Exhibition: Little Ladies: Victorian Fashion Dolls and the Feminine Ideal
Date of exhibition: November 11, 2018 – March 3,2019
Attended date: Friday, march 1st, 2019, 2:00 PM
Location: Dorrance Special Exhibition Galleries, first floor of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Abstract
Before the American girl dolls and Barbie dolls there were dolls referred from as Miss Fanchon. These dolls existed in the 19th and 20th century. the most amazing thing about these dolls is their mode of dressing. These dolls were dressed in long array dresses, undergarments and crafted accessories that were very unique. There was a total of 12 dolls. One of these dolls was being displayed by an unknown French artist, the doll dates back to 1976. The second doll was also being displayed by an unknown French artist and dates back to 1922. There was a picture of these dolls from Godey’s Lady Book of march 1, 1894, this was owned by Philadelphia Museum of Art. Thee were doll dresses displayed and no further information about them was provided apart from the year they date to, which is the period between 1865-1875. The last display I will discuss was doll accessories that dated back to 1870, these accessories included; a fan, comb, pocket watch, pin earing, and a mirror. They had been presented to the museum by Mrs. William Hill Steeble and Martha B, Newkirk in memory of their mother, These pieces date back to 1922. The curators of these exhibition were; Kristina Haugland, the Le Vine Associate Curator and Textiles and Supervising curator for Study Room. This exhibition helped in exploring the dolls of the 19th and 20th century that reflect on the dressing mode of this century.
