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.
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.
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.
When I buy a doll, it usually entails a project, whether or not I intended to take on more. This is because I am inclined to go for the much played-with and loved dolls, and the inexpensive variety, rather than the more expensive and elusive all-original and never-played-with genre. Such was the case with Indigo, who was a bit of an inadvertent purchase and turned out all for the good.
Indigo’s pre-purchase photo shows the extreme sun fading of her originally deep cornflower blue velvet dress.
Alt, Beck, and Gottschalk (ABG) made two types of teen or young lady dolls with fancy curl hairstyles in the 1870’s and 1880’s. The names that collectors have attributed to these hairstyles are Curly Top and Spill Curl. They were both available in Cafe au Lait or Black color. (Cafe au Lait is a darker blonde than is usually found on antique china dolls, so it is a desirable variation.) I already had Willow Rhaine in Cafe au Lait Curly Top, and Alicia Amber in Cafe au Lait Spill Curl hairstyles.
Willow Rhaine has a lovely plump-cheeked face with ABG’s signature “V” dip in her lip painting, and a fabulous cafe au lait Curly Top hairstyle.
Alicia Amber has the Spill Curl hairstyle in cafe au lait with a black painted headband molded in her hair.
The reason that I bid on this black hair Spill Curl doll is that she was priced low because of her broken and repaired shoulder-plate, and because I didn’t have a black haired variation. Honestly, I didn’t expect to win this auction, and I promptly forgot about my eBay bid, as I found some exciting offerings to consider on Ruby Lane. Therefore, I was surprised when the “You Won This Auction” email showed up in my box. And home she came, faded dress and all.
Alicia Amber and Indigo are both ABG dolls with Spill Curl hairstyles. They have slightly different expessions in their face painting.
Indigo’s lovely velvet dress is just too faded to remain attractive. Notice her adorable sky blue boots with black tassels!
Indigo’s two piece dress is actually quite lovely with a fitted bodice, cuffs on the sleeves, cream lace, jeweled buttons, and hand cross-stitched medallions around the hem of the skirt. I wanted to preserve this dress that was obviously well-made for this doll. I first tried turning the skirt back-to-front, which helped some, since the back was not faded as much, but it didn’t help enough. I talked with a fellow doll collector and seamstress friend about my dilemma, and I asked her opinion about attempting to dye the costume. She recommended using a sponge to dab dye onto the dry dress to avoid the dye bleeding onto the embroidered medallions and lace.
Starting the dye process. I placed a small amount of powdered dye in my glass cup, and added about a third of a cup of hot water, as per the dye instructions. I used a cotton square to dab dye onto the garment.
It took awhile to get this project started since I could not find blue dye in any stores in my area in the Fall or early Winter of 2020. I finally found a dye with the color name of “denim.” I estimate that the project would have taken about a week to complete, allowing time for the fabric to dry as I worked around the skirt and sleeves. However, having started a new job, I only worked on it on weekends, and so it took a month to complete.
I used a cotton swab for the delicate process of dying around the cross-stitch medallions.
Look at the difference in the color! The “denim” dye is not an exact match to the original deep cornflower, yet it is a vast improvement to the gray faded velvet.
Beginning to dye the bodice. Again, there is a vast improvement in the color of the garment.
When I was satisfied with the color all around, I let the garment dry completely. The fabric was stiff in places from the wetting. I used a small fabric brush on the skirt and bodice, which took away any crustiness, softened the velvet, and raised the pile.
Indigo is quite pleased with her restored velvet dress. The cross-stitch medallions show much better now, too.
Although the color is not an exact match, this lovely and unusual china doll now has her tailor-made indigo dress restored to elegance, deserving of her name and prominently setting off the beauty of her unusual hairstyle. I did not over-dye the areas of fabric that retained the cornflower blue color, so the coloring is a bit “patchy,” almost like blue-on-blue tie dye. The presentation of the doll is now admirable.
A happy and well-dressed doll is a joy to behold.
This fashion image from an 1870’s Godey’s Ladies Book features an elegant lady with a hairstyle in the “curly Top” style, just like the china doll of that name.
