Boudoir Doll

Subcollections
Historical information

Also referred to as 'bed' or 'sofa dolls', 'Flapper' or 'French dolls', they were intended to decorate beds or sofas, and were popular between 1915 and the 1930s.
The heads can be of various materials all cloth; cloth with a mask face covering often of composition; or all composition heads with painted facial features. (composition - a material made of sawdust, glue, cornstarch, resin, and wood flour).
Boudoir dolls usually have cloth bodies with elongated legs, some have partial composition limbs or celluloid arms, which may help with dating the doll, heads were also sold separately so a seamstress could add their own homemade cloth body.
The roaring 20's brought immense change to Society, particularly women who went to work outside the home in large numbers for the first time, to fill the void by men who went to war.
Women's clothing and lifestyles changed too, and this was reflected in the clothing on the dolls.
They would be dressed like theatrical characters in elaborate and high quality fabric which gave them their value.
Boudoir dolls were notably manufactured in England, France, Germany, Italy and USA.

Details

Details

Registration number
cwa-org-124-CABINET 1.25.2
Item type
Material
Contextual information

A boudoir doll, also known as a "bed doll," is a type of small decorative figurine that was popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Keywords
Primary significance criteria
Artistic or aesthetic significance
Historic significance
Social or spiritual significance
Last modified
Tuesday, 23 September, 2025
Completeness
72
Related Objects

Related Objects

Parent records
Busselton Historical Society

Busselton Historical Society

Doll
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