An antique china doll is a treasure in whatever way she makes her appearance. Yet, dressing for success is always the best way to get noticed in a positive light. This unmarked 19 inch Kestner lady, circa 1850s, is an extraordinary example of a rare early china doll.
This elegant lady has a fancy braided bun hairstyle with molded brush marks in her hair and side waves.
She has beautifully detailed hands with molded fingernails, inner knuckle lines, and palm creases.
Her flat-soled boots have painted red laces.
The doll as she was dressed upon arrival
A china doll in original, or contemporary to the doll, clothing is the best of finds! Yet, as with many of the antique dolls that come to stay with me, this lovely lady came in less-than-optimal clothing. This newer made dress is not bad, yet as an 1870s style, it is a generation too young for this 1850s doll. Also, the fabric choice is not very becoming for her complexion. The fit is not quite right. It was added, and not made for her.
The petticoat that she wore is ill-fitting, with an awkward tuck at the waist to make it fit.
The drawers that she came in will work for her new outfit.
The first order was to undress the doll and examine her underpinnings. I prefer to keep as much of the original clothing for my dolls as possible. Her drawers are good. She came in a petticoat that was ill-altered for her. The tucks and tatting trim are nice. I took out the awkward tuck at the top of this petticoat, gathered it, and set it into a new waistband. Now it fits her well, but it is too short to hold out the new dress style. I decided to make her a new petticoat that holds the silhouette of the dress I was planning better. Now she wears both petticoats. And alas! As with almost all of the china dolls I find, she had no chemise!
I use this simple two-fold and cut from one piece of fabric style for many of the chemises I make for china dolls.
Because this doll from the 1850s is before the time that sewing machines were widely in use for home sewing, I sewed all of the pieces for this outfit by hand.
The chemise, made from vintage cotton batiste with antique tatting and a silk ribbon tie, is finished.
The new petticoat has an antique lace remnant inset, and a ruffle at the bottom to hold out the full dress that she will have.
Now that the underclothing is in place, it’s time for the fun part of making the dress.
This antique fabric for the dress? Though I love the fabric, the color is not right for her.
Or this reproduction of an 1860s print? Printed stripes with florals were common for dress fabric in the 1840s through the 1860s. This color really makes her face glow. Yes, this is the one!
I wanted the dress to have the tight gathers at the front waist, which was a common dress style in the mid 19th century. I used Susan Sirkis’s Wish Book for the morning visiting dress style which has a plastron (a same-fabric piece that fits over the bodice for the gathers) and piping at the seams.
Now the fun sewing begins with luminous colors in the threads!
Yes, being all hand-sewn and with several new techniques for me, this project took a long time. And, of course, life situations happened, creating delays of months at a time. Yet, the dress was completed in time to accompany me with the doll to my first UFDC Convention, relatively close to where I live, in Bellevue, Washington, in 2023.
The piping is visible at the neckline in this photo.
This detail shows the tight gathering at the waist of the plastron, the cartridge pleats at the waist of the skirt, and the piping at the waist and shoulders.
The bodice closes in back with hooks and eyes. Little antique glass buttons accent the closure.
Proudly exhibited in the UFDC competition for unmarked china dolls
Even though this Kestner lady is a fabulous early china doll, you can see in this photo that the competition included some rare and unusual china dolls that received blue ribbons.
My china doll entries proudly received blue (reproduction), red (antique covered wagon hairstyle) and white (unmarked antique china) ribbons.
In the photo above, my covered wagon china doll wears an original, or at least contemporary to her, indigo blue print dress. It has become sun faded, yet I did not want to replace it because it is part of her history. I do not want to remove it from her since it could be original.
So which doll is the best? Why, the one I’m holding, of course! May you always have your favorite doll near to hold and love.
Hello all! Just a reminder that my presentation, “A Fresh Regard for Old China Dolls,” is tonight at 7 p.m Central Time, or 5 p.m Pacific Time. Please join me! If you can’t make this live Zoom event, you can still see my presentation on You Tube, UFDC channel, Adventures in Dolls. I hope my presentation will be fun and informative for you. See you soon!
