Kent State University Museum: Chinese Robes

Chinese Robes from
The Kent State University
Museum's Collection
By Erin Harvan
Art Museum Internship, Spring 2001
Kent State University Museum

Happy Family Dolls

These four dolls in the Kent State University Museum collection provide a good look at what the average daily dress was for a common Chinese family. The colors usually worn by adults were dark and any bright colors were reserved for children. It is interesting to note that all the clothes the dolls wear are made of satin and that the dolls have shoes which are removable.

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The Father

The father doll is 7 ¼" in height. He is wearing a blue satin robe that has two split side seams and a front opening which curves off to the right side. He also wears a darker gray-blue satin vest. Both the vest and his robe are fastened with toggles and loops that are black cloth. Under his robe he wears natural colored pants that are tied at the ankle, a common practice used to keep legs warm in the winter months.

The Mother

The mother doll is 7 ¼" in height. She wears an ice blue robe with a green border along the edges. Under the robe she wears a black pleated skirt and with pants underneath. Her pants are pale pink with a white border that is decorated with blue flowers. She has bound feet; the practice of binding women's feet was popular in Chinese history and only in modern times has the practice died out. Her shoes are pink satin are embroidered in various decorative patterns made especially for her bound feet. Her hairstyle is in a low bun and she is wearing an embroidered headband which indicates that she is middle aged.

The Girl

The girl doll is 5 3/8" in height. Her hair is styled in two braids tied together with red string. She is wearing a pink hat with a black border and two gold puffs on either side. Her robe and pants are made on the same pink satin with a green border embroidered with flowers along all the edges. She also wears a blue vest that ties around the neck and waist and has an embroidered border along the edges and the armholes. She is wearing pink satin shoes that have green pompoms at the toe. Her shoes are flat indicating that she is too young to begin the foot binding process.

The Boy

The boy is 5 3/8" in height. His robe and clothing are very similar to his father's. The boy's robe is blue satin the same color as the father's robe. The boy's vest is a pale lavender fastened together with black cloth toggles and loops. The border along the edges is decorative and is also found around the armholes. He wears pants that are tied at the
ankles and has one red shoe with gold pompoms at the toe. The boy also wears a black bowl-shaped hat that has a cloth pin at the top.