News of the Old House Museum's collection of clothes travelled as far as Japan recently, and two ladies came to research some of the dresses and to take photos for a forthcoming book to be published in Japan. Very exciting!
This doll, a recent donation, sat in a corner of the textile room. Her appearance took me back. Many years ago I had a Japanese friend who bought and restored Victorian and Edwardian dolls. She also sourced ladies' outfits of the era, often worn and torn. She then had clothes made for the dolls in these authentic fabrics in an appropriate style. These were taken back to Japan to sell to doll collectors there. It was fascinating to see these lovely dolls come to life. While some were originally intended as toys, others were literally mannequins, used to display and advertise the latest London or Paris fashions for dressmakers working elsewhere. Definitely a la mode.
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