Summary

National doll produced to represent a Pakistani woman. It was sent to Monica Gates by Begum D. A. Hidayatullah, General Secretary, All Pakistan Women's Association, in 1961. In the accompanying letter it states that the doll is dressed in Ghagra Choli which is worn in the suburbs and countryside.

The Gates collection contains 170 national dolls from 74 different countries and some correspondence relating to the acquisition of several of the dolls. The costumes of the dolls represent national costumes from the 19th Century to the 1990s. Monica Gates collected or was given these dolls between 1957 and 1990.

These dolls were purchased as souvenirs of particular countries and like many mass produced souvenirs they are often not accurate representations of a particular country or region, and may actually better reflect neighbouring counties or regions. This occurs because costumes are often stylised and simplified resulting dolls wearing generic costume elements which are common to many countries/regions. Often the fabrics and decorations used are selected to make the dolls cheap and easy to manufacture and aesthetically pleasing. This can result in the fabrics, colours and decorations of the doll's clothing having little or no reflection of the costume associated with a particular country or region they are meant to be representative of.

Physical Description

Doll, cloth, female. She is wearing an orange top with short black sleeves. Her midriff is revealed. Her skirt is red with a floral pattern and has a deep black hem with a silver braid edge. Over her hair and up over her chest is a green muslin drapery with a silver edge. She has a bead necklace, earrings and hair ornament. She is carrying a silver woven basket containing plastic fruit.

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