Welsh costume is a central component of our national visual culture. Yet in terms of
detailed scholarly research, very little attention has been paid to its origins and
development. To date, most published material in this field has concentrated
primarily on evidence found in 18th and early 19th century travelogues and prints
which tend over-emphasise the unusual and the quaint. Although adult and
children’s costumes have survived in museum collections, these specimens are
difficult to date accurately and are often 20th century recreations produced for
national pageants, fancy dress or folk dancing.
Doliau is a partnership project to examine the establishment and development of
Welsh national costume by studying 19th century dolls in public collections. The
project aims to produce a catalogue of 19th century Welsh dolls in public collections
in the UK making it available online, carry out research on those dolls to understand
how they were made, create a bilingual terminology for describing them and create a
publication and exhibitions. We also hope to train museums staff in specialist
handling techniques. At the end of the project we will also know if there is more
research possible on the collections.
Once complete we hope that we will have established the research potential of 19 th
century Welsh dolls as a component of the future study of Welsh costume, answered
questions for the public on the origin and ‘true nature’ of Welsh costume, contributed
to the understanding of the place of Welsh costume and the role of women in
defining Welsh national identity and increased standards of care for historic dolls.