Dolls were widely produced in the 17th century, although very few survive. It is most unlikely that these particular examples were the playthings of children. Their production is of a high quality; almost all the accessories survive and there is little wear and tear on the dolls and their garments. The dolls were most probably purchased for the amusement of adults, and as a decorative accessory to a home. British Galleries: These dolls were probably made for the amusement of adults at home, as were dolls' houses at this time. They were named 'Lord and Lady' of the family home in Clapham, London by their owners, the Cockerell family. The outfits of the dolls are perfect miniatures of London fashions of 1690 and 1700. She wears a mantua (gown) of Chinese silk over stays (a stiff corset), with an under-wired cap and high-heeled shoes. [27/03/2003] Object Type
This petticoat was made for a doll, known as Lady Clapham, that is thought to have belonged to the Cockerell family, descendants of the diarist Samuel Pepys (1633-1703). The daughter of Pepys's nephew John Jackson (the son of his sister Pauline) married a Cockerell, who had a family home in Clapham, south London.

Designs & Designing
Lady Clapham offers a fine example of both formal and informal dress for a wealthy woman in the 1690s (Museum nos. T.846&A to Y-1974). Her formal outfit includes a mantua (gown) and petticoat, while her informal dress is represented by the nightgown (a dressing gown rather than a garment worn to bed) and petticoat. Accessories such as the stockings, cap and chemise (a body garment) are very valuable since very few items from such an early period survive in museum collections. Equally important is the demonstration of how these clothes were worn together.

Ownership & Use
Dolls were widely produced in the 17th century, although very few survive, due to the wear and tear they usually undergo. The high quality of Lady Clapham and her clothes indicates that she would have been expensive. There is little evidence of use, which suggests that she was admired by adults rather than played with by children. Doll's petticoat, London, 1690-1700 of drawloom-woven satin, Italian or French c1680. Doll's petticoat of French or Italiansalmon pink silk satin with a floral pattern of purple, pale blue, emerald green, lime green, orange and deep pink. The petticoat is gathered at the waist and trimmed at the top with ivory taffeta, and at the bottom with Chinese blue silk damask. The petticoat is pleated from a narrow centre front panel to the back where it fastens.