Inuit Dolls

Hi,
I have 3 dolls that I'm trying to figure out the age of them.
The little one is 6" tall, hide boots, the outfit is made of duffel material.
The mom doll is 10" tall & has the baby in her hood, the dad is 12" tall. Their outfits are made of cotton (?).
any information is great!
thanks for looking
Mary

 

I see some machine stitching -- dunno if they're tourist stuff or something made for one's granddaughter. The small one may be "better" but I know nuttin' about this stuff. Hopefully Taupou may know something. Here's google images: https://www.google.ca/search?q=inui...tNYfcoATx44H4Bg&ved=0CC8QsAQ&biw=1366&bih=657

 

Thanks Wendy! Yes the stitching on the 2 bigger dolls makes me think they were made for someone - I like the baby in the hood.

 

Those are very cool dolls. I like the baby in the hood too.

 

Me three!

 

The bo ydoes look like he was made more carefully, and with all handstitching?

Maybe he was purchased, and the mom and dad then homemade to go with him? The only caveat to this would be if the green trim on mom's boots is the same fabric as the trim on the boy's coat.

 

I'm not an expert on Inuit dolls, but I have had several over the years; and here are my thoughts:
Most of these dolls were made for sale, and not for use as toys by natives. They were not usually signed, but often are quite well-made and can be quite collectible. As here, they often show native clothing styles in authentic detail.

I'd guess that the smaller doll was not made by the same person as the larger dolls, given the significant differences in construction techniques and materials; and I'd also think that it represents an adult costume, rather than a child's - just in a smaller format. As Pat mentioned, a close look at the two areas of green fabric might shed some light on this. The faces do show a similar type of construction; but Inuit dolls only have a limited range of facial materials; the faces can be ivory or bone, wood, fabric, leather.....that is about all that is available.

I have seen some collector books on Inuit dolls, but they probably would not be very helpful unless your dolls were by one of the artists featured in the books - and though there are a great many makers, only a few are famous or well-known.
I do think these are pretty nice, and the larger ones especially may have a little age to them, possibly 1980-1990.

 

Wow, good eyes Pat! I never noticed they were the same - will include a close-up photo. Looking through photos on-line this green colour seems to be used quite a bit. Will also include a photo I have of an Inuit Owl packing doll, (the babies are in the hood with these dolls). This was purchased in Spence Bay in 1987.

 

Thanks fakes! I didn't see your post when I posted mine. From looking at the stitching I agree they would have been made by different people, or maybe the larger ones were the first attempt at making dolls - don't think I will ever know.

 

The owl is cute...
I have 2 dolls, somewhere... the girl is a commercial doll, but with a nice hand-made fur outfit and beaded mittens; the guy has a carved wood face and hand-stitched fur outfit. I love the expression of terror....