The first kind of rag doll to be produced commercially in South Africa was the Graaff-Reinet or Laubscher doll of which the National Museum has two in its Textile collection. The Laubscher family of Graaff-Reinet made these dolls during the First World War (1914-1918).
It was never meant as a business venture. Due to the war in Europe, dolls were a scarce commodity in the town of Graaff Reinet. The first Laubscher doll was thus intended as a Christmas present for their favourite niece, Marie Smit (later van den Steen). Museum staff had the privilege of interviewing Marie van den Steen, the first owner of a Graaff-Reinet doll, in 2003 at the age of 89 years.
Anna, the eldest Laubscher daughter, after seeing a rag doll from America, decided to make one for her cousin. She made the doll from unbleached calico. The arms and legs were attached to the body with disc joints, which made the body resemble that of a teddy bear. The body was filled with sawdust and then dipped in red ink water to give it a pink, fleshy colour.
Soon everyone wanted one. Attempts were made to make the doll more realistic by pushing in a hard, round object under the fabric to form a nose. The body and arms remained the same, but the legs varied. On some dolls they were straight and on others they were bent. Many of the Graaff-Reinet dolls were made to order. This, along with the fact that they were individually decorated, resulted in the fact that no two dolls were alike. As with so many dolls, very few survived the hardship of being played with. Those that outlived their owner’s childhood did not outlive the ravishes of time. This makes the Graaff-Reinet doll a sought-after acquisition for many collectors.
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