Doll, baby doll

This baby doll was made by Charles Marsh. He lived and worked as a doll maker in Fitzroy Square in the 1860s. His dolls were sold by various retailers at the Soho Bazaar, a market for fancy goods in Soho Square. This doll was sold by a stall holder called Needham. A stamp on the doll's torso claims it is 'warranted to stand any climate'. Marsh dolls were also sold at the Corinthian Bazaar on Argyll Street and Morrell's Toy Shop at the Burlington Arcade, Piccadilly. In the 1870s Marsh and his wife Mary Ann moved to new premises at 114 Fulham Road. Their shop doubled as a 'Doll's Hospital' for repairing broken dolls.

Luxury dolls like this one were manufactured for the children of the middle and upper classes. In the 19th century it became more common for manufacturers to produce dolls in the form of children. Baby dolls began to appear in the 1850s. This one is wearing an embroidered cotton dress with a pink satin sash, a cotton bonnet and leather shoes. The limbs are made of wax and are attached to a cotton torso. The doll has a flaxen mohair wig.