Hello! My name is Evelyn June. I am a composition doll: this means that my body is made of cloth while the rest of me is a mixture of glue and sawdust.

Dolls like me were made from the early to mid-twentieth century but I was especially popular in the 1920s.

The composition parts of me are quite heavy so I am small, making it easy for small children to play with me. I was considered nearly unbreakable in 1924 when I was made by the GEM doll company. This company had 50 models of dolls - both boys and girls.

I am the "Baby's Voice - Mother's Choice" model. As you may have guessed from my model name, at one time I talked!

I arrived at a farm on 96th Avenue, just north of Zeeland in June 1928. My owner was Albertha Groeneveld who named me Evelyn June.

Someone made me the dresses you see in the cabinet. Maybe it was Albertha. They were made on a sewing machine but you can notice hand embroidery on one dress. Was Albertha learning to embroider?

The pattern for most of the dresses is the same - a sort of square with a hole for my neck and holes for my arms. Someone took care to choose pretty fabrics and trim for my wardrobe.

I came to Dekker Huis in May of 2017.

Once I was a favorite possession of a small Zeeland girl. Now, even though I haven't aged very much, I am 93 years old. Albertha (Groeneveld) Sall, her mother Libbie Groeneveld, and Albertha's children took good care of me over the past 89 years.

Thanks to them, I am here today, watching you admire me and my dresses. 

Written by Linda Kolk, May 2017                                      

-- Used with permission --