Dolls as Souvenirs
Picking up a souvenir when traveling is commonplace for those who want to remember their travels. For many, dolls are one of the better mementos to do that, as they are often dressed in traditional costumes from their home region. While many souvenir dolls are folk dolls (more on that on the next page), doll companies have also produced dolls in outfits from countries around the world.
In the 1930s, an American couple started a company called “Kimport,” after their children wanted more dolls in international costumes, which were difficult to find in the states. They then created a newsletter where subscribers could find out what native dolls they had from other countries for sale, and this later turned into a “doll of the month” plan, where subscribers would receive a different doll every month from a different country (Davis). This made it to where “souvenir” or folk dolls could be accessible for doll collectors who did not have the means to travel internationally.
This "British Bobby" doll is a Norah Wellings creation dating from the 1930's to 50's and was made in England. He is dressed in the garb of a British Grenadier from the 19th century, perhaps better known as the type that guard Buckingham Palace. He wears the distinctive bearskin hat typical of such units. "Bobby" is a slang term for London's Metropolitan Policemen; however the slang term for a British Royal Guard is "Beefeater", supposedly stemming from a old practice where a guard invited to the King's table could consume as much meat as they wished.
This object is a 20th century Japanese Shiokumi doll that was made by the Kyoto Doll Exchange. She is a costumed dance doll and is wearing an elaborate red and gold silk kimono with floral designs. She is a shiokumi, or a "salt-scooper," who would carry seawater in a pair of decorated pails on a yoke across her back with the purpose of making salt. Rooted in Japanese folklore, there are two stories in which this doll's design originates. One tale states that the young girl is supposedly the daughter of a lord and carried salt in wartime. The other is from a 14th-century Noh play entitled Matsukaze, which tells the story of two shiokumi sisters who loved the same poet. This doll was popular in Japan in the early-mid 20th century, and many versions were created to be used as both toys and figurines.
The beautiful painted and woven designs of the Kabuki doll originated and gained popularity during the Showa and Heisei period in Japan. Throughout Japan, dolls were created to serve as talismans as well as an expression of the creative culture surrounding art and toy creation. During and after the Heisei period, tourists and traders sought the creation of Kabuki dolls for collections and gifts. The Kabuki doll pictured above was manufactured by a doll shop in Japan, the Kabukiya Doll Store. Fashioned with a handpainted floral kimono, beads, and a rope belt, the doll's stance, and dress resemble the style of a Kabuki Geisha or an unmarried woman. Japanese geishas are women who tend to accompany men; thus the dolls representing them were fancily dressed. Dolls that are made to represent unmarried women are often adorned with gaped sleeves, and simple hairstyles. This particular doll feels the cross between both ideas of women, having metal and beading in her hair, and having a dress that is pastel with a bright floral pattern and gaped sleeves. The confusion of dress in this instance is the print on the dress being too intricate and bright for the unmarried woman, in the idea of purity and youth. Geisha dolls often have bright saturated colors for the base of the dress, rather than the pastel of dress worn by the doll pictured.
Norah Wellings produced dolls in England from 1919-1959, and were sold worldwide,
particularly as cruise ship souvenirs and mascots. Each Wellings doll was fully marked with a sewn-on label, either at the wrist or the foot, indicating a true Norah Wellings creation. This Native American doll was probably created in the 1930s-1940s, possibly in 1936, and most likely was purchased as a souvenir representative of the traditional image of an American Indian.