cultures never left me. But the childhood wish to learn all of the languages of the world didn’t happen, sadly, apart from a smattering of French, some indifferent Spanish, and the ability to count to ten in Japanese.
Two vintage composition Mexican costume dolls in traditional outfits. An adorable pairing of boy and girl dolls in traditional costume. These 8-inch tall dolls have hand-painted faces and are more expressive than the usual. An charming couple, the girl doll has an applied wig with braids, and the boy has molded hair. The girl wears a traditional selection of cotton prints. The boy is in a slubweave linen suit with a poncho, a straw sombrero, and he has a precocious little mustache. Both dolls have red painted boots.A vintage Polish 10-inch tall lalka (doll) in pristine condition, made by Wapex. The doll is hand-painted with painted molded on boots, in the manner of Bild Lilli. Her finely-made Krakow regional costume is in pristine condition. All of the fabrics used are crisp and bright, from the printed rosebuds of her headscarf and skirt, the finely woven plaid of her shawl, to the printed faux embroidery of her pinafore. She wears a beaded, tasseled bodice with fine gold cord edging, a ruffled white blouse, and the whole ensemble is finished with a row of tiny red beads worn as a necklace. She is fixed to her own wooden stand. Blown-vinyl dolls from Ghana, West Africa. Made in a variety of solid colors. The toy held by the doll is a toy rabbit in this case, other examples have been seen where it is a doll. You can find out more about these Clonette or baby DeiDei dolls at Black Doll Collecting by Debbie Behan Garrett.A lovely pair of 9-inch tall Italian dolls in regional costume. They have hand-painted composition heads with adorably whimsical expressions. The dolls are beautifully dressed and in great condition for their age – the colors are still bright. An unusual combination of materials was used to create these dolls, representing a transitional period in doll manufacture. They have composition heads with applied hair, cloth bodies, hard plastic arms, and vinyl shoes. In the case of the girl doll the hair is mohair, with braids held in place by colored pins, the boy has felt hair. The girl is elegantly dressed in a blue taffeta gown embellished with ribbon and lace details. She wears a sheer organdy polka dot apron trimmed with lace and braid. The boy’s traditional outfit consists of blue/gray slub weave plus fours with chunky white mountain socks. He wears a gingham plaid shirt with red felt neckerchief. His waistcoat (vest) and belt are both made of felt, as is his jaunty blue hat. To describe the vinyl shoes as clunky would be an understatement. They are marked ‘Made in Italy’ but are not designed for elegance, just to serve the purpose of allowing the dolls to stand unaided – albeit with a bit of careful balancing!A vintage hard plastic (1950s-60s) Native American sleep-eye doll. The suede, fringed, outfit is beaded and includes moccasins, a headband, and a fringed sling with a baby inside. The doll still has her original mohair wig with the braids in placeThis 1930s-40s composition Dutch girl doll is an adorable little charmer – with a somewhat stern expression! We believe this vintage national costume doll was made in Holland in the 1930s-40s. She is in good condition considering her age. Hand-painted and marked “Made in Holland” on the bottom of her left wooden clog, she is nicely dressed in her original outfit. The Dutch bonnet is of a starched burlap fabric, and she wears a red ribbon choker with a miniature metal woven basket ornament attached. The fabric of her clothing, although clearly vintage, has not faded appreciably and is still nice and bright. She has molded hair with applied mohair bangs at front.Not a play doll, this vintage disk-headed figure is an Ashanti Aku’aba fertility doll from Ghana in West Africa. For more information about African dolls in art and culture, see Nashormeh Lindo’s feature here.This is a Lenci-type 1930s felt half-doll, 10-inches tall, in purse or boudoir style. She has a Swiss look and wears her original dress In great condition for her age, despite some fabric wear to the blouse. Designed as a boudoir doll, or for toiletry requisites, the doll’s skirt has a zipper at back to stash away precious items. There is a felt hanging strap attached to the back of the doll, allowing it to be used as a purse. Complete with a felt flower-embellished straw hat and a black felt girdle, this little Swiss Miss enchants wherever she goes!An African brush whisk doll, of unknown exact origin, probably designed and made for the tourist market. The doll has arms of ceramic beads threaded on wire, a red headscarf, and embroidered eyes.From the Nisbet dolls of the world series, a French national costume doll. See some seasonal Nisbet dolls here.Mimi the singing doll of the Seventies in a novel take on Israeli costume. This outfit included recordings of the songs Havah Nagilah and Make My Livin’ in a Sandy Lane in both English and Hebrew. The outfit is Style 3503. For more about Mimi click here.The very first international dolls I ever owned. Two Peggy Nisbet dolls of the world, Japan and Spain, promoted by Izal Medicated Toilet Paper, until the bottom fell out of the market.
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