Karen Allen is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: A Fresh Regard for Old China Dolls presented by Jennifer Stewart Time: Dec 19, 2023 07:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)
I cordially invited you to attend my You Tube UFDC Channel presentation on Adventures in Dolls, hosted by Karen Allen. My presentation, “A Fresh Regard for Old China Dolls,” will air on Tuesday, December 19th, 2023, at 7 p. m. Central Time. You will learn about the history of porcelain production and its use for dolls in the 19th century, the wide variety of antique china dolls that were in production for over ninety years, what to look for regarding quality, and how to know reproductions. If you are not able to join me then, you will still have the opportunity to watch this fun and informative program on You Tube, Adventures in Dolls Channel. I hope you will join me!
A little Kloster Veilsdorf Doll in a New “Antique” Dress
Can sewing be an art form? As with a painter’s brush poised above a blank canvas, a sculptor’s chisel above the marble, or a songwriter’s ear to guitar strings and words, a tailor or seamstress’ shears hover at the edge of the fabric, the threaded needle ready to take flight. WIll what is created be beautiful or ugly? Whether painter, sculptor, musician, or textile artist, at least a part of that determination is a reverence for the materials.
This quilt block remnant displays a variety of 19th century calico prints, arranged for an appealing display of color and pattern.
Another antique quilt in my collection displays beautiful cotton print fabrics arranged in appealing combinations of color and visual texture.
I just adore old cotton print fabrics, and especially those of the 19th century, or earlier when I can find them. I keep an eye out for small prints that will work for doll items. Much of what is available in 19th century small cotton prints now comes from cutter quilt pieces, such as border strips that have been picked apart. When I find old remnants of clothing, baby whites, or cutter quilts, it often takes a judgement call or soulful decision to determine whether the piece ought to be preserved or can be repurposed into a new textile piece. Reverence for the previous life of the textile is a necessity in handling the piece, and for artfully re-imagining its purpose.
A variety of common 19th century calico prints. (Image by Getty)
Calico, a cheaply made cotton fabric, has been around since at least the 12th century. Heavier than muslin and lighter than denim, the fabric that emerged from the loom in a plain beige or grayish state was then ideal for Euopean printers to decorate with natural dyes and block or roller printing beginning in the 17th, and continuing into the 18th and 19th centuries. In its printed form, it was then known as chinz. This same printed calico fabric, now printed with bright chemical aniline dyes, is still a popular choice for clothing, quilts, and household items today.
The 10 ½ inch Kloster Veilsdorf doll in her melting silk dress that she came in.
Many of the dolls that I find for my collection need redressing. Some are in inappropriate dresses for their age and size, have clothing that is falling apart, were re-dressed in polyester and nylon circa 1970’s, or have only underclothing, or no clothing at all. This little treasure of a doll was listed as “all original” because her old silk dress that is melting was sewn closed in the back and could not be removed without cutting the stitches. I knew, though, that the shoulder-head dates to about 1850, and it is obvious that the body is much newer, and the arms and legs do not match the age of the head. Another clue that the dress is not as old as the doll head is the fact that the silk is badly melting. While I don’t have dates, I have recently learned that earlier silks, as in early to mid 19th century, hold up much better than later silks that are now treated with chemical finishes containing acids that eventually harm the fabric. So, if the dress on this doll was contemporary to her, it would not have deteriorated as this one has.
The melting silk dress has been removed from the doll and she is in the drawers and petticoat she came in, though I strongly suspect, due to the type of lace, that they are newer than her shoulder-head. And, as I usually find them, she had no chemise!
Here she is modeling the newer body she came with. It seems to be one made in the mid 20th century, about one hundred years newer than the shoulder-head, which is probably when the silk dress was made, as well. The rather nice china arms and legs are reproductions.
Abigail Brownell has the same shoulder-head in a larger size at 21 inches for the whole doll. She retains her original cloth body, marked in pencil, 1865. Her leather arms were replaced in about 1951. Her body is constructed quite differently from the small doll’s body of a hundred years later.
A close-up of the smaller doll shows paper residue on her shoulder-plate, possibly remnants of an old auction tag.
Measuring and cutting chemises for two small dolls
The first step in constructing a new garment for a doll is to complete her undergarments, or small clothes. This style of chemise, folded at the shoulders and cut to fit over the doll’s head, is one I use for many of my dolls who arrive without one. The chemise is typically embellished only at the neckline, perhaps at the sleeves, because the hemline is hidden under the petticoat. In keeping with sewing techniques comtemporary with the doll’s age, and for her small size, all of the sewing for her outfit is by hand with a needle and waxed thread.
I found a small scale bit of antique tatted lace for this chemise, which is made of antique muslin.
All of the small clothes are now in place.
