with family members, Museum director, Gayle Castañeda, came across this 17 ½” tall, French folk doll. (Gayle was born and raised in Canton, Ohio.) She was intrigued by a note pinned on the doll that stated it was a gift from a WWII GI to his fiancée. The doll was purchased in Paris just after “the liberation”.
A bit of history: Paris was under Nazi rule from 1940 – 1944. The French Forces/French Resistance rose up against the German garrison as the US Third Army, led by General George Patton, approached the city. On August 25, 1944, the French 2nd Armored Division, the US 4th Infantry Division, and other allies entered Paris, and the Germans surrendered. (Gayle’s father flew a P-47 Thunderbolt and helped provide air support for Patton’s army during his Normandy campaign.) If only this doll could speak about her travels from Paris to Ohio. Was the seller of the doll the actual fiancée? In 2007, she would have been in her 80’s. Perhaps another family member was the seller. No other information could be gleaned from the antique store staff.
The doll wears a tag stating URIKA, Paris, and that it is a Bretonne. Gayle could find no information on the Internet about URIKA of Paris, whether it was a doll company or a store.
A Bretonne is a woman from the French province, now a cultural region, of Brittany/Bretagne. See the following map showing Brittany within France and showing the coast of England.
