Market dolls

Market dolls. “Mother told me they were given to her one market day in Nyköping when she was young. Probably made by a pastry cook in town. Mother was born in 1869. Young people used to give each other market gifts in those days.” from a letter from the donor.

NM.0258053B

MARKET TREATS
As sugar and the monetary economy spread to the rural areas, sweets bought at the market became a special treat. The markets attracted the locals, maids and farm hands, as an opportunity to meet and maybe exchange gifts. Rhymes on sweets became a way of communicating. Sweets could be used in courtship, to propose or to break up. Small market dolls made of sugar were popular gifts for someone special. They were often saved as mementos.