Lithuanian DP Doll makes a trip around the world
I received notification that a handmade Lithuanian doll made in DP camp in Dillingen Germany would be coming to the Archives. The doll was found at an antique warehouse in Mulgrave Melbourne in 2018 by a Latvian, who recognised the doll as Lithuanian and purchased it. She had presumed the doll was handed into the warehouse from family upon the death or cleanup of Statkeviciute’s household. On the base of the doll there was a red stamp with the words, Workshop for Lithuanian National Dolls, Laumė. Eng Arch Statkeviciutė, Lithuanian DP camp, Dilligen, Germany. When accepting items into the Archives, knowing its provenance is very important. I had not seen that many artifacts from the DP camps and had certainly never heard of doll workshops. I knew it would be a great asset, as I would assume, very few, if any of dolls of this type had survived time. I wanted to see if I could find more information. The first assumption was a Statkevičiutė had come...