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Miss Happiness / James W. Brownlee

Essay/Description

Dolls were typically made for children to play with and were made to resemble humans, including tribal clothing and designs. Through play, the dolls “were used to communicate tribal values, practices, and customs” (Cotherman 2007, 24). Children learned how to prepare food, hunt, care for children, and make clothing by imitating adult behaviors in play. The clothing the dolls wore reflected the designs and patterns of that tribe or family tradition and often resembled human clothing the maker would create (Cotherman 2007).

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Title(s): 
Miss Happiness; Stroud cloth dress doll with satin ribbon trim on skirt and sleeve
Creator(s): 
Unknown (Donor)
Culture: 
Native American; Sioux
Date: 
1906
Period: 
Historic
Place: 
Great Plains, United States of America
Materials/Techniques: 
cotton fabric, ribbon, trade cloth, glass beads
Classification: 
Object Type: 
Credit Line: 
Gift of James W. Brownlee
Accession No: 
84.3149
Previous Number(s): 
TL2004.6.1; TL2004.6.1
Department: 
Not On View

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