Now the doll is ready for a dress! I have several pieces of colorful antique calico that I have been itching to use. I wanted to use the bright yellow fabric in the photo above, under the doll’s undressed body, but my dolls have a way of choosing their own fabric, and it’s not always the one I originally wanted! So this little brown-eyed wren chose the rust red print fabric for her dress.
The intact cartridge pleats are from the skirt that this remnant used to be.
This print fabric is special and deserves reverence for its previous life. It used to be a lady’s skirt, and must have served her well with day to day use and wear. Did she have brown eyes too, that were set to shining with the contrasting backdrop of this intriguing print? The fabric is slightly brittle with age and as happens especially with the natural brown dyes, yet it is still servicable for this little doll who won’t be playing too hard in it. I fashioned the little dress in the typical no-pattern way that many little girls’ dresses were made in the 1800’s. The circumference of the skirt was determinded from that of the petticoat; it is quite full!
Little Wren’s dress is finished!
The dress has contrasting waist and neckbands, and also sleeve caps, of vintage brown calico. The skirt has two growth tucks near the hem, and the chemise’s tatted lace shows at the neckline.
The waistband closes in back with an antique brown rimmed china button.
Abigail Brownell has a new little sister! Her dress was also made by me of newer calico, and machine sewn. She wears it at home to protect her antique dress that is tucked away for safekeeping.
Little Wren is set for cooler weather with her new “old” dress and her kitty and sewing by the fireplace.
An old doll can certainly gain a new beauty with restoration and appropriate clothing. Sometimes the right antique dress can be found. Sometimes the original dress in poor condition can be copied for a new one to be made. And sometimes, a new dress in old calico with just the right color and print brings an old doll “alive” again! With reverence, skill, and knowledge of the materials and of the old ways, creating something beautiful from the antique material brings the soul of the original garment to life again, too.
What collector of antique dolls could resist a fine parian lady, though in desperate need of restoration, when offered on the spur of the moment? Needless to say, I didn’t resist!
Porcelain dolls in the form of glazed china made their debut in the 1840’s and were manufatured primarily in Germany. They experienced innovations and alterations through the decades of their manufacture. By the 1870’s, there was growing dissatisfaction with the unlife-like look of glazed porcelain for doll shoulder-heads. Beginning in the 1870’s and through the 1880’s, fine lady dolls, and sometimes children, made of unglazed porcelain with molded hair became available. These dolls were made of white untinted bisque and usually had blonde hair. Still made primarily from German porcelain factories, these dolls were called parians because their marble-white complexions resemble the white marble that comes from the island of Paros. So they are not from Paris! The dolls often have molded-on hair and neck trimmings. The manufacture of parian dolls waned with the onset of flesh tinted bisque dolls and the growing popularity of French and German baby and child dolls.
The doll as received in her original clothing in poor condition
The doll that I received had been in a garage for many years, stored in a box with newer vinyl dolls. It is quite delightful that she retains her original clothing, including her chemise, which is hiked up around her waist in this photo. There are irrepareable stains on her clothing and body.
Front of doll showing condition.
As is typical with dolls this age, her original body is stained, and the old soft leather is deteriorating badly.
Back of doll shows deteriorated leather
The back of the doll really shows how badly the arm leather is cracked. The horse hair stuffing is visible. The boots are losing pieces. Cotton holds up well with time, and the cotton body, as well as the porcelain shoulder-head, are in fine condition.
The clothing as taken off the doll
As I have found with other dolls that had been stored with their original clothing, this doll had some extra pieces. She was wearing two sets of drawers, one that was too small and had to be gently tugged off. She had two petticoats under her skirt, and one more petticoat that doesn’t seem to belong to her.
Beginning soaking
After soaking three hours
I soaked the clothing in cool water with one teaspoon of Orvus quilt soap for three hours. As is typical with clothing that has been stored for many years, the water turned quite brown! The clothing was rinsed twice in cool water and let to air dry.
Face cleaned and earrings chosen
Meanwhile, I cleaned the doll’s face by holding her nearly upside down under running water so that the body didn’t get wet. I used a soft toothbrush with mild dish soap to clean away dirt that was embedded in her curls. (Judging by this photo, she could use more cleaning under her left curls.) The earrings are full-sized for pierced ears. The garnets will match her rose print cotton dress nicely.
