"Frozen Charlotte" Doll

"Frozen Charlotte" Doll

Inspired by the cautionary tale “Fair Charlotte,” in which a young woman froze to death after refusing her mother's advice to dress warmly for a sleigh ride, this German-made china doll was created as a bathing toy for young children in the late nineteenth century. The dolls stood anywhere from 1/4 inch to 5 inches, often with painted-on faces and hair. They were could also be baked into cakes or displayed in miniature coffins in the home.

Recovered from excavation prior to construction of Rutgers-Camden dormitory, 330 Cooper Street, Camden, N.J.

Rutgers University-Camden

Late nineteenth century; photograph April 2018.

Amanda Cross (Graduate Student, American Material Culture, Spring 2018); photograph by Jacob Lechner.

Collection of Rutgers-Camden Center for the Arts

Affleck, Richard, George Cress, Ingrid Weubber, Rebecca White, Kimberly Morrell, and Thomas Kutys. Phase II and Data-Recovery Archaeological Excavations of the Smith-Maskell Site Cooper Street Development Camden, New Jersey. Archaeological Excavation Report, Burlington: URS Corporation.

China doll, 4 inches in length.

Photograph