What is a Doll?

How long have we had this love affair with Dolls?

Pearls of Wisdom:

New World Dictionary describes a doll as - "a child's toy, puppet, marionette, etc. made to resemble a human being."


Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Elizabethan Children

John White painting of native girl holding doll. Roanoke Va. 1585















Children were subservient to the adults in the family. They were raised to respect and obey their parents. It was necessary for boys to attend grammar school, but girls were not allowed in any place of education. Only the wealthiest people allowed their daughters to be taught at the home. Infant mortality was high during the Elizabethan era, so the children were cherished and loved by all members of the household. They were given many toys to play with - dolls, toy soldiers, hobby horses and the like.

4 comments:

  1. Very interesting blog, love the history.

    Leo Leandry

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  2. Thank you Leo...Muchas Gracias! I love History and Dolls so that is what I am trying to convey here. Though of course I am not a historian, my goal is to link the dolls with the era, and include some data of the times.
    Yo soy Cubana de nacimiento, pero hace mucho tiempo que estoy en Buffalo, NY. Muy agradable conocerte!

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  3. I have to say it's somewhat disturbing to see the doll with the cinched waist!

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  4. Hi Federico...These dolls were mirroring the adult's fashion of the times not the children.
    Corsets were a thing of beauty then, besides these dolls weren't really playthings; they were more like mannequins,to look and admire. Very few children, if any, had dolls at all, and they were probably homemade and very crude and primitive.

    Thank you for visiting!
    Marta

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