Doll
PeriodCirca 1870
Place MadeGermany
MediumParian (bisque) porcelain, cotton, sawdust, silk gauze, silk, leather
Dimensions18.5 × 7 × 3.25 in. (47 × 17.8 × 8.3 cm)
ClassificationsDolls
Credit LineGift of Mrs. Francis W. McMenimen, 1974
Object number1974.29.29
DescriptionA lady doll with untinted bisque shoulder-head. The doll's molded and painted features include blonde hair set in a blue painted snood (decorative hair net) with light blue molded ribbons at the left and right side of the face, blue eyes, rosy cheeks, and a closed mouth. The doll has bisque forearms sewn to a cotton cloth body stuffed with sawdust. The doll wears an oyster white silk gauze dress constructed with a low boat neck, elbow-length puffed sleeves, and a "baby" pleated waist with a ribbed silk waistband above a full skirt with five rows of ribbed silk bands above the hem. A small silk flower bunch is sewn to the waistband. The doll also wears white cotton pantaloons trimmed with loop lace, a plain white cotton chemise, a sturdy cotton petticoat, a white cotton over-petticoat trimmed with Valenciennes lace, knitted cotton stockings in off white with brown and tan narrow horizontal striping at the ankles, and bright read leather slippers.Curatorial RemarksThis doll, most likely made in Germany in about 1870, is a rare survivor. She appears to retain her original costume, including undergarments and red leather slippers, in an almost pristine condition.NotesDonor Vivian Warne (Mrs. Francis) McMenimen was an avid doll collector. Born in East Orange, New Jersey, in 1906, McMenimen lived in Rumson for twenty years. McMenimen collected dolls of all types, gathering an almost encyclopedic assemblage of dolls, doll clothing, and related artifacts for over three decades. Mrs. McMenimen donated the majority of her doll collection to the Historical Association in 1974. She died in 1978 in Boca Raton, Florida, and was interred at the First Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Rockaway, Morris County, New Jersey.
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