Paper Maché & Paint
Celaya
12" x 5"

More than one woman who grew up in Mexico has said to me that this type of doll is from her childhood. Made from old molds from the 19th century these dolls of course have become less and less common in Mexico as industry has taken over. The dolls I came across most often had red hair, never blond and sometimes brown or black. My guess is red hair is considered most exotic, as it is. The dolls often have a name painted on the front of their bodies, I have read this is because they represent prostitutes. I am not sure of the validity of this connection, however scantily clad the girls are. Something really interesting to me is the painting style as it resembles the "kurbits" traditional painting technique from Sweden. You can see what you think by looking at the Dala Horse card in the Sweden section of the site. It's a bit hard to see in these two examples, you may have to take my word for it that the connection is there...we are all interconnected. Every doll is unique.