The parian doll compared to a book image
I found a doll with a similar face and hair mold in Lydia Richter’s book, China, Parian & Bisque German Dolls. The doll in the book photo has a molded collar and neck ribbon, while my doll has plain shoulder molding. Both dolls have pierced ears. The book says that this doll is “Unkown Manufacturer, ” circa 1885. I believe that they were made by Alt, Beck & Gottschalk based on the lip and eye painting.
Five buttons replace three buttons
The bodice originally had five printed china buttons that were contemporary with the age of the doll and her costume of floral printed cotton. Two of the original buttons are missing. I found in my stash a card of five china buttons from the same time period with a color that coordinates with the dress fabric.
Two wee china buttons
The doll’s leather boots were sewn over the cloth body. The leather is badly deteriorating and falling off. One boot retains the two tiny china buttons while the other boot has none. I used a small amount of white glue on the leather edges of the boots to attempt to hold the fragments onto the body.
Original drawers and chemise
The doll’s arms are now wrapped in non-adhesive elastic medical tape which holds the leather intact and re-attaches the severed left hand. She is also wearing her freshly laundered original drawers and chemise.
Hand crocheted lace and eyelet
I put both original petticoats back on the doll. The outer petticoat includes hand crocheted lace, while the drawers have eyelet trim.
Five china buttons all in a row.
The new old buttons are attached and button down the back of the bodice. Or should this be the front? It is not quite clear which side is which. Both the front and the back include verticle tucks. The non-buttoning side of the bodice includes princess seams on the sides, and the collar and cuffs are red woven lace. The dark stain on the bodice waistband is faded, but still visible. I turned her skirt around with the opening in the front because the skirt fabric is less yellowed on the backside and retains its truer original color.
Tall and proud.
Standing tall at 25 inches, This ABG parian doll shows definite wear. However, she is all original in her original small clothes and dress. That is important to me. I am okay with the wear and I believe that she deserves to keep her belongings of 140 years. How silly she would look in the clothing of a 50 year old doll, and not quite as good in a newly made dress. She now looks elegant and proud. I am so happy that she is here!
My parians are now two.
I now have two parian, or unglazed white bisque, dolls. The smaller doll on the left is 19 inches tall. She has a molded blouse collar, and her ears are not pierced. She may have been made by Conta & Boehme. She was re-dressed in a new dress made especially for her.
Parian dolls can be very fancy with lots of molded trim and hair ribbons, or they can be plainer and simply elegant. Either way, they are a delightful variation to glazed china dolls.
Apologies to my faithful followers for being so long without posting. My current more-than-full-time job, along with caring for my elderly mother, leaves little time and energy for sewing and writing. I have had a post in the works now for many months on the topic of hand-sewing for dolls. It is on hold until I get my hand-sewing project finished.
In the meantime, I would like to show you Hazel Katkin’s amazing journey to Nebraska, and her unexpected visit with Miss Mie, one of the fabulous Japanese Ambassador dolls who came to America in 1927, and who now lives at Morrill Hall in Lincoln, Nebraska. Hazel is a 12 inch BJD made by Connie Lowe. She accompanied me on my trip to take my mom to visit her sisters. Hazel had bundles of fun, but the highlight (aside from getting the four sisters together after 15 years!) was getting to spend time with Miss Mie, who was, unexpected to us, on display!
University of Nebraska Lincoln Campus
Ice cream made at the U of N dairy store.
The story of the Japanese Friendship or Ambassador Dolls is amazing. The many photos that I took of this exhibit will go a long way for showing the story.
This is a miniature tea set that belongs to Miss Mie.
The artistry of creating these elegant dolls is evident in every part of their construction, including their face sculpting and painting, their elaborate furisode kimono, and their dainty accessories.
Hazel Katerina had an amazing summer holiday traveling to Nebraska. She was so pleased to visit with Miss Mie, and is happy to share this visit with you. May your summer hold happy surprises.
Stella Julianna was thrilled with her new feed sack border print dress, and with her car trip in July over the Coastal Range mountains in Oregon, where she enjoyed wild daisies, foxgloves, and plenty of sunshine.
Summer had been a fun time for Stella Julianna. Even though she didn’t get to fly on a plane like Miss Ruby did a few years ago, she did get to go on some car trips with Mamma Jennie.
When they arrived at Oceanside Beach, she played in the sand and let the waves wash over her feet all the day . . .
. . . until the salty sea breeze and the shushing sound of the waves on the sand made her sleepy. She slept in the car all the way home.
