Leisure object - Porcelain Doll, 1920-1941

Historical information

Unable to determine a specific company that manufactured this doll many Japanese companies manufactured dolls of this type for export and these were only marked "Nippon" to show country of manufacture. These dolls marked this way were in production from around 1920 until 1941 when Japanese toy factories began to manufacturing items for war.

Significance

Unable to be determined provenance relating to specific Japanese manufacturer. The doll is an example of a children's toy from the 1920s-1940s.

Physical description

Porcelain Doll in white fabric dress
Doll, female, has porcelain face, composite body with swivel head and limbs. Head has long brown curly mohair wig attached into a hole in the pate; several doll-sized hairpins hold hair in place. Face has open mouth showing two porcelain front teeth, brown eyes of hand blown glass and hand painted features. Back of neck has two pressed holes above maker’s mark. Doll has removable white silk socks and brown shoes with tied ankle strap and hard soles. Doll is wearing old fashioned cream coloured knitted woollen singlet, cream flannel vest with draw-string cotton bodice and scalloped edge. The doll also has a more modern style white cotton dress with pink smocking. Inscription pressed into back of neck, shaded with pencil, "Nippon"

Inscriptions & markings

Maker’s Mark “NIPPON” (See media section this document for a list of possible manufactures of doll)

References

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