[Sca-cooks] period paper dolls

[Stefan li Rous]

Christianna mentioned:
<<< Here is a link to my Picassa album with Flat Sven and Svana pics:
http://picasaweb.google.com/kingstaste/FlatSvenAndSvana

I took them to Pennsic last year and entered them in the A&S display,
complete with pictures and the journal, along with a one-page  
explanation of
the project.  I got one really good nose-in-the-air-sniff from some  
woman in
a very sparkly Baronial coronet, I heard her exclaim as she went by:  
"Well
Really!  Paper dolls!"  >>>

Well, you did say Baronial coronet, rather than Laurel Medallion. But  
those are the times when I wish I had, at least, the Florilegium on  
hand. Maybe if I get the iPhone which I'm considering or something  
similar.

I might have more, but from a quick search in the Florilegium in this  
file finds the following:
Toys-in-th-MA-art (26K)  8/30/99    "Toys in the Middle Ages" By Lady  
Margritte
                                        of Ravenscroft.

"The materials used to make dolls varied widely, and depended largely
on economic circumstances. Rag, clay, and wood were the most common, and
date back at least as far as Greek and Roman times. Unfortunately, these
materials seldom withstand the test of time. Other substances which were
employed include: bone, ivory, composition, wax, lead, corn or wheat,
gingerbread, and even *** paper dolls ***.  (emphasis, mine)

and dolls made of paper but not from paper sheets (I'm not sure if  
that is what is meant in the above paragraph or not)

"By the later Middle
Ages, composition dolls were made from a number of different materials.
Philibert Delorme, in "Traite d'Architecture" (1567), mentions dolls  
made of
paper paste. This was pressed into molds and then removed after it  
was dry
and the material had contracted slightly. Other waste materials were  
also
used: bran, vegetable matter, and sawdust. Some even included arsenic to
help fend off the rats (King, p.56). Many composition dolls were made  
in and
around Nuremberg, making use of the waste material from the paper  
mills in
that area. Unfortunately, composition materials tend to distort in  
heat and
moisture, and none have survived to the present day."

Stefan
--------
THLord Stefan li Rous    Barony of Bryn Gwlad    Kingdom of Ansteorra
    Mark S. Harris           Austin, Texas           
StefanliRous at austin.rr.com
**** See Stefan's Florilegium files at:  http://www.florilegium.org ****