Cloth dolls have long been known to be the perennial favorites of children through the centuries. Never deeming to boast the beauty and artistry of early manufactured dolls made of wood, papier mache, china, wax, or bisque, they are nevertheless soft, comforting, and companionable to the young child. Eliza Leslie in American Girl’s Book 1831 says, “Linen dolls, when large and properly made, generally afford more pleasure to little children than those of wax, wood or composition [meaning papier mache], as they can be handled and played with freely.”
Even more prosaic are Lina Beard and Adelia Belle Beard in The Original Girl’s Handy Book, first published in 1887:
No such beautiful dolls as delight the hearts of the children of to-day ever peeped forth from the Christmas-stockings of our grandmothers or great-grandmothers when they were little girls. In those times there were not, as there are now, thousands of people doing nothing but making toys for entertainment and pleasure of the little ones, and the motherly little hearts were fain to content themselves with lavishing unlimited affection and care upon a rag, wooden, or corn-husk baby, made and dressed at home. Since then almost every child tired of, and surfeited with handsome and expensive toys, has been glad at times to get grandma to make for her a real old-fashioned dollie which might be hugged in rapturous moments of affection without fear of dislocating some of its numerous joints, or putting out of order its speaking or crying apparatus; and might in times of forgetfulness be dropped on the floor and suffer no injury thereby.
Perhaps you have a child or grandchild who would benefit from a soft doll of huggable proportions. Or perhaps you would like to add a bit of Early American whimsy to your doll collection or home.
Here are my steps for making these dolls:
Gather cotton or linen materials for making a 5″ or 8″ doll. The cotton fabric can be a fabric width of 45″ or so, and may need an insert of soft fabric, such as old flannel, to make the doll full enough. Fold and press under 1/4″ on the top edge for gathering the top of the doll’s head. The arm strips are about 3″ and 2″ for the two sizes of doll.
Roll the body fabric, keeping the top edge even. You may fold the fabric in half before rolling. Leave the outside edge longer, as the fabric will bunch a bit in the roll.
Remember to wax your thread before sewing. This helps it to pull through the fabric smoothly, and avoids tangles.
Sew the seam half way down the body from the head to the waist. Gather and sew the top of the head tightly. Wrap the waist tightly with a thread and tie off. I could not get my dolls to spread much from the waist down.
The dress is just a tube with a seam in back, hemmed, and the neck gathered in. You can sew the dress by machine or by hand. I sewed my dolls all by hand. Here are the even cartridge pleats going into the dress neckline.
The arms are rolled and the side seam sewn; then the end is tucked in and sewn shut for the hand. The arm is sewn into the gathered sleeve at the top, then sewn over the dress without making an armhole.
I drew a cheerful pencil face on my 8″ doll. I gave her a simple one-piece bonnet and a pinafore apron that is tacked on at breast and waist.
The 5″ doll does not have a face or a bonnet.
The antique doll on the left is circa late 19th to early 20th century. She has a faded pencil drawn face. Her arms are sewn to her body, her dress has real sleeves that fit over her arms, and it is removable, but sewn together in back.
The antique doll has split and sewn legs. She is made of a soft cotton waffle weave fabric with a muslin mask head. My doll is the roll all the way down. She has an antique collar half with tatting lace pinned on for a petticoat.
I hope that you will be brave and ambitious enough to make a rolled cloth doll or two of your own from the minimal instructions listed here and in The American Girl’s Book 1831. Or perhaps you can find a copy of Early American Life containing Paula Walton’s more detailed instructions. This simple doll of rustic charm is well worth the effort!
It had been ever so long since Stella Julianna had been outside. She took her pet chick out to play in the grass, taking a leash in case she lost track in daydreams, as she was wont to do.
The warm sun and a soft cool breeze were just right to get her thoughts flowing. “I wonder where this little breeze sails off to when it blows away from here. . . And where else does the sunshine touch.”
“This grass is so green. Could it really be greener on the other side?”
“If I climb this towering wall, will I find the wide, wide, wonders of the world?” All the places we didn’t go this summer? Maybe I’ll find my Great Aunties in Nebraska, or my cousins in Connecticut. Maybe the ship is waiting to take us on our Alaskan cruise, or an airship to take us to Inverness, or even Santorini.”
