Summary

Small Chinese doll given by a man of Chinese descent to Alison Kelly (later Kennedy) when she was a child living in Morwell in the late 1920s.

Born in 1924 of Irish ancestry, Alison recalls playing in her front yard in Morwell when a travelling Chinese trader passed by. He stopped on the footpath to say hello, and then gave her this doll to keep. Alison also recalls some unease by her parents at this exchange and her mother dashing quickly out of the house; as well as community suspicion about Chinese travellers in general. Alison cherished this act of kindness and the doll all her life and remembers being very proud of it as a child.

Physical Description

Small doll with ceramic head, hands and feet and cloth body. It is dressed in a red embroidered silk jacket, green silk trousers and red silk shoes. An embroidered cap is attached to the head with remnants of decorative tassles on each side. The clothing is in poor condition and one leg and a metal ornament are detached.

Significance

This doll is part of the museum's collection of Chinese dolls from the early twentieth century which appear to have been in common supply at this time. They reflect the residual Chinese settlement in Victoria despite the impacts of the White Australia policy (introduced 1901) post the significant numbers of arrivals from China during the 1850s-60s gold rushes in Victoria.

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