Among the Plains Indians, it was often the grandmother's responsibility to construct a child's first doll. The materials ranged from as basic as a carved stick and buckskin to highly decorated beaded leather. It was common to see Plains Indian girls carrying dolls in miniature cradleboards on their backs, learning traditional female roles from their mothers. This particular doll was probably not used for play but rather for show.

Textiles
Using the skills of local Scottish cotton weavers, Alexander Morton (1844-1923) developed a distinctive patterned gauze fabric which he called "Madras Muslin." This curtain panel, produced in the late nineteenth century by Alexander Morton & Co., is a gift of Mary Ann Butterfield and Luis and Anne de Ocejo. During November, the piece can be seen in the Decorative Arts Court on the third floor of the museum. In addition to manufacturing his own designs and specialty textiles for English and Scottish markets, Morton produced fabrics for Morris & Co. and Liberty of London.Africa, Oceania, and the Americas
This twentieth-century Lakota doll of the Great Plains region is a recent addition to the Americas collection. Like similar dolls created for show rather than play, she is quite intricate. The style of her fully beaded dress, leggings, and moccasins is characteristic of nineteenth-century Native Plains women. This doll, a gift of the Robert C. Winton Fund, and other objects from the Americas collection are featured in the Institute's Family Center until March 12, 2000.