Fashion Dolls 101

    Kathputli Puppet Doll from Rajasthan Indian Recently I came across this beautiful Rajasthani  Kathputli puppet doll from India dressed in silk and playing a golden wind instrument.   Kathputli  is a type of string puppet theatre, native to  Rajasthan ,  India .  This string  marionette  performance  art is  the most popular form of Indian puppetry.    Putli  means a doll made of wood, and indeed, the head appears to be carved of wood and painted   The doll is slightly over two feet tall, dressed in green silk with a metallic pattern and trim. He wears a red silk turban and plays a golden instrument.  This  Rajasthani  Kathputli puppet doll is quite elegant and an example of a cloth doll with a wooden head    

Haunting thrift stores and yard sales can yield unexpected treasures. Today I found this whimsical 10 1/4 inch tall vintage cloth doll from House of Hatton.   This cute rag doll is a country girl dressed in calico overalls, an off-white blouse with red trim, cloth hat, boots with two pearl buttons, and has auburn yarn hair  her face is printed on. The doll was made in the Philippines and has a bit of a Holly Hobby vibe. She may have been part of a pair with a matching boy doll. There is no date on the doll, but House of Hatten was founded in 1892  and appears to have announced their closing the end of 2005 , so this doll would probably have been made sometime prior to 2005.   I hope to find out more about this doll and will post updates here when I learn more. Related Articles: Irish Rag Doll Annie a Cute Thrift Store Find Everyone Loves Holly Hobbie Dolls--a Piece of Americana The Intriguing History of the Holly Hobbie Doll Why Rag Dolls Are Fun and Historic to Collect