Dolls were not always toys. They began to be made still in the time when people lived in caves and had almost always a symbology related to the feminine fertility. They were rudimentary and made of stone and / or terracotta. There were dolls in all civilizations, representing outstanding human, historical and cultural values. It is not known, however, when they cease to exercise symbolic power to become children's toys. What is known is that they became popular during the multiplication of industries in Europe during the 18th century. Since then, various materials have been used to make them like wood, dishware, cloth and plastic.
The cloth dolls, of domestic and traditional industry, became expressions of the Popular Art of the regions of origin, for the costumes, colors and other preferences. In the first half of the 20th century, in the Azores, cloth dolls were one of the few toys available to children. In an age of poor resources and in an attitude of economy they were hand-made, with scraps of used fabrics and decorated with embroidered details that gave them expressiveness and warmth.
Isaura Rebelo had her first cloth doll, at the age of 9, made by her paternal grandmother. She has kept it religiously to this day, as a way of perpetuating memories of childhood, tenderness and family affection. Many years later she repeated the gesture, making for her granddaughter a doll just like the old days, imprinted with affection and tradition.
In the training in São Jorge, the artisan Marta Furtado will teach how to make the body of the cloth doll, the clothes inspired by regional costumes, woolen hair and a face embroidered by hand.