Two souvenir sailor dolls from the German ship, Kreuzer Emden

« Prev Item Next Item »

c. 1936

Overview

A pair of souvenir sailor dolls from the German ship, Kreuzer Emden, in the style of Norah Wellings. They are wearing royal blue sailor suits made from velvet and have blue cotton collars which are square at the back and come to a 'V' in the front. The border of these collars have two parallel pieces of thin white ribbon, with the paler blue fabric showing in between. The ribbon is knotted at the front and covered by thin black fabric attached at the bottom and extending upwards on either side.
The hands and feet are made from flesh coloured velvet. The heads are made of a composite material which has been hand painted. They are bald and have protruding ears. They have rosy cheeks and red lips. One has white teeth painted between the lips.
They are wearing removable white sailor caps with black tally bands having 'Kreuzer Emden' written in gold, decorative Gothic font. A circular cockade with a red centre, white middle layer and black fluted outer layer is positioned centrally above the tally band text.
The white fabric has aged to cream, while the front of the blue velvet has faded when compared to the reverse. There are a few marks and imperfections.

Historical information

The second Kreuzer Emden, which was later sunk during World War Two, visited Portland Oregon, in January 1936, while on a training tour.
These dolls were purchased from the United States and it seems likely that they were souvenirs from that pre-war visit.

An article written by a member of the Oregon Historical Society about the controversial visit is attached.

Details

Registration number

cwa-org-119-RoW00563

Item type

Themes

Leisure
Social History
War and Conflict