Mlle Taglioni as 'Louise' in Kenilworth 1831
Wood, silk, velvet, ribbon, muslin | 17.5 cm (whole object) | RCIN 72318
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Female doll, made of painted; jointed; wearing a blue velvet and black net cap with blue ribbon trim; white muslin puff sleeves and drawers, blue velvet embroidered stomacher and pink silk taffeta skirt.
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. The dancer Marie Taglioni (1804-84) is the one of the most commonly featured people amongst the dolls, usually appearing dressed as a character from a ballet or opera. Here she is dressed as her character 'Louise', from Michael Costa's ballet of Kenilworth, 1831.
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Creator(s)
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Medium and techniques
Wood, silk, velvet, ribbon, muslin
Measurements
17.5 cm (whole object)