Then, at the end of summer, she went camping at Ohanapecosh near Mt. Rainier. The trees were lovely, fragrant and green. Not one bear visited their campsite, and she wasn’t at all scared of sleeping in the tent with Mamma there.
Stella Julianna likes to read.
After the summer, things became quiet at home. Stella Julianna liked reading, but sometimes she got lonely in the doll’s room in her home with Mamma. All of the antique dolls that lived there too were nice and friendly, but they just weren’t as young and vigorous as she was. Miss Ruby liked to play with Little Davie on their chair, or to stitch her sampler. It was especially lonely now that there were no more summer trips in the car, and Mamma Jennie was away at her new job all day with the hazelnuts. Stella Julianna pretended that she had a friend to run and play with like Peter Rabbit and Benjamin Bunny, or like Raggedy Ann and Andy. Her imaginary friend was smaller than her, and she had red pigtails and freckles. Sometimes she got such a determined look on her face that dimples appeared in her cheeks.
What could be in here?
One day, a mysterious box arrived on the doorstep. Mamma Jennie brought it in and set it on the bed. Stella Julianna was curious and excited. There seemed to be a magical tingling about the box.
It’s like a bedroll in here.
The box was opened and sparkles seemed to drift upward into the air . . .
Ooohhh–A little girl!
And just look who emerged from her long travel slumber in the bedroll–
It’s my imaginary friend! She’s real!
This giraffe is for you, Little Hazel. I got a giraffe when I first came to live here.
Little Hazel woke up and climbed out of her travel berth. She said, “Hello. I’m Hazel Katerina, and I’ve come from our creator mother in the Carolinas to live with you and keep you company.
Hazel Katerina looked all around the doll’s room which would be her new home. Then she looked at Stella Julianna and smiled with her big dimples. “You can call me Hazel Katkin, if you want to.”
Wanna play? Where’s your giraffe?
Stella Julianna knew with certainty that she would not be lonely that Autumn with her real imaginary friend, Hazel Katkin, there with her.
Weeee!
In fact, the very next day, when Mamma Jennie brought in the plants for the cold winter months ahead, Stella Julianna and Hazel Katkin went tree climbing on the dragon tree.
Serendipity was in the air along with the magical sparkles. Hazel was named by her creator mother, Connie Lowe. Just before she came to live with Mamma Jennie, Jennie started a new job which is focused on Oregon hazelnuts!
Hazel’s calling card
With this kind of magic and serendipity in the Autumn air, who knows what might happen by Yule time!
Hazelnuts in their bonnets in the Autumn
Hazel catkins appear on trees in late winter. This lovely image is by Ian Grainger.
Bathing Beauties: Four Baderkinder or Frozen Charlottes/Charlies enjoy their bubbles. The tallest doll in the tub is 6 inches.
A most endearing type of antique china doll are those known as Frozen Charlottes or Frozen Charlies. These dolls, which are all stationary or “frozen,” range in size from less than an inch to 16 inches or more. Some dealers will list a doll with moveable arms, usually wired, as a frozen; however, this type is not truly a frozen doll, but an all-bisque (as they tend to be bisque, and not china) if they have moveable wired-on arms. Another variable is the country of origin for these dolls. The older antiques were made in Germany, and there are vintage frozen dolls that were made in Japan. The dolls from the respective countries of origin have their own distinctive “look.”
This 3 ½” 1930’s “Made in Japan” doll is missing her arms which would be attached with wires. Because she had moveable arms, she is not technically a “Frozen Charlotte,” but rather an all-bisque.
German bathing children were made from circa 1850 to circa 1920, and were quite popular during the Victorian era. Most of the German factories that made china doll parts, including A. W. Fr Kister, Kestner, Conta & Boehme, Alt Beck & Gottschalk, Hertwig, and possibly Kloster Veilsdorf, also made the frozen dolls, which they termed “baderkinder,” or bathing children. Some of the dolls are quite recognizable for their factory of origin by their face painting, and some, especially those made later, are poorly painted and cannot be identified. It is possible that Simon & Halbig, more noted for bisque dolls, also made small frozen dolls. The frozen dolls can have bare feet or molded shoes and painted garters, arms raised or to the sides, and they sometimes have an aperture in their head to hold perfume, or a slit to be a coin bank. Some have molded features in their hair such as a colored band or ribbon, or a bonnet. Most are nude, and there are some rare ones with molded gowns, or molded swim trunks for Charlies.
