How old is my doll?
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| 5" Macedonian doll dated 1959 Pre 1950s |
Obviously the two questions all souvenir doll collectors want answered about their dolls are: where do they come from and how old are they? If only all dolls came with a date on a company tag like the 5" Macedonian doll pictured to the left from 1959.
One of the problems for me as a collector of Narodna Radinost dolls is that English is my only language and so I can not go to non-English sources for information. Consequently what I know has been pieced together from doll catalogues, photos, price tags and looking at a lot of Narodna Radinost dolls.
It is also worthwhile mentioning that condition is not, by and large, a clue to age. A doll in poor condition is not necessarily an old doll. Souvenir dolls are often only displayed and not played with and so it is possible to find quite old Narodna Radinost dolls still in excellent condition.
The older Narodna Radinost dolls from the 1940s are usually under 8" in size. They are very thin and of a light weight construction. You can see how thin and flat the male doll is. The older dolls can have leather hands instead of the felt. If they are in a box or with a label it often has Yugoslavia written as Yougoslavia and a price tag of around $1.95. The belt is also a lighter red colour which can look like it is faded but it is not.
1950s-1960s
The dolls from this period have a lot of hand sewn detail. The lace is cotton and the shoes are well crafted from leather. The hair is usually mohair or thick cotton. The stockinette and face detail is also different, a little rounder and less shiny and the sewing more detailed. The eyebrows may be finely sewn on. They are also never usually over 8" in height. The aprons and skirts are made of handwoven material. They may have a paper tag which is a circle or rectangle with Narodna Radinost on it. Sometimes they come in a box labelled Narodna Radinost or Jugoexport. I collect dolls from this period and I date them from the late 1950's to the 1960's.
1970s +
The dolls from the 1970-80s and onwards tend to be taller (8-9'). They have a more elongated face and longer limbs. Hair is often floss. Belt buckles, or pafti ,are no longer golden metallic thread but cotton thread. The shoes are still leather but a little bigger and lighter coloured and the lace is no longer cotton but synthetic. They still retain some wonderful embroidered detail on the blouses and aprons, especially the Serbian dolls. They are occasionally still found in a plastic wrap with Narodna Radinost on it. The later Narodna Radinost dolls also come in some styles not found on the earlier dolls. I have only seen the female Crna Trava folk costume from Serbia and the Prizren costume of Kosovo on the later dolls.
Kathleen at Around the World with Dolls has some Yugoslavian folk dolls she bought during this period representing Macedonia , Croatia and Serbia which may help you date your doll.
Dolls from this later period may also be seen here: Vintage Yugoslavian Folk Dolls EBTH Auction Lot
One of the problems for me as a collector of Narodna Radinost dolls is that English is my only language and so I can not go to non-English sources for information. Consequently what I know has been pieced together from doll catalogues, photos, price tags and looking at a lot of Narodna Radinost dolls.
It is also worthwhile mentioning that condition is not, by and large, a clue to age. A doll in poor condition is not necessarily an old doll. Souvenir dolls are often only displayed and not played with and so it is possible to find quite old Narodna Radinost dolls still in excellent condition.
The dolls from this period have a lot of hand sewn detail. The lace is cotton and the shoes are well crafted from leather. The hair is usually mohair or thick cotton. The stockinette and face detail is also different, a little rounder and less shiny and the sewing more detailed. The eyebrows may be finely sewn on. They are also never usually over 8" in height. The aprons and skirts are made of handwoven material. They may have a paper tag which is a circle or rectangle with Narodna Radinost on it. Sometimes they come in a box labelled Narodna Radinost or Jugoexport. I collect dolls from this period and I date them from the late 1950's to the 1960's.
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| Note the fine face detail |
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| Handwoven apron |
1970s +
The dolls from the 1970-80s and onwards tend to be taller (8-9'). They have a more elongated face and longer limbs. Hair is often floss. Belt buckles, or pafti ,are no longer golden metallic thread but cotton thread. The shoes are still leather but a little bigger and lighter coloured and the lace is no longer cotton but synthetic. They still retain some wonderful embroidered detail on the blouses and aprons, especially the Serbian dolls. They are occasionally still found in a plastic wrap with Narodna Radinost on it. The later Narodna Radinost dolls also come in some styles not found on the earlier dolls. I have only seen the female Crna Trava folk costume from Serbia and the Prizren costume of Kosovo on the later dolls.
Kathleen at Around the World with Dolls has some Yugoslavian folk dolls she bought during this period representing Macedonia , Croatia and Serbia which may help you date your doll.
Dolls from this later period may also be seen here: Vintage Yugoslavian Folk Dolls EBTH Auction Lot
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