The doll in the image above is what’s known as a cornhusk doll (sometimes spelled as two words: corn husk doll), and they are so called because, well… they’re made from corn husks. This one is housed at the DAR Museum in Washington DC, and it dates back to the mid-19th century, so if you’re participating in the history challenge, you can give it a date of 1850.
This particular doll is made up of not just corn husks, but also palmetto leaves, wood, and other materials. “Her outfit included a shawl made of natural materials linked together in chains,” according to the accompanying information on the DAR Museum online (1).
In recent articles about dolls of the past, I’ve talked about how likely it is that children played with dolls long ago, but the materials their dolls were constructed from was unlikely to survive. Looking at this cornhusk doll from the mid-1800’s, you can see why archaeologists have a tough time finding the remains of such objects. They’re totally biodegradable!
According to Wikipedia, the concept of the cornhusk doll was originally a Native American one, but colonists and early white settlers in America adopted the idea and ran with it. “Corn husk dolls are traditional Native American dolls made out of the dried leaves or husks of a corncob. Traditionally, they do not have a face” (2). But there’s definitely a painted face on the cornhusk doll found at the DAR Museum.
Corn was sacred to Native American cultures all across North America, and in some tribes, it was considered one of the “three sisters,” corn, squash, and beans. “Developed through Indigenous agricultural practices, these three plants protect and nourish each other in different ways as they grow and provide a solid diet for their cultivators” (3).
The part of the corn that was used for making cornhusk dolls was the husk (sometimes accompanied by other materials). The husk is the outer casing that we peel away from the ear, in order to access its fruit. When dried, the husk changes from green to a tan or beige color.
These husks are then wrapped around a stick, a bundle of many husk leaves, or around the dried ear itself, to form a human-like form. Cord or string can be used to hold the wrappings in the forms of arms, a husk garment, and a head.
The tradition of making dolls from corn husks continues today, in the United States, and you can occasionally find these dolls at craft fairs and farmers’ markets. Click on this link to see how to make a cornhusk doll for yourself, at home.
Today’s blog post is part of a history challenge! Click here to read about the challenge and download the free PDF to join the rest of us as we play along.
Some of today’s images and some of the information provided come from the DAR Museum online. Please click on the links provided to learn more about the DAR Museum. The address of the museum is 1776 D Street NW Washington, DC 20006, so if you plan to visit our nation’s capital, you might think about going to see the DAR Museum in person.
I’m a museum liaison for my local (Twin Falls, Idaho) chapter of the DAR, which means that I sometimes do museum research for our local club.
The letters, DAR, stand for Daughters of the American Revolution. What does this mean? It means I have an ancestor who was in the American Revolutionary War. I’m very proud of the fact that my ancestor served in the Revolution for American Independence from Great Britain, and as such, helped establish the United States of America as an independent nation.
The DAR is a club that offers its members an opportunity to serve our nation by doing organized volunteer work. In particular, this year I have been sewing drawstring bags for a public school to use as storage in one of the teachers’ classrooms. Last year I made doll clothes to give as Christmas presents to a.) the families of United States military service members and b.) a homeless shelter in Twin Falls, Idaho.
Although the doll clothes I made for these purposes was featured in some of my articles here on ChellyWood.com, the volunteer work I do for the DAR is separate from the work I do to maintain this website. They are not affiliated with one another in any way. ChellyWood LLC is recognized by the state of Idaho as a for-profit business, whereas the DAR is a nonprofit organization.
Some members of the DAR serve as volunteers at local voting locations, soup kitchens, food banks and so much more. If you’d like to contact your local DAR to request volunteers to act in service capacities in your neighborhood, or if you’d like to learn whether or not you could qualify to join the DAR (you must do genealogy research to find out whether or not you are a descendent of a person who served in the American Revolutionary War), feel free to contact members of the Daughters of the American Revolution on their website, by using one of the links I’ve provided here.
REFERENCES:
Please note: images were used, with permission, and they come from the DAR Museum website. Click on the link provided to visit the DAR Museum website for yourself, to see a higher-resolution image and to learn more details about each of the dolls featured.
- Artist unknown. “Doll.” [Medium: cornhusk]. 19th century. DAR Museum, Washington DC. Image used with permission. Information accessed 24 July 2024.
- Wikipedia contributors. “Doll.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 24 Jul. 2024. Web. 24 Jul. 2024.
- Marsh, Emily, Ph.D., MLS. “The Three Sisters of Indigenous American Agriculture.” National Agricultural Library, US Dept. of Agriculture. N.D. Web. Accessed 24 July 2024.