One factory well known for making beautiful china bathing dolls is not among our factories listed for making china doll parts. Goebel made some bisque dolls, and they are known for their large boy bathing dolls with irises painted with spokes around the pupil. These dolls can be all white, white body with flesh tinted head, or all flesh tinted.
This 16 inch Frozen Charlie made by Goebel has a flesh tinted head and a white body. (Pinterest Photo)
The name “Frozen Charlotte” has a rather macabre origin. This name for these dolls originates from American folklore of the early 1840’s with a legend entitled “Fair Charlotte,” and the Poem by Seba Smith, “A Corpse Going to a Ball.” These tell of a young lady called Charlotte who refused to wrap up warmly to go on a sleigh ride in January to a ball because she did not want to cover up her pretty dress. When she arrived at the ball with her fiance, he found her frozen to death. This story was meant to be a cautionary tale against vanity, and it is unclear whether it is based on a true event.
These antique frozen dolls from Joy Harrington’s collection range in size from 2 inches to 7 inches. They may not be vain about their quaint antique clothing, but their humble loveliness has pulled my heartstrings! (Photo above and two below courtesy of Joy Harrington.)
Many of the bathing dolls are glazed on their front sides and have an unglazed backside or derriere with a small hole. This allows them to float front side up and to drain water after the bath. Of coarse these small-to-tiny dolls are fun to dress, too. It is more rare to find these dolls in attractive clothing of the 19th century. Usually they are found nude, in naive child made attire of the early 20th century, and often with broken limbs. Intact dolls with good face painting and original clothing are truly a delight!
Joy Harrington’s little dolls embody older hairstyles, high quality face painting, and endearing clothing.
More of Joy’s little frozen dolls show how 19th century cotton print dresses, and tiny trousers on the boys, can enhance these irresistible child dolls.
I first fell in love with Frozen Charlotte dolls after seeing Penny Hadfield’s article in Antique Doll Collector magazine, September 2015. This was the first time that I had seen the little frozen dolls in such fine quality and unusual variations. I loved the little vignettes she set up with mini tubs and wash basins.
Penny Hadfield’s 2015 article presents a collection of high quality German frozen china dolls.
Though she has some Frozen Charlottes in antique clothing as well, it wasn’t until seeing photos of Joy’s dressed frozen dolls that I decided to try dressing some of my Charlottes and Charlies. Many had been in a little bathtub for a long time, yet they had not wrinkled!
A few of my Frozen Charlottes came in antique clothing, and a few were in rather naive child-made clothing.
These two Frozen Charlottes in my collection are wearing their original antique clothing. The 5¼ inch doll on the left is dressed in blue silk with black lace trim. She has a covered wagon hairstyle, and appears to be made by Kister. The 4¼ inch doll on the left is dressed in cotton batiste with lace. She is wearing her original Victorian woven human hair commemorative cross. Her hairstyle is flat top. She may have been made by Conta & Boehme based on her eye painting with hooded pupils, but her features are too vague to be sure.
This 3½ inch doll with side parted hair, and the 2 inch covered wagon doll came dressed.
All of these dolls except for two are German frozen dolls, or baderkinder. They are picking out antique fabric and trim for their new clothes.
This tiny 5 inch Japanese ichimatsu doll is obviously not a Frozen Charlie. He is wrapped only in his signature paper, and is missing part of his left arm. I love his Taisho era boy’s hairstyle, and his open mouth.
The little ichimatsu doll pictured above has a place in this post for two reasons: First, he is a 19th century doll that was made for the Japanese market, as opposed to the many Japanese bisque dolls that were made for export, as was the all-bisque doll pictured above. Second, I purchased him with no clothing, so I needed to make him a wee kimono. This project of making tiny doll clothing was the perfect time to clothe him.
This tiny yukata (summer cotton kimono), made from a scrap of a worn out vintage yukata, turned out rather well. The obi is made of vintage cotton seam binding.
Here he is with three other small ichimatsu who are dressed in their original kimono. The doll in the back left is wearing a white silk apron in the Japanese style for children of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
And here are my Frozen Dolls after their bath with new clothing made from antique fabric. Beyond the yukata above, I made four dress variations, and the trousers and shirt. Everything is sewn by hand in this tiny size. While the clothing is fairly simple, the tricky part is fitting around limbs that are partly adhered to the body, and fitting for size in this tiny scale. What a creative challenge for those 19th century girls learning to sew for their dolls!
