I found the Quaker Doll c. 1936, shown in the picture above, from the National Gallery of Art to be totally irresistible. I would love to see the actual doll and can only imagine how beautiful she must have been.
According to their description: Early American dolls are shown in a wide variety of costumes. This fine doll of the eighteenth century represents a Quaker woman. The doll's head, arms, and legs are made of carved and painted wood. Throughout history, wood has been one of the most frequently used materials for making dolls. For many doll makers, it was both readily available and inexpensive.
Credits: Mina Lowry (artist), American, 1894 - 1942, Anonymous Craftsman (object maker), Miss Polaire Weissman (object owner), Doll, c. 1936, watercolor, gouache, and graphite on paper, Index of American Design, 1943.8.15496.
Credits: Angus, Charlotte, American, 1911 - 1989, Quaker Doll, c. 1940, watercolor, graphite, and colored pencil on paper, overall: 37.4 x 31.9 cm (14 3/4 x 12 9/16 in.) Original IAD Object: 10" high, Index of American Design 1943.8.16649.
Image Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington.
If any doll is the epitome of a Quaker Doll it would have to be the Quaker Doll, shown in the picture above, from the National Gallery of Art.
According to her description: This doll has a fine china head. She wears a black bonnet over a close-fitting white cap. Her dress of taupe silk has a full-gathered skirt. A white shawl is pinned at the waist with an organdy kerchief under it. Three white petticoats and pantalettes are under her dress, and she wears high black shoes. This doll dates from the 1840s or 1850s, when china dolls were becoming popular. Unlike the all-cloth dolls that were often homemade in early America, china and bisque dolls were produced in factories.
Credits; Painting of a Quaker Doll, mid 1840s-1850s, source: www.nga.gov, Angus, Charlotte, American, 1911 - 1989, Quaker Costume Doll, 1935/1942, watercolor, graphite, and gouache on paper, overall: 51 x 38.5 cm (20 1/16 x 15 3/16 in.), Index of American Design 1943.8.15512.
Credits: Semple, Bertha, American, active c. 1935, Quaker Doll, 1935/1942, watercolor and graphite on paperboard, overall: 35.5 x 24.5 cm (14 x 9 5/8 in.), Index of American Design 1943.8.15357.
Image Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington.
Just when you think I couldn't possible show you anything sweeter than the previous doll I show you the Quaker Doll c. 1935, shown in the picture above, from the National Gallery of Art. I'm not sure I decide which doll is sweeter or more elegant. Can you?
Credits: Gielens, Jacob, American, active c. 1935, Quaker Doll, 1935/1942, watercolor, graphite, and gouache on paperboard, overall: 35.4 x 24.5 cm (13 15/16 x 9 5/8 in.) Original IAD Object: 9" high, Index of American Design 1943.8.15358.
Image Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington.
The Quaker Doll, shown in the picture above, from the National Gallery of Art is just as beautiful as all the other Quaker dolls. Wouldn't you agree?
Credits: American, active c. 1935, Quaker Doll, 1935/1942, watercolor, graphite, and gouache on paperboard, overall: 55.9 x 45.4 cm (22 x 17 7/8 in.), Index of American Design 1943.8.15513.
I, of course, found the Quaker Doll illustrations totally charming and had to know more about the Quaker Dolls and their history. Here's what I found:
The Quaker: A Study In Costume book By Amelia Mott Gummere published in 1901 by Ferris & Leach is about Quaker clothing. On Page 150 we learn the following about Quaker dolls: Just as Mademoiselle Martin, a famous modiste of the time of Marie Antoinette, was in the habit of sending doll models of the latest style, called "babies," to the most distant parts of Europe, so these quaint little Quaker Dolls served to sow the distant friend what was worn at the metropolis.
So, it seems that Quaker dolls were used as "fashion dolls" and, at the time, were anything but toys. The The Quaker: A Study In Costume book By Amelia Mott Gummere is an interesting read as to Quaker dressing and fashion.
Image Courtesy of The New Bedford Whaling Museum
The Quaker Doll, shown in the picture above, is from the online collection of the New Bedford Whaling Museum.
Credits: Number: 1985.30.1, Category: TOY, Object: doll, Title: Quaker Doll, Material: cloth, china, silk, Dimensions: [H]11 3/4"
Her Description: The Quaker doll has a china head, torso, arms, legs, and a stuffed body. She wears a beige silk ankle-length dress, a white cap, black shoes, and carries a black bag with knitting and knitting needles. The dress is faded, woolen petticoat badly eaten with many holes.
Image Courtesy of The New Bedford Whaling Museum
The beautiful Quaker Doll, shown in the picture above, is from the online collection of the New Bedford Whaling Museum.
