Headless doll with detached eyeballs, bonnet
Extent and Medium
a: Height: 9.843 inches (25.001 cm) | Width: 7.480 inches (18.999 cm) | Depth: 2.756 inches (7 cm)
b: Height: 1.378 inches (3.5 cm) | Width: 1.870 inches (4.75 cm) | Depth: 0.787 inches (1.999 cm)
c: Height: 5.118 inches (13 cm) | Width: 1.575 inches (4 cm)
Archival History
The doll was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2013 by Ruth Loewenstein.
Acquisition
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Ruth Loewenstein
Scope and Content
Cloth doll wearing pink knit clothing, handmade by Annie Loewenstein (donor's mother) in Munich, Germany. The Loewenstein family: Willy (donor's father) [b. 1894], Annie [b. 1904], Ruth (donor) [b. 1929], and Marianne (donor's sister) [b. 1932], were able to leave Germany in August 1939 for England. Ruth and Marianne were wearing thin gold bracelets on their wrists and each carried a doll. The German guard at the Dutch border tore off the bracelets, but did not pay any attention to the dolls. Upon arrival in New York on September 10, 1940, Annie took the heads off the dolls, in which she had hidden valuables. She sold the valuables and used the money to rescue her parents from Germany. Also included in the collection are additional clothing for the doll and "Kleine Bibel" a children's Bible carried by Ruth from Munich.
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on access
Conditions Governing Reproduction
No restrictions on use
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Cloth doll (a) with no head. Doll is wearing a light pink knit outfit - overalls and sweater - with light green trim. There is also a matching bonnet (c). The eyeballs (b) are detached and connected to each other with clay and metal.
Genre
- Toys
- Object