The largest Charlie is modeling his fabric choice, but the costume is not yet sewn. These dolls range in size from 8 inches to 2 inches.
The red dress and the trousers and shirt were made by me of antique fabric. The blue silk dress and the white batiste dress are original to the antique dolls.
The wee crochet dress is one that I purchased along with others at a doll show. It fit this Charlotte perfectly. I clothed the three other dolls here.
The doll on the left in the striped dress is really a Charlie with the Dagmar hairstyle. His dress is removeable so I can put it on another doll and make him boy’s clothes in the future. The doll in yellow is not painted. She was dug up from the factory dumping grounds in Germany. The little girl in purple is in her original child-made dress. The girl in pink has a rare Lydia hairstyle. The doll on the right is a rare one with a molded dress.
Dressing these little dolls was such a fun project for me because I was able to create with, and display on my dolls, some little bits of mostly reclaimed quilt scrap antique 19th century cotton fabrics that had been not very visible in a box.
What a cozy room for these little dolls, and a good use for some of my 1:12 scale furniture that has been stored away.
Bathing dolls, or Frozen Charlottes, are such a fun variation of china dolls to collect, display, and play with. When they are not dressed in antique fabric, or handled only by the china, they are sturdy to handle and move around. Their small size allows for collecting many that take up a small amount of space. With patience and the willingness to pay more for them, some beautiful old and well painted examples can occasionally be found on the market.
The smallest doll can offer infinite delight.
Wishing you joy and delight in your dolls.
Thanks to Joy Harrington for posting photos on FB of her antique dressed frozen dolls so that I could admire them, and study and copy the little fashions.
Two reproduction Lydia china dolls, and one antique, from the author’s collection.
Recently on this blog, I explored the realm of Covered Wagon china dolls and their similar predecessors. Lydia, one of the very earliest china doll hairstyles, predates the Covered Wagon style by five to ten years.
First, it is important to realize that the German factories that originally made the glazed porcelain, or “china” dolls that we so admire as antiques now, did not name the dolls that they made. It was the early collectors of these dolls, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, who gave names to the doll hairstyles as a way of having a vocabulary with which to speak about the dolls with other collectors.
As we saw in my page, “History of China Dolls,” these dolls first began to be mass produced in relatively small numbers in the 1840’s. Another hairstyle that was common during this very early era of china dolls was the bun hairstyle in several variations by the different manufacturers. One china hairstyle that is so rare that I have only seen a photo of it twice is the spaniel ears style. This style combines a cluster of long curls around the face and a bun in back. Spaniel ears was more common on the so-called milliner’s model papier mache dolls that pre-dated the chinas.
This doll from my collection, made by A. W. Fr. Kister, has waved hair covering her ears and a braided bun in back. Circa 1845.
This very early and rare brown haired china lady with spaniel ears hairstyle has long curls in front of her ears and a bun in back. She was sold on Ruby Lane long ago.
The Lydia hairstyle indicates long sausage curls all around the head and reaching the shoulders This hairstyle was popular for older girls and young ladies during the mid-1800’s. The dolls with this hairstyle were being produced from about 1845. They were definitely produced by A. W. Fr. Kister, and probably by Kestner & Co. and by Conta & Boehme as well.
This early Victorian lady wears the Lydia hairstyle. Her dress style indicates late 1840’s to early 1850’s.
This antique Lydia doll sold long ago on Ruby Lane. She may have been made by Conta & Boehme.
This gorgeous child-like antique Lydia doll with brown eyes was sold by Skinner Auctions in 2002 for $7638!
The Lydia china dolls are some of the most rare, being some of the earliest chinas when production was still low compared to that after the 1860’s. By the early 1850’s, the Sophia Smith style was being produced. This style was similar to Lydia, but with shorter ringlets that ended in a ledge above the shoulder. By the mid-1850’s, the covered wagon hairstyle, which had plain ringlets curving into the shape of the head, came into production and were more plentiful than the earlier styles. Finally, by the 1860’s, another hairstyle (not to be confused with the covered wagon), the flat top became the “plain and plentiful” china doll hairstyle.
This back view of a Sophia Smith hairstyle shows the definitive ledge of the bottom of the ringlets which is shorter than the Lydia style.
This covered wagon hairstyle doll from my collection shows how the ringlets curve with the shape of the head without the under-cut ledge.
