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Chinese Door of Hope Mission Doll: Widow browse these categories for related items... All Items: Chinese: Folk Art: Dolls and Puppets: Pre 1920: item #446776 Please refer to our stock #4-238 when inquiring.
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| A most unusual Door of Hope Doll character is the Widow, and this one dates to ca. 1920. She is wearing unbleached muslin trousers, skirt and jacket, covered by a long-sleeved, 3/4 length front-fastened coarse outer "sackcloth" jacket with a straw belt tied around the waist. She wears a muslin-lined hood that covers her head and shoulders. Her bound foot shoes are also muslin. She has finely carved pear wood head and hands, carved and painted black eyes, painted black hair, well-detailed carved ears, and a closed mouth with an enigmatic smile. Door of Hope dolls have become highly collectible treasures, in part, because of their fascinating history. In 1900, five missionary ladies started the Door of Hope Mission in Shanghai. They opened schools for destitute young girls so they could learn to support themselves. As a means to learn sewing skills, the girls dressed dolls. These beautifully created and utterly different dolls are magnificent in their carvings and costuming. Heads and hands were carved from Chinese “Niponga wood” or pear wood, a light colored hardwood that is tough and difficult to carve. In its natural color it resembles the ivory of the Chinese skin. Touches of paint were then added for the lips, eyes and hair. The dolls were supplied by craftsmen skilled in wood carving and then meticulously dressed in Chinese clothing with amazing detail by the young girls. Frog closures, tiny undergarments and minute embroideries all accented these wonderful garments. There were approximately 26 standard characters representing differing Chinese social classes. Each girl could dress only about one doll a month, and the relatively low volume of production of these dolls has increased their scarcity. Production of Door of Hope dolls continued until the Japanese invasion of Shanghai in 1937, at which time most of the estimated total production of 20,000 Door of Hope dolls had already been made. This Widow, one of the rarer premium Door of Hope characters, is in pristine condition. She comes on a custom-made lucite stand and would be a wonderful addition to any Door of Hope doll collection. Dimensions: 11 ¼” high. | |||||||||||
