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1 of 253523 objects
The Dudley children 1831-33
Silk, gilt thread, cotton wool | RCIN 72317
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Pair of baby dolls, silk stuffed with cotton wool, with painted faces; one dressed in robes of pink silk with green overskirt, embroidered with gilt thread; the other dressed in blue satin robes with pink overskirt; both with lace caps. These children are named Lady Margaret Dudley and Lord George Dudley and were made to accompany the dolls of Robert Dudley and Amy Robsart (RCINS 72315 and 72316). However, these children are fictional; Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester did not have any children with his first wife, Amy Robsart.
Provenance
As a child, Princess Victoria (later Queen) made over one hundred dolls with the help of her governess Baroness Louise Lehzen. Most of these dolls survive in the Royal Collection today, after having been carefully packed away by the Princess once she reached her fourteenth birthday. Some dolls represent historic figures or friends of the Princess, but most represent characters from the ballet and from the opera, which Princess Victoria attended regularly, making notes on the various costumes worn, and drawing them once she returned to Kensington Palace. These drawings were then used to help design the dolls' outfits.
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Creator(s)
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Medium and techniques
Silk, gilt thread, cotton wool
