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Male figure
Greenland
Inuit culture
Carved wood, hide and pigments
19th century
Height: 5 in. (13 cm)
Ex collection Renaud Vanuxem, Paris
Ex private collection, France
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As stated by the Penn Museum (see The Lady in Furs by Margaret Bruchac, 2015), ”just as [model] kayak and harpoon are small but highly detailed replicas of adult tools, the doll is an image of how a married Inuit [individual] of that time - late 19th to early 20th century - was expected to dress. These objects (typically labeled as toys) served a purpose beyond a simple plaything. They modeled how children were expected to conduct and dress themselves in adult life, and helped to teach useful skills.
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