When the sun began to lower toward the western horizon, and the shadows made a comfortable gloaming in the bedroom, Stella Julianna yawned and put on her new rag-bag nightgown.
She hoped that her night dreams would be as interesting as her daydreams were.
And a story before bed is always welcome. Sweet dreams and sleep tight. (I can say that because my bed is a rope bed that needs tightening!)
This is a late 19th century rag doll with an embroidered face. Her clothing was surly rag bag findings.
The origins of the rag bag are obscured in the depths of history. In the 18th and 19th centuries, women saved wool scraps, often from their own spinning and weaving, to trade when the tin peddler came around. He used the wool rags in his work of fashioning his tin wares to sell. Yet we can also be sure that many a mother made use of her stash of fabric scraps (especially those charming cotton muslins and prints) to make a rag doll or two for her children when no other resources were available, and she could not possibly spend money on a store bought doll. Of course the rag bag was also the source of many of the interesting patchwork quilts of the 18th and 19th centuries. Many a little girl made use of this resource as well, to make a doll–perhaps a rolled doll–for herself or a sister, and to make clothing for the dolls. The results could be surprisingly satisfactory (to us looking back from the 21st century) when girls of the past were taught to sew a straight seam by hand by age five.
19th century nine patch quilt with early rag bag gleaned fabrics.
My grandmothers most likely had rag bags, though I never had access to theirs–what vintage fabrics I could have found! My mother had a rag bag that I did raid to make clothing for my little dolls. Now I have a rag bag (or two or three) of my own that I sometimes supplement with promising garments of interesting fabrics from thrift stores.
Stella Julianna’s new summer nightgown was made from a full size family garment that had worn beyond wearability, yet still had areas of good fabric. By creatively choosing the cutting layout, I was able to use decorative elements of the former garment, such as the front placket and ruffle edging, in the doll gown without the extended work of making them from scratch. And there is enough fabric to clothe another doll or two!
This vintage photo of my first son shows him attired in a sleep romper I made for him to stay comfortable in the warm summer climate on Okinawa. The romper was made from a rag bag find–his grandpa’s cast-off pajama bottoms. The cuffs of the original garment were used for the new garment pant bottoms.
This is the perfect time to stay indoors to get creative with your (or your grandmother’s) rag bag. Or, take your gleanings out under the trees and start stitching. Happy sewing!
I like living here with Mama. I wonder what I will get to do next.
Stella Julianna glanced up from reading her book, Heather Bells. She was contemplating her cozy life since she came to live with her Mama, Miss Jennie. Many days, she played and daydreamed by herself. She had toys and books just her size, and she loved snuggling and pretending with the soft animals, especially her giraffe and the very soft lamb. She also liked listening to stories from the antique dolls. Miss Ruby always had a tale about her adventures in New England last summer, and the older dolls reverently told about long-ago times when they lived with little girls who were all grown up and gone away now.
I was SO excited to go on this special doll outing with Mama!
Then there were the special times with Mama! Julianna knew that she wouldn’t catch a wink of sleep the night before the Portland Doll and Teddy Bear Show in January! She just knew there would be lots of things for her to look at there. When the day came, she had ever so much fun! She was admired by many people there, and even tried on a dress to help the mama of another Stella who hadn’t come to the show. With Mama’s help, she found a sweet felt dolly for herself, hats, and oh, so many dresses!
My felt dolly is just the right vintage for me! (1930’s) And looky my new clothes and hats! A polka dot party dress, a shamrock dress, a summer dress, a flannel nightgown, and even fancy dresses!
When she came home, Stella Julianna dreamed of lavender scented summer breezes when she could wear her new “Patsy” dress from the 1930’s, and play with the ducklings as they waddled over the lawn from their nearby pond.
Will everyone think I’m a china lady too?
While the weather was cold and rainy, Stella Julianna played fancy dress with her growing wardrobe.
Mama brought me this one from Hawaii before I came to live here. She must think I’m Miss Coconut Queen. But I’m really a mermaid!
This dress is much more comfortable. All it needs is a blue ribbon belt. (Hear that Mama?) Now, what to do–work or play? Oh! I know! Laundry can wait for nice weather. I’m playing Noah’s Ark!
