Material Type

Artifact

Date Range From

1940

Date Range To

1950

Materials

COTTON, PLASTER

No. Pieces

1

Height

42

Length

10.5

Width

19.5

Description

HUMAN BABY DOLL WITH PLASTER HEAD, ARMS AND LEGS WITH RED DRESS THAT HAS WHITE FLOWER PATTERN WITH GREEN CENTERS. DRESS HAS WHITE TRIANGULAR BIB ON FRONT. HEAD HAS BONNET MADE FROM SAME MATERIAL. DOLL HAS SLEEPY EYES WHICH CLOSE WHEN LAYED DOWN. SOLE OF BOOT ON LEFT FOOT IS DANGLING BY SINGLE RED THREAD. RAISED ON BACK OF SHOULDERS IS "A RELIABLE DOLL" AND "MADE IN CANADA".

Subjects

TOY

Historical Association

LEISURE

History

DOLL WAS GIVEN TO DONOR AS A GIRL FOR A CHRISTMAS PRESENT WHILE LIVING AT SLOCAN CITY DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR. THE NAKAYAMA FAMILY WAS FROM VANCOUVER AND WERE INTERNED IN SLOCAN CITY DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR. FOLLOWING THE WAR THE NAKAYAMA FAMILY MOVED TO COALDALE, ALBERTA. AT COALDALE REV NAKAYAMA FOUNDED THE ANGLICAN CHURCH OF THE ASCENSION WHERE HE WAS RECTOR FROM 1945 TO 1970. FROM AUGUST 29 TO 31, 2011 COLLECTIONS TECHNICIAN KEVIN MACLEAN INTERVIEWED THE DONOR, JOY KOGAWA, ABOUT HER MEMORIES ASSOCIATED WITH SPECIFIC OBJECTS THAT SHE DONATED IN 1997. OF THIS ARTIFACT, KOGAWA SAID: “IN VANCOUVER, I HAD TONS OF DOLLS, DOLL THINGS, AND DOLL TEA SETS… AND I MISSED THEM SO MUCH… SO, WHEN WE WERE IN SLOCAN, I WAS ASKING AND ASKING FOR MY DOLLS. SO MY MOM AND DAD BOUGHT ME THESE TWO DOLLS [P19970041468 AND P19970041469] FOR CHRISTMAS. BUT THEY WERE TO BE SURPRISES. AND THEY WERE KEPT UP IN THE BUNK [BEDS], THERE WAS A SHELF UP THERE. ONE DAY, I LOOKED AT IT, BROUGHT IT DOWN, AND I THOUGHT, ‘TWO DOLLS!’ AND MY MOTHER SAID, ‘NO, THEY’RE NOT FOR YOU.’ THAT IS THE ONLY TIME THAT MY MOTHER, WHO WAS TOTALLY HONEST, EVER LIED TO ME. AND I WAS SHOCKED ON CHRISTMAS WHEN THEY WERE THERE FOR ME. BUT THE SHOCK WAS THAT MY MOTHER HAD ACTUALLY LIED, SO THAT TAINTED THE GIFT. AND I NEVER FORGOT THAT, THE SHOCK THAT MY MOTHER LIED. I LOVED THEM, BUT THERE WAS THIS VERY ODD FEELING BECAUSE THAT HAD HAPPENED… SO IN COALDALE [I WAS] 10 YEARS OLD, BUT I STILL LOVED MY DOLLS. DREAMT ABOUT THEM, WISHED THEY WERE REAL… THERE WAS THIS LITTLE CARRIAGE [I] WOULD PUT THEM IN… AND PRETEND THEY WERE MY BABIES, AND WALK AROUND PUSHING THESE THINGS…” SEE RECORD P19970041001 FOR EXPANDED BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION AND PERMANENT FILE FOR FURTHER HISTORY.

Catalogue Number

P19970041469

Acquisition Date

1997-01

Collection

Museum

Less detail