Braids, Ribbons, and Buttons: Clothing a China Doll for Success

Proudly displaying her third place white ribbon

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 European Enigma: Restoring an Antique Parian Doll

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.

The August Dolls

Along with Augusta, these four dolls came home with me from the Portland Doll Show on August 20th.

Some seasons, at the semi-annual Portland Crossroads Doll & Teddy Bear Show & Sale, I find  my bag filling up with every manner of doll accessory. Doll clothing–ranging from late-1800’s to modern–abound, and one can spend hours rummaging through the dollar bins, sometimes to fair advantage. I come away from this show with crocheted items, chairs, mini books, little old tea cups, old leather shoes, fabrics and laces, teeny cards of buttons, and teddy bears. Sometimes after hours of wandering and choosing, I realize that I have not bought a doll. But not this time!

An enigma–a Hertwig (ABG?) Currier & Ives doll, and a Kister doll with very curly hair.

These two 20″ tall chinas found their way into my bag early in the morning. The first girl, on the left, is a Currier and Ives hair style. She has tendrils of hair falling onto her neck all the way around, and her ears are exposed. This girl, who I have named Clara, has all the characteristics of a doll made by the Hertwig factory. She has long single stroke eyebrows that almost wrap around her eyes, which are not outlined or highlighted, and the pupils gaze upward. She has a pursed heart-shaped mouth, and a large incised size number “6” on the back of her shoulder plate. And finally, she has the quintessential Hertwig lower legs with horizontal ribs and short brown boots. Her cloth body appears to be original.

I have not previously researched Currier & Ives dolls, and now, after looking her up in Mary Gorham Krombholz’s book, A Pictorial Reference Guide for German Chinas, I have conflicting information. The Currier & Ives doll in the book is in the Alt, Beck, & Gotschalk chapter; however, she defies Mary’s criteria for ABG dolls. She is a large doll and does NOT have eye accent dots or outlines, and she does not have the darker lip accent line or the V dip in her lips. Furthermore, ABG made the Spill Curls doll at about the same time (1870’s to 1880’s) which is a very similar style to the Currier & Ives doll, and is undeniably from ABG. The Currier & Ives doll has face painting that fits all the criteria for Hertwig dolls, she has the large size number incize mark on the back of her shoulder plate, and my doll, Clara, has a body with unglazed porcelain arms and Hertwig type ribbed legs with brown boots rather than ABG type C-cup hands and black heeled boots with the V-shaped top. She looks different from my other ABG dolls. Therefore, in my opinion, the Currier & Ives doll is a Hertwig factory doll, and not an ABG doll. I welcome further comentary on this issue!

An Alt, Beck, & Gottschalk china doll with the Spill Curl hair style is shown on the right. This doll is clearly from the ABG factory and is similar to the Currier & Ives hair style doll on the left. Note the similarities and difference in the face painting.

 

Clara came dressed in split drawers and a lace petticoat. The red cotton dress with feather stitched embroidery was one of those endearing finds in a pile of newer baby doll clothing. It is a perfect young girl’s dress for this doll, and layers nicely with her petticoat. (A child of this late 1800’s period would wear a shorter knee length dress, and not a full length petticoat. However, I think Clara should get to keep the clothing that she brought with her.)

The Currier and Ives doll, Clara, shows off her Hertwig ribbed limbs with brown boots.

Even the lady dolls enjoy a bottle of Maryhill wine!

This lady china doll has an unusual curly hairstyle that is similar to, but is not, a flat top style. Her hair, with comb marks in the back, falls smooth to her ear level, then ends in tight round curls all around. It is this unusual hairstyle that recommends her. She has the facial features of a doll made by the A. W. Fr. Kister factory with straight single stroke brows, eyes that are not highlighted or outlined, and an upper lip with low, far-spaced peaks. This doll has a professionally rebuilt shoulder plate and a new made body with cloth feet and newer unglazed porcelain lady’s lower arms. She came unclothed. She currently has no small cloths, and is wearing an antique silk gold and honey striped wrapper dress. I bought this dress to try and clothe Miss Bettina or Edith of the white chemises and petticoats in the doll’s house bedroom, but this dress’s sleeves are too narrow for those dolls. This new curly headed doll has narrower arms, and the dress fits her fairly well.

Bessie greets the Hertwig twins in the child-sized Seth Tudor chair. She is thinking about pushing the twins out of the chair so she can try it–just her size!

The smaller blonde china is without a doubt a Hertwig lowbrow doll. At 12 1/2″ tall, Bessie is just right to be a child in the doll’s house. She has nice quality china arms and smooth (not ribbed) china legs with black boots and blue painted bows. Bessie came dressed in a nice lace trimmed pinnafore style petticoat and tucked drawers.

Bessie is delighted with the ABC blocks, the story books, and the wee china doll that are now her toys! The lady doll is an ABG curly top hairstyle in the Cafe Au Laite color. She has brown leather arms, blue leather boots, and is wearing an 1880’s polonaise style antique dress with a new underskirt.