Springtime came before she could say “Spring Freshet on Plum Creek,” and Julianna was wearing her pretty floral “Patsy” dress, admiring the Bleeding Hearts.
Going barefoot is the best!–and my lamb really IS the softest of all.
All summer long, Stella Julianna played and daydreamed. She hoped that she would get to travel soon, like Miss Ruby did. Mama told her that maybe when the next winter was over, a trip would present itself. Then, the days began to shorten, and the nights became deliciously cool for blankets on the bed again. Mama told Julianna it was time to make her a new Autumn dress.
Mama thought I would pick the blue flowers on the feedsack fabric, but I surprised her! I want the green with bright bits fabric! The purple flowers fabric behind me is the Gibson Girl blouse Mama is making for herself, but she stopped on it to make my new dress for Autumn.
The first thing was to sew new stockings. I got two new pair–red for the Autumn Jumper, and blue stripes for another time. Which do you like best?
My small clothes are all finished. Thank you Holly Hobbie for sharing your pattern–only a few alterations were needed. Next comes the fun part–the jumper!
Isn’t it just splendid! Even a beret with an antique green thistle button!
The back of me shows my matching hair bow. Of course you know, every Stella dress needs a hair bow.
Now that Stella Julianna had a warm and comfortable jumper for autumn, she could settle into the cozy indoors for her lessons.
Mama thinks I can learn better at home, and I’m glad because I like it here best of all. I will study reading, writing, arithmetic, science, geography, history, cultures, ecology, art, music, poetry, spirituality, and handicrafts . . . Oh, so many things to learn about! I like best when I can curl up with a cup of cambric tea and my favorite Laura Ingalls or Beatrix Potter book.
Julianna was glad to have so many things to learn about, and a new jumper to wear while learning. She hoped that there would be new discoveries, and maybe even travels, to tell about soon.
Last spring I was fortunate to attend a Luncheon in Junction City Oregon with a presentation on wooden dolls. This luncheon had quite a large selection of “Helpers,” or dolls and related items for raffle. Attendees could purchase raffle tickets and place their tickets in the bag next to items they hoped to win.
The “Helpers” that I won at the Wooden Doll Luncheon
Almost embarassingly, I won several items for which I had placed only one ticket in the bag! However, I did win one doll for whom I had placed half a dozen tickets–a hand carved wooden doll from Europe.
This 12 3/4″ doll is marked on the back in ink with the artist’s initials and the date, 2001. She is reputed to have been bought by Barb Hilliker, the Bleuette doll expert and author, while on a trip to Europe. She was donated as a “helper” by Annie Roupe. It does amaze me the experiences my dolls have had before they come to live with me!
This doll has marvelous carved details in her face, hair, hands, and even a carved chemise neckline. As with many of the dolls who come my way, she came with no clothes. Her upper arms are made of coarse muslin fabric, and are not stuffed.
Since she is a girl of the Netherlands, I wanted to dress her appropriately. I am not too familiar with traditional Dutch costume beyond the wooden shoes and the cap with pointed ends, so research was needed. I found these images that inspired my doll’s costume:
My Dutch girl now has doll-sized greeting cards that I made with these images to carry with her so that she can reminisce about her origins.
The costume that I made consists of six pieces of clothing, mostly made from small fabric remnants. The drawers and slip are of unbleached muslin. No blouse with sleeves was needed because the doll’s arms are made of muslin. Therefore, I made a sleeveless full slip rather than a petticoat. The skirt is lightweight denim. The bright red bodice is lined with the striped fabric that makes the top part of the apron. The stripes and patches on the apron are similar to those in two of the vintage images above. In one image above, the young girl has a lace apron, and she is holding a doll. She is dressed for indoors, and appears to be wealthy. My doll is a working girl and carries a basket with a (Japanese) clay fish, similar to the last vintage image. However, she does have lace on her bonnet, which is made from an antique fabric remnant that had the lace on it already.
For me, making this Dutch costume for an almost vintage hand carved doll was something different from making a 19th century dress for a German doll. It may not be completely authentic, yet I am quite happy with the regional quality that it evokes. And this fine, hard working young lady can be proud to stand on display fully clothed in the Dutch fashion.
