French Wooden Sedan Chair with Hand Painted Designs and Bisque Doll

Live Auction

The original property of the family of Lady Alexander of Gatefield House,Faversham,Kent in England,the doll and her remarkable and all-original trousseau had been preserved by the family from 1870 until the time of the Second World War,about 1944. At that time,Lady Hamilton,who worked diligently to raise funds for the Red Cross humanitarian efforts aiding prisoners of war,decided to offer the doll and her trousseau as a prize in a fund-raising raffle. The doll was placed in a shop window of Preston Street in Faversham and more than 2000 raffle tickets were sold. (A copy of the original raffle advertisement is included).The doll was won by Great Aunt Annie,of the town,who kept the doll for nearly half a century,finally passing it along to her great niece who named the doll Victoria in honor of the British queen. The doll and her trousseau were placed at auction in 1994,acquired by the Spielzeugmuseum Davos where she has reigned flawlessly until this time.