Doll Collection--Labelled wrong?
I finally went to get my library card last night after practice (which I totally got my ass kicked, falling on my wrist and boob--is that even possible?), with less than a half-hour before it closed. I wanted to grab a few books on the American Revelution, Loyalists and women of the time period, but was distracted by some cases containing these:
Dora Erway Doll Collection
I didn't get a chance to examine them well, but there were some off things about them, probably because they were made in the 1920s. Some of them do utilize antique fabrics and all of them are beautifully made. However, I was incredibly confuddled by the descriptions of at least two of them. If you click here, you get the entire catalogue of dolls, with pictures (that don't come out well on my computer, but might do better with yours). 10 and 11 are both 16th century, and I'm pretty sure that color wasn't available in 1536, nor did headresses look like that. And 12 looks like your typical run of the mill pilgrim costume, but I can forgive these three because of our information probably being better than what we had in the 20s. It's 13 and 15 that bother me. 13 is labelled as being 17th century, but the description mentions Louis XV and his two famous mistresses Madames du Pompadour and du Barry, all of whom, last I checked, had no part of their lives in the 17th century. The dolls outfit of seafoam brocade and high hair reflect the fashion sensibilties of the 1760s and 70s, not at all the late 1600s. Doll 15 is supposed to be 1776, but doll 13 matches those fashions better, plus a piece of fabric that was used on 15 is called "Fabric for the 17th century Doll," even though it's not very 17th century, either.
Doll 19 confuses the hell out of me, too. It's supposed to be Italian Renaissance and 1860 at the same time. The costume looks very similar to mid-17th century costume, but could be 1860s (the white area is a very wide bertha, but kinda looks like a whisk at the same time). The description mentions Richelieu, also, which doesn't make any sense to me.
I asked the librarian about the display when I was checking out and told her my concerns; she directed me to the website. A note at the bottom of the page says that the descriptions came with the dolls when they were donated by Mrs. Erway in 1957 and the exhibit was set up by two doll makers. Is it possible that in the last 80 years the descriptions have been switched? Plus, this thing came out of Cornell--who am I, the lowly bachelor of arts from a state school in Jersey to go up against their information? What if I'm wrong? I think the dolls are important, regardless of their incorrectness because they are works of art and a piece of history themselves. But I cannot allow them to perpetuate bad information (if I am indeed right).
The rest of the display was very interesting with it's folk costumes (which are all 19th and 20th century anyway), and it's depiction of American fashions for Women, right up unti 1927. I would like to go back and take another look at them.