This Dutch kindje is certainly nobility with her rich dress and delicate poppet.
Author’s restored and dressed King shoulder-head doll
One of the most delightful simple pleasures for me is the creative act of restoring and dressing a dilapidated antique doll, and then basking in her new countenance. This is the story of the re-creation of Jasper Anne, a little Kling shoulder-head doll.
Mary Krombholz, the definitive authority on Thuringian porcelain factories that made china dolls, tells us that “The C.F. Kling & Co. porcelain factory made porcelain products in the Thuringian [Germany] town of Ohrdruf from its founding in 1834 until the early 1950s.” The production of dolls by this firm probably began in the 1850s with bald head glazed porcelain dolls. “From the simple bald heads made in the 1850s, the Kling factory artists designed a group of shoulder heads with elaborately decorated hairstyles and shoulderplates that are unequalled in modeling and facial painting.”
Page 206, 207 from Mary Krombholz’ book, A Pictorial Reference Guide for German Chinas, illustrates the two Kling dolls in my collection on the lower right.
By the late 1860’s Kling was making Parian shoulder heads that were worthy of display in any fine Victorian home; however, the dolls were intended as toys for children. (Note, a Parian doll is not from Paris, rather is so named because the porcelain is very white like Paris clay. The porcelain on Parian dolls is not glazed, as it is for china dolls.) Kling continued to develop the style of their shoulder heads, following current fashion, and by the 1880s they were making black and blonde haired Kinderkopf, or child dolls, as modeled in these two dolls in my collection. Kling also made bisque dolls (unglazed flesh colored porcelain) with glass eyes, yet the facial painting is consistent through all of these doll variations.
I currently have two Kling china dolls in my collection. They portray the Kling painting style of almond shaped eyes with large round irises. The lips are heart shaped on top, but unlike Hertwig dolls, the lower lip is a half-circle rather than an elongated oval, and has an accent line the same color as the lip paint.
My little Jasper Anne, the black haired Kling, started out as two parts. The factory made body, that had seen much play and child-made repairs, was found at the very end of a Portland Doll Show, hidden in a box on the floor, years ago. I liked its folky charm, and purchased it for next-to-nothing. I purchased the shoulder-head on eBay several years later, as I sought to add a Kling doll to my collection. The face has firing “pepper spots” which look like uneven freckles. I thought the doll would be a boy, and I named him Jasper.
Kling china with pepper spots. Author’s collection
The doll parts in process of restoration. The right leg has been re-covered in muslin to stop the sawdust leakage.
Eventually I realized that this shoulder-head and body needed to go together. The body had no arms and was leaking sawdust at the child-made repairs on the legs, and through the original dark brown, coarsly woven, fabric of the lower legs. It took me another year to find the appropriate arms to complete the body. I gently removed the old repairs which were made with wool yarn and bits of homespun fabric, then re-covered the original brown lower legs with muslin. I re-incorporated the dark yarn and homespun fabric in the repair to keep its authenticity. After making muslin upper arms and filling them with sawdust, I attached them across the shoulders, and then put the shoulder-head on the body, sewing it in place under the shoulder tabs.
The back of the restored body showing the wool yarn and homespun fabric from the original child-made repairs. Jasper Anne is wearing her new felt boots in this photo.
Next came designing the costume. I wanted it to retain the “play doll” flavor, and to have a pastoral charm. I chose a piece of fine antique knitted lace to edge the petticoat, which is attached to a bodice rather than a waistband. I did not make drawers since the body incorporates lace at the bottom of the upper legs, as seen in the above photo. I added burgundy ribbon beading in the lace of the petticoat to match the dress. The lace on the petticoat makes it a little too fine for play, but what a lovely effect, and after all it is protected with her pinafore.
Jasper Anne in her new petticoat with antique knitted lace. She is just shy of 9″ tall.
The dress is made of burgundy linen with a cotton calico pinafore. Sewing techniques included machine and hand stitching.
The linen bodice is lined with the calico print. Setting the sleeve in the armhole was a careful proceedure, and it was hand-sewn in place. The length of the finished sleeve is just 3″.
