The Doll Factory

I binge watched the full series and enjoyed it all the way, yet I admit it may only attract limited audience with certain interests.

First of all the setting is London 1851, when the very first World Expo was bringing London and the whole British Empire to a whole new cultural level, and many underprivileged people wanted to take this chance to climb up.

And then it plays with the art society especially the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, but instead of paying homage to the historic artists it took a critical perspective to see their artwork and artistic life.

The four occupations in the story (namely doll making, taxidermy, surgery and painting) were all about treating a life as an object. When doing the job like producing an artwork with passion and admiration, they gradually grow an obsession of eternal beauty and ignorance of real life.

This is what we call "objectification" in art. When they paint a portrait it's like gazing and owning of a real person, mostly a delicate woman in the 1850s context, very often a "damsel in distress" under chivalric gazes. But what if a woman wants to be a painter instead of a model? Can she assert a subjective voice of the painted character?

Also the image of cage is all over the whole series, from the poster and the opening sequence to various occasions the leading characters confront. When they think they could take the 1850s momentum to climb up in the art society, probably they are jumping into a larger cage.

If you had did artwork and critically thought about it yourself, this series may strike your notes. Also if you concern about female empowerment you may see a 1850s version in the series. But it is not for everyone.