INTRODUCTION:
        This is one of the first dolls I purchased in the 1980's to start a doll collection and the third of its type that I have owned.  However, it was not until this year (2007) that I learned much about her.  What I have discovered is interesting and hope that other doll collectors may find it so as well.
    For a long time, I just considered her my Spanish Lady doll and kept her on my desktop shelf without knowing more since there were no tags or identifying marks.  I have since observed that this doll is usually referred to as a "señorita doll" and now know that she was made in Mexico by "Muñecos Carselle".

                                                                                               

The word "muñecos" in Spanish means "dolls". "Carselle" must be the name of the company, but I have been unable to learn more about this Mexican doll maker other than that it produced dolls many dolls like this one from the 1940's to perhaps the end of the 1960's.  This particular doll was apparently the company's main product though I have found three different versions of her and two other types of dolls made by this company.

TYPES OF DOLLS MADE BY CARSELLE:
     I say this was Carselle's main product for this doll is found quite frequently in estate sales, flea markets, in in eBay auctions and other internet sites.  The doll appears often with parts missing (the fan, the mantilla comb, the flowers in the hair); the arms placed in different directions to form different views --such as in a dancer's pose; or most often in different colors of dress and lace.  Nevertheless the doll remains the same with the identical style of costume.
     She has been described as being "hand-made".  Perhaps, "hand-assembled" is closer to the truth.  The only real variation being in the painting of the face which I will describe later as the facial features have important significance not only to the historical meaning of the doll, but also to the possible dating of its production.

Here is the same doll seen in different ways.
     

      On the back of the tag, if the doll is fortunate enough to still possess one, are listed the materials used in making the doll.  The tag reads "plasticos, acetato, rayon, nylon" or plastic, acetate, rayon, and nylon. 
      The doll measures 12" to 13" in height, depending on whether it was measured head to toe or from the mantilla comb to toe.  She is made of several different substances.  Her body is a firm cloth body with molded seamed plasic legs, hands, upper body.   Her head is made of material that is more like that of "composition" dolls i.e. wood or compacted sawdust or plaster, glue, etc.  The arms feel like thin wood rods through the fabric.  The feet are formed into a high heel shape and painted to represent shoes.  The fingernails are painted dark red and the face is usually painted vividly and boldly.  The dress, floor length with long sleeves, is made of a rayon taffeta (a lustrous plain weave fabric with a smooth feel and slightly ribbed appearance) material which is accentuated with two broad bands of lace on the skirt and lace on the lower part of the sleeves.  The bodice of the dress is cinched in to form a long slender waistline and shapely bosom. The square neckline is caught at the shoulders with sequins.  The black hair is a stiff material with a braid on top and shaped into buns over the ears.  The back of the neck is painted black to give the illusion of more hair.  Earrings, each made of a sequin and bead, are attached to the edges of the hair buns where the earlobes would be located.  Three felt flowers are placed in the hair on the doll's right side.  A large mantilla comb is attached at the back and the mantilla is draped over the comb.  A wooden fan is placed open in her right hand with the decorated side facing outward.  Under the dress is a stiff linen-like rayon petticoat with tatted edging.  Under the petticoat the doll is dressed in matching panteloons (with tatted edging) which reach below the knee.

     The doll's feet are glued to a plastic stand of various colors.

                                                           

     The only difference in this doll pattern occurs in the colors of the dress and lace, the fan patterns, the pattern of tatting on the undergarments, and the absence of some parts of the costume though loss.

      There are three other versions of this doll that I have seen.  One version was essentially the same doll but used a much higher quality of lace.  A second version had puffier sleeves, a quite different facial expression, undergarments with no tatting, gold shoes, no side hair buns or earrings, lace fan rather than a wood fan, one flower on top of the hair, and a gold choker necklace.   In fact one might doubt it was the same doll except it came in the same non-descript box and had the Carselle tag.  The third version was a smaller 6 inch model that wore flat shoes instead of heels.
         Three other dolls made by the Carselle company have appeared from time to time.  There is a male Mariachi Doll in both the 12" and 6" models with serape and sombrero.  There is also a female doll with braids dressed in a more common "china poblana" outfit (embroidered white blouse, fine woven scarf, brightly colored shirt) of the working class Mexican woman rather than the traditional Spanish court dress of our Señorita Doll model.  This second female version has the same wide-eyed painted face as the señorita doll and the same type of body, stand, use of sequins, etc.  Her hair is made into two long braids, instead of a chignon, and may be wearing a large felt sombrero and ribbon shawl

                                     
   
 The fourth type of doll that I have seen is a bullfighter or matador.
              

HISTORICAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE COSTUME
   I believe it is important to remember that this Señorita doll was made in Mexico, not in Spain.  As a consequence, the costume represents a style in fashion that was typical of the Spanish colonial upper class, or at least the remembered idealized view of that group, in the 1800's.  It was a fashion statement trying to maintain their Spanish heritage and traditions in a world that was rapidly assimilating new cultural traits.

THE DRESS:
     The dress is a traditional style worn even today in parts of Andalusia on festive occasions.  It is a dress derived from the original flamenco dress designed for the Flamenco dance that originated with gypsies (flamencos) in the early 1800's in Andalusia in southern Spain.  These gypsy women wore simple dresses with two or three flounces on their skirts as they went to town with their livestock trading husbands.  They came to attend the the market fair held each April Seville's market square to trade their cattle and other wares.  After a busy day trading came time for eating, drinking, socializing, making music, and dancing.
     Here is a description of the dress worn by those gypsy wives:
     "The original shape of the dress, the "guitar body", enhanced the woman's qualities and masked its defects: A low neck area round or square, according to the fashion, hair pulled back in a bun to make the neck appear thinner, the dress tightened around the waist and widening at the hips and the frills are placed to have the woman walk in a more boasting fashion. " 
      As the years passed, this type of dress became the national costume of Spain and is still worn to this festival in April as well as on other special festival days.  By 1929 the flamenco dress became populare in high society and began to change its style.  Flamenco dancers also modified it by adding additional flounces, cutting away part of the front, adding a train, and so on to enhance their dancing positions.  So that the dress we see on our doll remains a vestige of the style of the late 1800's which continued on in the colony of Mexico.

THE UNDERGARMENTS:
      A.  THE UNDERPANTS / PANTALOONS
            Underpants (zaraguelles) for women appeared in Spain much earlier than in other places in Europe.  Some believe that this fashion was introduced as a result of the influence of the Moors ruling Spain for a long period (711 - 1492) and were perhaps adapted from the "harem pants" used in the Muslim world.  Most were made of linen or cotton with a drawstring waist.  Usually they fell to just below the knee, where they were again gathered in to be joined to the stockings with lace.  Under Moorish rule, cotton, silk, and linen became important textile exports.  Women were expected to spend many hours spinning flax into linen.
          The pants in our doll's costume are linen.  Drawstrings are not used in our doll's underpants since they are sewn to the body at the waist and there is a tatted edge . . . representing the lace? . . . just below the knee.  Stockings are not present in the doll's costume.

      B.  THE PETTICOAT / SLIP
      While women of that time often wore chemises under their gowns to protect the fabric from becoming soiled by body oils, our doll's petticoat is made only for the lower half of the body.  In my opinion the purpose of this undergarment is really more to provide support for a flared skirt and thus really appears to represent another undergarment popular in the 1800's known as the "Spanish Farthingale".  The Spanish Farthingale was a bell-shaped hoopskirt worn under the main skirt.  It was constructed of material that was looped over rings of willow and can to form a stiff shape which could support a heavy long outer skirt.   It was introduced in the 1500's and spread throughout Europe as women found it allowed them to walk in an elegant manner as if they were gliding across the floor.  While the internal skeleton of hoops disappeared, the stiff material of a linen petticoat known as a fustån  remained to give body to the over skirt and create the illusion of walking with gliding elegance in the 1800's.

      C.  THE MANTILLA
         The mantilla  is a lightweight lace or silk scarf.  Used to cover a woman's head and shoulders, it is a smaller version of a cape or manto.  Once again, we must turn to the Moorish rule of Spain for the origins of this garment.  It became a custom in Muslim countries for a women to veil herself in public.  Under the rule of the Moors, Spanish Christian women began to wear a veil as well.   This veil was called a manto.  Even after the Muslims were defeated and forced out of power in 1492, the veil continued to be worn in public to cover the face up through the 1600's.  In the 1600's, lace began to be used and in time the veil was used less to cover a women's face as to enhance it.  No doubt, too, as lace was expensive, the manto shrunk in size as the mantilla was adapted for use more as a head covering, especiall in church.
          While our Señorita Dolls come in a variety of colors with mantillas of contrasting colors, it is interesting to note that in real life, Spanish tradition allowed young unmarried women to wear white veils.  Older women usually wore black veils.  In part the color black was due to the fact that it was worn to mourn the death of a relative.  Older married women perhaps more relatives to mourn and so often just began to wear black all the time.

    D.  THE MANTILLA COMB
        I  refer you to the most excellent eBay guide "Spanish Mantilla Combs (Peinita)" Parts 1 & 2 by simitra for an in-depth and scholarly description of mantilla combs.   For the purposes of this guide I will just give a brief summary as it pertains to our doll.