This china shoulder-head from my collection is a flat top, and has short curls higher up on the face, which a covered wagon doll does not have.
Given that the antique Lydia dolls are so rare to find, and VERY expensive when one does run across them, the reproductions that are somewhat more readily on the market can be rather attractive. I have two reproduction Lydias in my collection now that I am rather happy with.
The doll on the left is incised NMC 1975. She is 16 1/2 inches tall, has dark brown leather arms and cloth feet, brown eyes, and a delicate face. Her complexion is white. The doll on the right is incised 1 Rossi ’81. She is 15 1/2 inches tall, has cupped china hands, flat soled china boots, and grey eyes with a stronger countenance to her face. She is pink tinted. She came dressed in a frilly purple satin dress, and I re-dressed her to my preferred antique cotton.
The two larger reproduction shoulder-heads both have a defined bust. The brown satin late 1840’s style dress on the doll on the left is so pretty and well made especially for this doll that I will not change it–exquisite! My antique Lydia is one of the oldest of this style on a wooden body. She is 9 1/2″ tall with flat red shoes, and the fingers of her right hand form a closed circle. She has been without clothing for a long time, and is glorious in her doll collector pin-up worthy nudity. (I do have a wardrobe planned for her of antique fabric.)
The A. W. Fr. Kister Lydia doll in my collection has her china shoulder-head pegged to her wooden body. Her face has a different shape from the two reproduction dolls above, and her shoulder-plate does not have as defined a bust.
This little Frozen Charlotte china doll in my collection has a Lydia hairstyle.
Lydia hairstyle china dolls are some of the oldest, most beautiful, most sought after, and most expensive of all antique china dolls. They are in the price range of thousands of US dollars. Luckily, there are some nicely made and painted professionally made reproduction Lydia dolls available. When found, they can be purchased for a fraction of the cost of an antique Lydia. When well made and nicely dressed, they blend right in with an antique collection.
A young girl from circa 1850 has a Lydia hairstyle and holds her doll.
Essential oils come in different size bottles. When they are rare and expensive, a smaller bottle is often available.
Miss Jennie had been using essential oils and natural products for oh, so many years. And when she started working at a natural product farm with a gazillion different essential oils, she brought some home and made interesting and wonderful items. Of course Stella Julianna wanted to make something too!
Do I have everything?–a jar of bath salt, a dish of shea butter, a wooden box of calendula petals, a bowl of beeswax pastilles, and a bottle for almond oil.
“What does apoth-the-cary mean?,” she asked Miss Jennie. She learned that a modern apothecary is a supply of essential oils, herbs, waxes, butters, and other natural ingredients, and their organization and storage place. She thought that the colored glass jars, bottles, and crockery were very pretty.
Stella Julianna enjoyed being in the kitchen, and she was glad that there was one just her size.
Stella Julianna thought of all the wonderful things she could make with healing and sweet scented essential oils. She could make bath salts with herbs, shower melts, lip and cheek stain, lotion, hand and lip balm, whipped body butter, soap . . . She decided to make hand and lip balm with shea butter.
The Marklin stove is just what Stella Julianna needs to melt her butters and beeswax.
She needed to gently melt the ingredients to blend the butters and wax. Water in the pot under a glass cup holding the ingredients simmered gently to slowly melt them. Don’t forget to check the water level so it doesn’t simmer dry!
So many scents to choose–one essential oil, or a blend? Almond oil or apricot oil?
Now to choose the scent for the balm. Stella Julianna liked so many of the fragrances. She could use lavender and rosemary, or peppermint, or lemon, or frankincense and sandalwood, or . . . In the end, she chose cinnamon orange, and added a few drops of each to the melted wax. Now to work quickly and carefully, and get the balm into the mold before it firms up.
I made personal size balms in seashell shapes. Mmm! They smell so good, and are soft on my skin.
Stella Julianna was so proud of what she had made. The seashell balms were pretty, useful, healing, and smelled soooo good! She imagined what it would be like to be a green witch and live in a cottage by the edge of the woods. Of course, her cottage with the herbal apothecary in it would have a view of a mountain and lavender fields. Then she could wear a pointed hat like her best friend, Hazel. The kitchen clean-up was so quick that she barely had time to think about the next recipe to make.
Mt. Hood floats above lavender fields, as seen from the Oregon Lavender Farm near Oregon City in June.
Little girls love to feel useful and help in the kitchen, as in this 1930’s farmhouse kitchen.
quintessential antique dolls 