Skip to main content
Collections Menu
Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
Hawaiian Female Doll
Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.

Hawaiian Female Doll

Artifact IDMO 2022.1.1
Object Type Manikin, Teaching
Possible Maker (American, 1935 - 1942)
Dateca. 1935-1942
Mediumpaper (papier-mâché), paint, shellac, fabric (oilcloth, cotton), grass
Dimensionsoverall H 13 1/2 in x W 7 in x D 4 in (34.3 cm x 17.8 cm x 10.2 cm )
Physical DescriptionA Works Progress Administration (WPA) visual education doll of a Hawaiian female. Made of papier-mâché, cloth, and oilcloth, with painted features, the doll is wearing a green cotton short-sleeve top and a traditional hula grass skirt (pa ‘u) with brown cotton shorts beneath. A pair of white fabric tags sewn on to the front of the shorts have the typed words “ORIGINAL” and “HAWAII.” Around the doll’s neck and wrists are pink leis, and on her head is a lei headpiece (lei po'o).
Historical NoteThis doll was made by a Birmingham, Alabama branch of the New Deal’s Works Projects Administration (WPA), possibly the WPA Alabama Visual Education Project. Dolls were created as educational visual aids by various WPA handicraft and museum extension projects around the country. Ethnic dolls, like this one, were designed to educate children on the different cultures around the world and were made available in educational institutions such as schools and libraries.
Additional Details
Custodial History NoteDonated to the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum by Cheryl and Gerald Hale in 2021.
Credit LineGift of Cheryl and Gerald Hale
National Archives Catalog CollectionFranklin D. Roosevelt Library Museum Collection (National Archives Identifier 735948)
National Archives Catalog SeriesArtifacts Relating to the New Deal (National Archives Identifier 750981)
Use Restriction StatusUnrestrictedCopyrightReproduction or other use of these holdings or images thereof is unrestricted.
In Collection(s)
Not on view