This nun doll belongs to the larger category of "costume dolls," which were meant to capture the popularity of a historical personage. Because this nun wears heeled shoes, she was probably crafted after 1860, when such shoes came into fashion. Made prior to World War II, when tourism led to greater mass producton of such dolls, this doll is constructed with quality materials and accurately represents the order of Catholic nuns that adorned her. While dolls are often categorized as playthings, nun dolls also served as a remembrance of a beloved daughter. Families whose daughter had left home for a convent often possessed nun dolls like this one.