You read that title correctly. This doll was never played with!

Affectionately called “Annie,” this doll, which stands 21 inches tall, was won by a man named Joseph J. Rand, at a fair. Having no children of his own, this doll was never, ever played with.

Eventually it was donated to the DAR Museum in Washington DC, and as we’ve learned in previous “doll history” blog posts, DAR stands for Daughters of the American Revolution. You can learn more about the DAR at this link, and just click on the DAR Museum website links I’m providing, to see even more photos of lovely Annie!

But let’s have a good look at this beautiful doll in close-up.

In this enlarged photo of the doll’s head, we can see quite a few details. The head is part of a head-bust sculpture made of bisque, and the description on the DAR Museum’s website describes it like this: “Hair is middle parted and swept away from the face in wavy curls, with most of the hair in neat corkscrew curls around the head” (1). But just look at her lovely face paint!

And I’d like to draw your attention to some other details too. Look at the tiny ruffle above the blue ribbon that graces the neckline.

And do you see that bead? That’s right, you’re seeing a buttonhole surrounding that bead. This dress actually buttons down the front! Imagine the detailed work that went into that method of closure!

The skirt is a work of art as well. In my humble opinion, the geometric patterns seem to reflect some Oriental influences, even though the DAR Museum says this doll was likely made in Germany or France between 1860 and 1865.

And by the way, there’s the date, if you’re involved in my history challenge! Click here to read about the challenge and download the free PDF to join this fun online event.

Now let me elaborate on what I mean by Oriental influences.

According to the Henry Ford Museum online, “In 1853, the American Commodore Matthew Perry, under the direction of President Millard Fillmore, arrived in Yokohama harbor with a fleet of steam ships, which impressed the Japanese with their high degree of technology. The Japanese grudgingly agreed to open their markets to the Americans and the West. During the next few decades, traditional Japanese arts flowed to the West, where they profoundly influenced European and American fine and decorative arts” (2).

Of course last week’s “doll history” blog post touched on this concept with its “pagoda sleeves,” but I think, also, today’s porcelain doll has elements of this Oriental influence, both in the way the ribbon is used to embellish the dress in those geometric shapes that remind us of Asian shrines, and in the very fact that Annie’s bisque bust is, in and of itself, a reminder of Asian development of the art and use of porcelain for everyday objects.

I wonder how many objects in our everyday lives harken back to this connection between Asian arts and Western arts and culture. Feel free to leave a comment on this. Do you see the influence of Asian art in your house? In your sewing room? In the artwork in your everyday life?

And here’s another thing to think about and maybe comment on… Have you noticed that porcelain dolls are next to impossible to sell these days? Why do you think that is?

Today’s images and much 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.

1. Artist unknown. “Doll.” [Medium: ceramic, silk, cotton, leather]. 1960 – 1965. DAR Museum, Washington DC, Accessed 4 August 2024. Associated image is in the public domain. https://collections.dar.org/mDetail.aspx?rID=4119 &db=objects&dir=DARCOLL
2. Sable, Charles. “Western Interactions with East Asia in the Decorative Arts: The 19th Century.” The Henry Ford online museum, 11 Nov. 2022. Web. Accessed 4 August 2024. https://www.thehenryford.org/explore/blog/western-interactions-with-east-asia-in-the-decorative-arts-the-19th-century