H81.71.84A

Doll - Off-white dirty stuffed kid body. V-shaped sections were removed from the kneecaps, buttocks, and elbows to presumably allow for more movement. The body is seamed in many places by machine, and is sewn by hand at the shoulder seams. The kid body includes feet, legs, torso, arms down to a little below the elbow and extends to a square neckline. Stitching creates toes. Female. Starting at just below the square neckline is a bisque upper chest, into which is set a bisque head and neck. The bisque area are flesh colored (pink tones). the arms from the elbow to the tips of the fingers are also of bisque. The bisque areas of the body are all quite dirty. The face has painted pink cheeks, a darker pink mouth, painted gold/brown eyebrows, black upper and lower eyelashes, pink nostrils, and set in stationary eyes. The eyes are glass with white eyeball, blue iris, and black pupil. The light blond wig has a skin base which is attached to the top of the bisque head, and the hair itself may be of lamb's fleece or some similar material. The hair is short. The ears are left exposed, are painted a slightly darker pink, and are pierced. The donor is the daughter-in-law of Emma Morgan North, the sister of architect Julia Morgan. (J.Handley, 1991) The doll is probably a Bru, but as it is unmarked, one can only guess. It appears to be like those that were marked "Brevette", an earlier type made by the Bru firm. The face, body and hands are all Bru characteristics. (3/5/97 R.Tickner) Bru Brevette. No visible marks of identification. Bisque socket head on kid lined bisque shoulderplate. Blue spiral threaded paperweight eyes. Painted lashes. Dark eyeliner encircles the eye cuts. Feathered brows. Open-closed mouth with white space between the lips. The modelled ears are pierced through the lobes not into the head. The very pale skin wig is sparce and is glued on over a cork pate. No identifying marks are visible. Kid body has a slender waist. Bisque forearms. Edge of kid at forearms is pinked. Edge of kid at the neckline is cut, not pinked or scalloped, in a squared neckline. The toes are stitched. The bisque hands have separately modelled thumbs. The dimples on the backs of the hands are lightly blushed pink as are the individidual fingernails. There is a tiny mold pimple under the right brow. (R. Tickner, 8/2002) From: Eminent Women of the West by Elinor Richey Berkeley CA Howell-North Books, 1975 This doll and wardrobe was donated to the museum by a descendent of Julia Morgan and her sister Emma Morgan. Julia Morgan was born in San Francisco on January 26, 1872. Julia moved to Oakland with her parents and brother when she was still an infant. In the mid 1870's the family built a grand Victorian house at 754 14th St. Her sister Emma Morgan was born in 1874. This Bru Brevette doll was made in France in the early 1880's, when Julia and Emma were little girls. Given the date of the doll and the dates when Julia and her sister were born, it seems likely that they were the original owners of the doll. This was an expensive doll at the time and would have been a toy in a well-to-do family.

Used: Oak Center neighborhood