Aren't these just the cutest little dolls you've ever seen? When my daughter was very young her Polish great-grandmother gave her 3 dolls. Two were cloth and one was a little wooden doll with big feet marked Made in Poland. Great-grandmother said she had the dolls for years but couldn't remember where they came from. Over the years my daughter started finding more of these little cuties at flea markets, tag sales, in shops and online. This started a collecting craze that accumulated over 100 dolls.
It was difficult to find information on these dolls but we learned they were made by a cottage industry and were a sort of souvenier doll sold to tourists. Some were stamped Poland while other had a sticker on their foot. They are jointed and can stand freely with their over sized feet. Their faces are hand painted and many are characters such as Pinocchio, Little Red Riding Hood and Santa Claus while others wear occupational clothing such as bell hop, farmer and nurse.
My daughter is grown now and the collecting has seized. Every day I walk past the glass door cabinet full of these dolls and I still enjoy looking at. They remind me of the fun I had helping my daughter collect them and they also remind us of great-grandmother who introduced us to these sweet playthings.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment