Doll, Decorative
Object number2021.135.1
Date1952
OriginGenoa, Italy
MediumFabric; Paint; Synthetic hair; Yarn; Netting; Wood; Plastic
Credit LineGIft of Janet Medvedo
DescriptionElderly male fisherman doll. Fabric body with unknown filling material. Painted realistic face with light brown hair. Wears blue knit stocking cap, gray and white striped long-sleeve shirt, red scarf with blue and white floral pattern, denim blue pants, and brown wooden clogs. Gray-brown netting wrapped around neck and torso. Holds a brown basket in each hand. Proper right hand holds yellow and brown-black plastic pipe.DimensionsHeight x Width x Depth: 17.25 × 12 × 6 in. (43.8 × 30.5 × 15.2 cm)Historical NotesThis Italian folk doll belonged to donor Janet Medvedo's Italian-born grandmother, Emelia Maria Polla Rosso, who immigrated to Leechburg, Pennsylvania in 1917. She encouraged her husband Alberto Rosso, a bricklayer, to move to Pittsburgh and earn a living using his trade. Emelia Rosso returned to Italy for the summer of 1952 with her relations Giacomo and Angelica Polla. Before she left Italy, she purchased the two dolls (this doll and 2021.135.2) in or near Genoa, Italy. She displayed them in her dining room in her home on Apple Avenue in the East Liberty neighborhood.
Previous owner
Emelia Maria Polla Rosso
Related person
Giacomo Polla
Related person
Angelica Polla
On View
Not on view
1952
1985
1937
2005
