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National Doll - Australian, Indigenous, circa 1960s-1970s
Reg. No: SH 940148
- Summary:
- Doll produced to represent a 'typical' Indigenous Australian person; it was given to Monica Gates, circa 1960s-1970s. The image of Indigenous Australians' painted and with a boomerang remains a common depiction of Indigenous Australians used by both Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians for a variety of purposes. Boomerang's are also a common representation of Australian Indigenous cultural heritage and are often sold as souvenirs.
The Gates collection contains 170 national dolls from 74 different countries and some correspondence relating to the acquisition of several of the dolls. The costumes of the dolls represent national costumes from the 19th Century to the 1990s. Monica Gates collected or was given these dolls between 1957 and 1990.
These dolls were purchased as souvenirs of particular countries and like many mass produced souvenirs they are often not accurate representations of a particular country or region, and may actually better reflect neighbouring counties or regions. This occurs because costumes are often stylised and simplified resulting dolls wearing generic costume elements which are common to many countries/regions. Often the fabrics and decorations used are selected to make the dolls cheap and easy to manufacture and aesthetically pleasing. This can result in the fabrics, colours and decorations of the doll's clothing having little or no reflection of the costume associated with a particular country or region they are meant to be representative of. - Description:
- Doll sitting on a wooden log and is made from material and wire. In his right hand the doll holds a painted boomerang and has white markings on his chest. This doll wears a fur covering and has grey curly hair and beard.
| Discipline: | History |
| Dimensions: | 15.00 cm (Height), 11.00 cm (Width), 15.00 cm (Length) |
More information
| Tagged with: | clothing, souvenirs, cultural beliefs, dolls, national costumes, children s play, national identity, indigenous peoples, indigenous cultures, cultural awareness |
| Themes this item is part of: | Childhood & Youth Collection, Clothing & Textiles Collection, Cultural Diversity Collection |
| Primary Classification: | CULTURAL IDENTITY |
| Secondary Classification: | Ethnicity - Clothing |
| Tertiary Classification: | national dolls |
| Place Made: | Australia, circa 1960s-1970s |
| User: | Mrs Monica Gates, Victoria, Australia, circa 1960s-1990s |
| Other Association (See Comments): | Australia Doll is representative of a common depiction of an Indigenous Australian person. |
Themes
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