Alyssa Rina and Catherine Matsen
Abstract
In 1968, the Arizona State Museum (ASM) accessioned three dolls made in 1953 by Richard and Ilse Ottenberg. The dolls were made to commemorate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II and include a Queen Elizabeth II doll and two Lady in Waiting dolls. The dolls were accepted during a period when the museum was building a global collection, but quickly became outliers in the ASM collections as the museum has since refined their mission to focus on Indigenous cultural materials of the southwest and northern Mexico. In 2022, the dolls were approved to be researched, treated, deaccessioned, and donated to a small, non-profit museum in Tucson.
The dolls were selected as a suitable technical study project given their little provenance, rarity, and how they represent an important form of craft not often discussed in conservation literature. Two other examples of Queen Elizabeth II Ottenberg dolls were found on auction websites, but no other examples of the Lady in Waiting dolls were located. As research progressed, it became evident that very little information about the Ottenbergs and their manufacture process was described in conservation or doll literature. Doll catalogues and auction sites classify the dolls as a composition material or a composite made of sawdust, glues, and other additives. However, analysis of the ASM’s Ottenberg dolls with Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Pyrolysis-Gas Chromatography Mass Spectroscopy (PyGC-MS) suggested otherwise. FTIR indicated calcium carbonate or a likely filler. PyGC-MS revealed a monomer for either isoprene or 1,3-pentadiene—the former suggesting a natural rubber while the latter a synthetic rubber. Limonene, a solvent used during rubber-manufacture, was also present in the PyGC-MS spectrum. These findings could suggest a rubber-based material or a mixture with rubber present. Research and additional analysis to specify the exact type of rubber-based material is ongoing and speak to the realities of using instrumental analysis to characterize an aged material with many additives. While data interpretation and further scientific research is ongoing, information gathered from preliminary analysis guided the conservation treatment of the dolls.
All three dolls required stabilization before being deaccessioned and donated. The head of the Queen Elizabeth II doll was broken at the neck with the head entirely detached. Both left feet of the Lady in Waiting dolls were also detached at the ankles. Research into conservation-grade adhesives used on rubbers and subsequent testing was conducted following scientific analysis. This led to the selection of Jade R for reattaching all elements Reattaching the head of the Queen doll was complex due to the limited points of contact for adhesive application. A mechanical attachment was developed in conjunction with Jade R to secure the head of the doll. The conservation of the Ottenberg dolls resulted in the stabilization and visual integration of the dolls, which are now stable enough to enter the care of an institution without conservation expertise. Additionally, the information gathered from scientific analysis and ongoing research have contributed to a body of knowledge about doll manufacture and materials from the early 1950s.