Historical information

This item is from a collection donated by descendants of John Francis Turner of Wodonga. Mr. Turner was born on 6 June 1885. He completed all of his schooling at Scotts Boarding School in Albury, New South Wales. On leaving school, he was employed at Dalgety’s, Albury as an auctioneer. In 1924 John was promoted to Manager of the Wodonga Branch of Dalgety’s.
On 15/03/1900 he married Beatrice Neal (born 7/12/1887 and died 7/2/1953) from Collingwood, Victoria. They had 4 daughters – Francis (Nancy), Heather, Jessie and Mary.
In 1920, the family moved From Albury to Wodonga, purchasing their family home “Locherbie” at 169 High Street, Wodonga. "Locherbie" still stands in Wodonga in 2022. The collection contains items used by the Turner family during their life in Wodonga.

Celluloid dolls were very popular in the late 19th to mid 20th century. They were lighter and less fragile than porcelain dolls and were therefore more durable. Celluloid is one of the first synthetic plastics ever created. It is made from wood products that include cellulose nitrate and camphor. First created in 1863, it was a popular material to make items as diverse as jewellery and dolls from the 1870s through the 1930s. Celluloid is flammable, deteriorates easily if exposed to moisture and can be prone to cracking and yellowing.

Significance

This item comes from a collection used by a prominent citizen of Wodonga. It is also representative of a domestic item common in the 1930s.

Physical description

2 miniature celluloid dolls dressed in hand-made clothes. Doll in blue dress also has shoes painted on the celluloid.

Inscriptions & markings

On back of doll: RODDY MADE IN ENGLAND"