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Doll in a silk blue dress and hat
Glazed leather and fabric, 38 cm, anonymous, 1875
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam


Soft, long blond curls frame the doll’s face, complementing her limbs of white glazed leather and an elaborate blue silk costume featuring a fitted bodice, flared skirt, and deep back pleats shaped for a crinoline. A sheer batiste overgown with arched lappets, a white straw and blue velvet hat trimmed with an ostrich feather and flowers, gold leather shoes with buckles, and layered undergarments complete the look. Unlike the slim forms of modern dolls, her fuller, softly rounded figure and detailed dress suggest a more grounded ideal of elegance and form.