The dark burgundy linen dress works well with Jasper Anne’s bright face painting. The bobbin lace (I think) on her cuffs echos the petticoat lace and is set off by the dark dress, which has two “growth tucks” above the hem.
The pinafore was based on an antique style which had red embroidery worked on white fabric. I hand-drafted the pattern based on the photo of the antique pinafore, and hand stitched all the way around to finish the edges.
Next came a bonnet in a Kate Greenway style to coordinate with the dress and pinafore. I used a little antique Staffordshire dish as a template for the circle of the bonnet crown.
Finally, to complete the outdoor ensemble, Jasper Anne needed boots for her muslin feet. Again, I hand drafted the shape for the wool felt boots. Her feet are stub shaped, so no sole was needed.
The boots have glass bead buttons, and the bonnet ties with a silk ribbon.
All of the garments fasten with metal snaps, and glass and mother of pearl buttons were added to finish the outfit.
Jasper Anne is completely clothed and ready to play on the prairie or walk to town.
From conception to finished doll, this project took me close to two years, including much wait time between finding parts, gathering materials, and the calling of life’s necessities. Jasper Anne is another example of how a lovely antique doll can be restored and created from inexpensive parts to become a true simple delight.
Reference:
Krombholz, Mary Gorham. A Pictorial Reference Guide for German Chinas, 2009.
Although an antique doll who comes to us often feels private and personal, we know that our antique dolls and their clothing have a history of their own. To have provenance for a doll is a wonderful validation of her place of origin and her people who came before us. Many dolls that come to us from “The Market” do not come with provenance. Below is my creative imagining for how this wax head doll, who I have named Hannah Lavender, came to her family of origin, and how she had her wardrobe bestowed upon her:
Antique Regency Era Fine Muslin Dress. Notice the diamond shaped back panel.
April, 1811: It is in this month that I, Eleanor Rose, reach my 16th year. I have received an invitation to the ball to be held at Dawlish next month. I am admonished to keep my deportment demur, tho I must confess here that I am quite overcome with excitement! MaMa has orderd muslin from London. My new gown is to be the latest cut with high waist, tiny puff sleeves, and narrow skirts.
Late April, 1811: My new gown is ready! The muslin is of pale lavender patterned in circlets. The sleeves and bodice seams are set with tiny piping, and there are self fabric bands accenting the hem. How the muslin does flow when I walk and dance! MaMa has saved some nice lavender sprigs to accent my hair, and I am to wear her amethyst necklace and earrings. The ball is Saturday next!
Oh what airey muslin!
May 1811: The Dawlish ball was just the most gay affair! Ever so many ladies turned out in the palest muslin gowns, though mine was not to be bested. I was introduced to Mr. Adam Fletcher, a most amiable dance partner. He attended on me often during the evening and arranged to be seated at my side for the banquet. He is to call on us tomorrow. My heart is aflutter!
A spencer jacket and lovey embroidery.
June, 1817: Our dearest baby girl, Juliet Henrietta, arrived this month–the very month that my Mr. Fletcher and I were wed these five years gone. Charles and Hudson are lovely energetic boys yet I am delighted to have a girl child to dote upon.
January, 1823: Christmas was a fine celebration this year. Charles received a bow with arrows and Hudson has a fine set of soldiers. Juliet was delighted with her wooden doll with black curls on each side of her face. Adam also brought her a wee set of tea dishes made in the Staffordshire district. We all delighted in the artistry of the blue painting on the pot and tiny cups. They will be kept back for Sunday play until Juliet is old enough to care for them properly. We will keep occupied these cold rainy days in making petticoats and frocks from pickings out of the rag bag for the new poppet.
Early 19th century attire for well-to-do children
October, 1847: Our Juliet has given us a granddaughter. Praise God, the child is born alive and is thriving. She is christened Louisa Elizabeth. Master Graham, being nine years her senior will not be of an age for her playmate. He will soon be learning the estate.
