Wedding Style

Dolls have been around since ancient times, as both a form of toy for children and as decorative objects in themselves. This doll is made of porcelain, a type of ceramic that is very fragile. The doll is dressed in a sari, which is a type of garment worn by women across the world. Saris are particularly popular in Eastern Asian countries such as India and Sri Lanka, where they can be found in a variety of colours and fabrics. This doll was probably made for a child to use, but it has been very well looked after. Until the latter part of the twentieth century, it was rare to find a doll with skin painted any colour other than pure alabaster white. However, this doll was made around 1910, which suggests that the manufacturers were becoming aware of the increasing diversity of the world and also the increasing demand for products that reflected this. It was around this time that people were beginning to want products that were not only decorative, but also realistic.

India was part of the British Empire for many years. In the nineteenth century, India became one of the largest colonies of the Empire, and it was very fashionable to wear Eastern-inspired outfits such as saris. Women began to wear kinds of turbans on their heads that had been adapted from the traditional male styles found in India. They also began to change the way in which they made their clothes. Improved importation from India meant that women could afford the best silks, damasks and taffetas for their clothing at a fraction of what they had used to cost. This doll shows a typical purple sari made from silk and embroidered with golden thread. Whilst this is a relatively plain sari, they can be extremely intricate and expensive. Often, the most expensive and detailed kind of sari that a woman will wear is on her wedding day. This is usually red and gold, and is highly decorated with gold threads, semi-precious stones and metal work. Wedding saris are worn with copious amounts of gold jewellery and the bride is often adorned with Mehndi, a type of temporary henna tattoo that is applied before the wedding.