Rag doll

This doll was given to Josephine Mary Thorn when she was a young girl. Josephine, born in 1926, was an only child and grew up in Wellington and Nelson. She had several very special toys that she kept all her life including this doll, a Teddy bear and a rabbit-like plush toy.

The doll was made by Chad Valley, a British toy manufacturer who first made rag dolls like this one in about 1920. It is part of the 'Hygienic' range which claimed to be 'safe for children'. These toys were made of safe, good quality materials as opposed to other similar dolls that were stuffed with sawdust, moss or animal hair.