October, 1856: Louisa is quite the young lady. Adam, the ever doting Grand PaPa presented her with the most lovely wax head doll for her birthday. The doll has curls of real auburn hair and blue glass eyes. She is of a likeness to Louisa. I took my old muslin dress that I wore when I first was introduced to Adam from the rag pile. There is enough good material to make a play frock with a yoke for Louisa and a dress with tiny white braid trim for the doll. Louisa has named her doll Hannah.
Mid 19th century child dress with wide neckline and puff sleeves.
June, 1870: Some days my tired old bones do not allow me to walk down the stairs. Today Louisa came up to sit with me. She is quite the fashionable lady now, and is skilled at copying the latest Paris designs. She learned sewing making simple frocks for her wax doll. She brought that old doll up to show me with a new frock she had created with remnants. It is fashioned of bright red strips with gold tinsel woven in the fabric. The little frock has a low waist and a nicely fashioned coat. I must say, it lacks the elegance and flow of my old lavender muslin dance dress. I wonder what ever became of Juliet’s wooden doll with the black curls . . .
This is how the wax head doll appeared on the sales table in Portland, August 2015. Everyone, including me, noticed the lovely and demure muslin dress before noticing the doll to whom it belonged!
Again, the above journal is a fictional account. Yet it is an apt provenance for a lovely little doll and her varied wardrobe.
Hannah Lavender is 14.5″ tall. She has a shoulder-head attached to a cloth body with possibly papier mache arms and legs with bare feet. Her limbs are smoothy painted or gessoed. She has blue glass stationary eyes and soft mohair auburn hair with bangs. I believe that she is English.
Dating wax dolls is not easy because they are rarely marked. This little girl seems to be from the mid 1800’s. A post by Dolls By Diane, Complete History of Wax Dolls, gives good information on this type of antique doll.
The lavender muslin dress seems to be the earliest style in the wardrobe , possibly dating circa 1850, while the red dress with the drop waist, pleated back, and longer jacket is an 1870’s to 1880’s style.
The lavender muslin dress, which is the highlight of Hannah Lavender’s wardrobe, is a lovely creation in its modesty, even though the red dress is more showy. Muslin is a plain weave fabric which originated in cotton in the Middle East and was imported to England from India. It was a favored dress fabric in the early to mid 19th century in gauzy weave of pale pastel colors. Jane Austen’s Mr. Tilney knew all about fine muslin–his sister wore only white muslin dresses. Today, we know muslin more readily in a denser weave of bleached or unbleached serviceable material that was used for backing quilts and making sheets, curtains, aprons, nightgowns, and undergarments.
This photo shows the reverse side of the dress with the cartridge pleats at the waist. You can also see the ties that fasten the dress at the back neckline. All is hand sewn.
The hem is reinforced with a denser cotton which gives the dress more body to hold its flared skirt. This is different from the airy flowing Regency styles shown above.
Here is the condition of the dress when I received it, after a light laundering. The hem is adorned with two self fabric bias cut bands edged with tiny white braid at the top of each band. Some of the thread holding the bands in place has rotted away, leaving the bands loose and with frayed edges.
A close-up shows the delicate print of white circles on the pale lavender muslin. It is faded with a few sections showing more color. The top band is newly sewn while the bottom band is tacked in place with pins to position it for hand sewing.
Hannah Lavender’s wardrobe consists of the featured red dress and lavender muslin dress. She wears a knee-length chemise and ankle-length split drawers under her muslin dress. There is also a cream wool narrow petticoat with a cotton waistband, two coarser made short dresses (one in off-white with black velvet bands at the hem, one in pink with white stripes) and a soft muslin nightgown with a pink satin ribbon. She also has a straw bonnet with blue silk lining, which is cracked at the brim. The added brown velvet cap with red flowers compliments the red dress.
Hannah Lavender is sweet and demure with her freshly mended dress. Though stable, the crack in the wax on her forehead is evidence of her age and endurance.
Finding an antique doll with her original wardrobe is exciting! Some dolls had several dresses and accompanying clothing made within a few years as their young mistresses learned sewing skills. Other dolls, as seems to be the case with Hannah Lavender, had clothing evidencing styles from a wider span of years and sewing skill level. The styles and construction are indeed a delight to behold, learn from, and speculate about.
quintessential antique dolls 