Credits: Number: 1940.39, Category: TOY, Object: doll, Material: ceramic, cloth, Dimensions: [H]5'' [W]4'' [D]2''
Her Description: A Quaker doll named Rachel Howland with a ceramic body and a brown and white linen dress and bonnet. The doll is also wearing a shawl and carrying a black purse.
Image Courtesy of The New Bedford Whaling Museum
The beautiful Quaker Doll, shown in the picture above, is from the online collection of the New Bedford Whaling Museum.
Credits: Number: 00.53.107, Category: TOY, Object:doll, Material: cloth
Description: A female Quaker doll with blond hair under a black bonnet. The doll is wearing a brown full-length dress and a white shawl. Her left arm is bent and holding a book, and her right arm is straight and holding a blue drawstring purse.
I found the three beautiful Quaker dolls, shown in the pictures above by searching the collections pages of the New Bedford Whaling Museum. Wouldn't you just love to see all three of them? I know I would.
Image Courtesy of Theriaults.com
I found the unusual PAIR,AMERICAN CLOTH FOLK DOLLS BY W.P.A., shown in the picture above, on the Theriaults.com website. I think they're amazing. Don't you?
According to their description: Lot Number: 295 - 15" (38 cm.) Each is all muslin doll with center seamed face,hand painted facial features with artistic flair,yarn hair,muslin stitch-jointed body, Condition: generally excellent. Marks: Michigan State Wide W.P.A. Toy Project... Comments: during the Depression Years of the 1930's,the Federal Artist's program of W.P.A. sponsored the creation of folk dolls from American artists that represented the American people's...
Image Courtesy of QuakerJane.com
The Quaker "Fashion" Doll, shown in the picture above, was found on the QuakerJane website.
According to their descriptions: A Friend found this doll for sale at Marmee's Attic. It appears to be a Quaker "fashion doll" used to, as Amelia Mott Gummere states in her The Quaker, a Study in Costume share with "country Friends" and isolated Quaker communities "the latest thing in drab."
Image Courtesy of All-Homemade.com
The Quakers didn't just make cloth dolls.They also made corn husk dolls and many of the museums across the U.S. have demonstrations showing young girls how to make a Quaker Corn Husk Doll.
The illustration above, from the All-Homemade.com website, is a how-to for making a Mary Jane Corn Husk Doll.
According to their how-to: Once you have made the body from the husks and some twine, the clothes can be made of many designs. As you can see below we have two different corn dolls, one being a Red Indian, and the other a Quaker doll called Mary Jane.
Image Courtesy of Carmel Doll Shop
The beautiful Quaker Dolls couple c. 1840, shown in the picture above, is from the Carmel Doll Shop.
According to their description: German Milliner-model type couple with papier-mache heads, wearing corn husk wedding clothes in the style of the early nineteenth century Quakers and further accessorized with seeds. Circa 1840.
There have been many famous Quakers throughout history. Two, such notables, include Betsy Ross and Susa B. Anthony.
There is an interesting book on Betsy Ross entitled "Betsy Ross: A Flag for a New Nation" by Vicki Cox published in 2013 by Infobase Learning.
In the chapter of Quaker Childhood they stated: As a Quaker, Betsy could play on a swing, draw on a slate, or cut out paper dolls with scissors. But she could not play with cards. Quakers believed that led to dishonesty.....
Also: Betsy would have been put to work early in such a large family. Her mother and sisters would have taught her how to sew, spin, and cook. If other little girls played with cornhusk dolls or wooden dolls, Betsy would have tended her many brothers and sisters......
Susan B. Anthony was born into a strict Quaker family. The Susan B. Anthony Museum & House is dedicated to teaching everyone about this amazing woman. According to their Mission Statement: The National Susan B. Anthony Museum & House interprets the legacy of the great reformer to inspire and challenge individuals to make a positive difference in their lives and communities.
Here's what they said out about her in her Biography:
If you would like to know more about this amazing woman please click here.
Image Courtesy of National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. and Wikipedia.com
According to Wikipedia.com another famous quaker was Lucretia Coffin Mott, shown in the picture above, who was an American Quaker, abolitionist, a women's rights activist, and a social reformer. She helped write the Declaration of Sentiments during the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention.
If you would like to know more about this astonishing woman please click here.
I dare say women today owe some of the rights they currently have to the efforts of these unbelievable Quaker women.
If you would like more information on the Quakers there is quite a bit of information on them and their history on the Quakers Wikipedia.com page.
For sure the Quakers have left their mark on American culture and history. I like to think it's a mark of quiet beauty.
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