Tuesday, September 27, 2016

Ethnic Dolls

Recently the Historical Society received a donation of dolls.  These dolls are not ordinary dolls, but very special hand-made ethnic dolls from Germany. They are about 14 inches tall. The two dolls representing Holland have hand-carved wooden shoes, and some of the other dolls have hand-made leather sandals.

Here is the story behind the dolls:

The Women's Association of the First Presbyterian Church of Fond du Lac, organized collections of gently used clothing and canned goods to send to the ravished cities in Europe after World War II. The boxes went to a 'sister' church in Wiesbaden, Germany. To express their gratitude, the women of the German church, from 1946 to 1948 made seven pairs of dolls, and sent them to Margaret Treleven Baker, for her efforts in the organization of this church-sponsored peace project.

Margaret was a former president of the Fond du Lac County Historical Society, and her daughter Jane generously donated these dolls us.

Bulgaria

Bulgaria

Hesse

Hesse

Upper Bavaria & Tirol

Upper Bavaria & Tirol

Black Forest

Black Forest

Switzerland

Switzerland

Holland

Holland


















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