Doll

This doll is known as a mother-and-child doll. It was made by Taihape widow Bessie Murray (1887-1956, Australia/New Zealand) for sale in local drapery stores and tourist outlets in the mid and lower North Island to support her family in the late 1920s and 1930s.

Design
Murray based the doll on carefully recorded sketches and paintings of the dress and moko (facial tattoo) of the Māori women who sat on the seat in front of the local baker's shop in Taihape.

The doll has delicately painted features with moko, woollen hair, and finely stitched head, arms, and body. She is dressed in a silk skirt and woollen shawl. A flax kete (bag) is carefully replicated through the use of unbleached linen worked with black woollen yarn. The hei tiki (greenstone pendant) and ear pendants are made from tiny glass. A wide-awake baby is tucked into her shawl.

Murray registered two of her designs at the Patents Office in 1927 and 1931. The registration information is found on the base of the cylindrical fabric body.

Significance
Bessie Murray's work is highly regarded, and her Māori mother-and-child dolls represent some of her best and most popular work. They are noted for their realism and for their sensitive portrayals of Māori.