     The mantilla comb is a large upright comb which is placed in the hair and over which is draped  a mantilla.  It's Spainish name is "peinita" and originated in the region of Andalusia just as our Flemenco dress did.  By the 1830's, the high (tall) peinita comb was popular not only in Spain but also in Europe and in the USA.  This would certainly be true of Mexico as well.
      Mantilla combs were made of various materials such as bone, metal, horn, and tortoiseshell.   Of these, tortoiseshell was most desired and quite expensive.  Mexico was then a great supplier of products made from turtles.  At the same time [according the the above eBay guide], Isabella of Spain (1830-1904) successfully established the mantilla comb and lace veil as part of the national costume dear to the hearts of all patriotic Spanish.  Indeed, this became tradition even in Mexico.
          Why was the comb so high?  In part it was due to the overall desire to appear tall and elegant and in part due to the voluminous hairstyles worn.  The mantilla comb worn by my doll is made of a light colored plastic made to look possible like horn,  It is cut out to look like intricate filligree or open lacey carving.  It has a three prong base that sits into the hair at the back of the head.

      E.  THE HAIR
       Spanish women in colonial American usually wore their hair long and in a single braid that was knotted and tied up on the back of their head.  Long hair was considered a symbol of a woman's virtue.  If a woman damaged her virtuous reputation in some way, her neighbors might cut the braid off the offender's head and socially ostracize her, calling her La Pelona (baldy) until it grew back.  As for the twisted hair buns on the side of the head, this may be either a reflection of the chignon style favored by colonial settlers who confined their hair in a hairnet or possibly a partial adoption of local native hairstyles.
       One auction on eBay described the doll's hair as being made of silk.  It is possible I cannot tell.

      F.  THE FAN
         There are different styles of fans used the world over and many different styles in Spain and Mexico of the 1800's as well.  The style fan held in the hand of our doll is the Abanico or folding fan.  The earliest representation of a folding fan was found in an image of a Japanese god of happinese.  The Chinese adopted the fan in the early 900s A.D.  It was exported to Portugal in the 1400's and became widely used in Portugal, Spain, and Italy during the 1500's.  Portugal became known for its skill in making lovely decorated materials for the fan body, while Spain gained skill in making elaborate sticks or slats that supported the fan material. 
           Fans were popularly used as a tool in the game of flirtation.  Whole "languages of of fans" developed based on using gestures made with fan to convey messages to a suitor.  You can look up these fan gestures elsewhere.
         What may be of some interest is that our Señorita Doll usually carries a wooden fan.  I have seen the smaller 6" dolls with a plastic fan and some of the later editions of the doll with plastic fans or even lace fans.  The wood fan takes us back once again to the Flamenco Dancer.  They traditionally use a wood fan because of the ease of opening and closing it, the snap effect you can get with it in the dance, and its durability.  However the fan carried by the doll usually has a decorated outer side, while Flamenco Dancers (at least modern dancers) prefer an undecorated fan.

          G.  THE SHOES
              My research into Spanish clothing in Mexico for the 1800's revealed only that the ladies who dressed in this traditional Spanish style "were shod in dainty slippers of bright colors".  Whether slippers were heeled or not, I do not know.  The shoes on the 12" model always have heels.  Perhaps, these represent the actual shoe style worn by such ladies or may represent the flamenco dancer's shoes.

           H.  THE PAINTED FACE
           Last but not least, I discovered some very interesting information about the significance of the painted face on the Señorita Doll.  One of the first things that strikes anyone looking at this doll is the boldly painted face.  This is particularly true of the models made in the 1940's and less true of those made later.  Such distinctions may help in identifying early vs. more recent productions of this doll.


                   

           In records for Spanish women living in northern Mexico on up through what is now the American southwest, the application of heavy cosmetics was common.  In fact they applied makeup so heavily that the first Anglos entering the area were shocked enough to comment on it since their own ladies in proper decorum did not even use rouge or powder.  The Spanish ladies almost universally applied a thick coat of flour-paste on their face from forehead to chin.  Red coloring was added to the thick paste to give a bloom to the mask. 
           Baldwin Molhausen, a German traveler in the Rio Grande Valley in the 1850's, wrote:  "Faces of the feminine sex peeped curiously as we passed by the farms; but neither age, nor youth, beauty, nor ugliness could be discerned through the mask of chalk or the blood of cattle, with which they had seen fit to bedaub themselves."
            One source commented that the heavy layers of powder and red paint helped disguise pock marks, the terrible scars left by smallpox typically borne by many people in those days!
 I, myself,  am in my 60's and can still remember seeing people once in a while marked by the scars of smallpox.  Today, such occurances are rare indeed.
          At any rate, the bold paint of our Señorita Doll seems to reflect an honest historical observation.  The paint of course may wear thin with age, but I have also noticed that there appears to have been an intentional softening of the cosmetic appearance of the doll as fashions changed in the 1950's and 1960's.                    

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