The smallest all-bisque doll is also a Hertwig. At 6″ tall, Chelsea has nicely molded features with crisp curls, comb marks in her yellow hair, and detailed hands with molded knuckle dimples and fingernails. She wears a molded camisole and drawers with blue trim and blue bows at her knees above her bare feet. Her legs were un-strung when I got her, and the edges of them are chipped at the hip. I kept the narrow elastic cording that had been used to string her, but added china buttons to keep the knots from pulling through the holes again. Her arms have the original wire armature. She fits nicely as an infant in the Breton cradle in the doll’s bedroom.

Augusta is all freshened up with a new place to sit on a small Windsor sewing rocker with an age appropriate quilt remnant.

I was content with my china and bisque doll finds this time, and was wandering around, peeking at my favorite booths and looking into all the corners. Then, Gussie just sort of leaped into my arms later in the day. Although I had been looking at Greiner dolls for a number of years, I was not intending to buy another doll this day. She was the right doll at a very good price, though she was a shoe-less waif with a dusty dress when I found her.

Here is Gussie all ready for bed in a night dress made of 19th century pink calico. (It is quite long and was most likely made for a baby.) She didn’t want to give up her new shoes (found at the doll show just for her) while she waited for her dress to dry from its’ laundering.

 

Undies all freshened up and a good look at her mid 19th century cloth body.

German born Ludwig Greiner came to the United States in the 1830’s, settling in Philadelphia. He made papier mache dolls and patented his process of reinforcing the papier mache with cloth. The patent label reads, GREINER’S IMPROVED PATENT HEADS Pat. March 30th ‘58. Some pre-patent Greiner dolls have glass eyes, and there are variations in the hair styles, though all the Greiner dolls have a distinctive look. Gussie is 26″ tall with a cloth body and legs, and dark brown leather lower arms and hands. She has black hair and dark blue painted eyes.

Augusta’s patent label, glued on the back of her shoulder plate.

A linen petticoat.

China and glass buttons all down the back, including the blue ringer on the petticoat just visible at the bottom of the photo. The cotton dress is gorgeous, but is in frail condition.

Freshly dressed in her deep burgundy dress with gold floral print, “new” old kid leather shoes, and a golden real sanddollar pendant.

Antique photograph of a little girl holding a Greiner doll with dark leather arms.

We’re wishing all of you all the joys of poking around, viewing, and purchasing at your favorite antique show or rummage sale. Take joy!

Golden August Days

 

My newest charmer, Augusta, is a Greiner paper mache doll.

In the turning of the days for my family, it is August that routinely brings us fun outings. There is the Aurora Colony Days festival, followed by the Portland Doll Show, with the Oregon City Antique Fair bringing up the rear. And this year our August events were led by a wedding! My youngest son, Jeremiah, married his long time friend and sweetheart, Jazmyne.

Jeremiah’s first dance with his new bride in a sun-gold haze.

A formal occaision! Me with Jeremiah and Jonathan. Unfortunately, middle son Alex was not able to be there.

Our path to the wedding, which was held in the Yakima Valley, Washington, led us through Goldendale where I stopped for wine at the Maryhill Winery, my favorite!

Showing off one of my bottles, along with the Columbia River Gorge-eous view.

The very next weekend we went south of the mighty Columbia to the Pudding River and antiques at Aurora.

I resisted the urge and didn’t buy any chairs this time, though these caught my eye.

Artful displays of glass always catch my attention too. A few of these “sun purple” sherbets did come home with me.

A Victorian curved glass side by side secretary has been on my wish list for many, many years. This one is small enough to fit in my available space, and as a “shabby chic” renovation, it fit my budget–yes, the $1400 ones are still lovely to look at and dream about. I forgot to photograph this one before it left the shop. It was hard to photograph in its new little location. I already love it as my new best protected doll display place!

The next event, the Portland Doll Show did not fail to delight!

These three mid-19th century papier mache ladies were some of the first dolls to greet me.

A Martha Chase boy dressed in lace with a wee bisque companion was also a charmer.

Brighde goes for more modern dolls. She thought this huge brunette girl could be her daughter, and she would have liked to bring her home. (We didn’t.)

Several china dolls and an all-bisque little girl came home with me.

Then, Gussie sort of leaped into my arms later in the day.

I will tell you all about these dolls in my next post very soon.

After attending two other antique and doll events in close succession in August, I don’t often find much at the Oregon City Antique Fair, but I do usually find something unique. This time I found these vintage Japanese kimono remnants for doll sewing, and an oval framed old photograph of two girls dressed in Edwardian white; one holding a bisque doll.

 

 

May all of your August days be golden.

A Long Regard for Small Things

Karen with the bedroom furniture. 2014

As long as I can remember, I have had a special affinity for small things: little natural wonders like seashells, tiny bright stones, feathers and acorns, and miniatures. As a child, I made rooms for my dolls in any likely place. My mother’s fireplace clock on a table was a favorite spot to make a cozy little doll room, and pulling out blocks of encyclopedias from the bookshelf left nice smaller doll rooms with a book on top for the ceiling. Smallest of all, the low cinder block wall around our Little Rock, Arkansas front yard had cubbies that were perfect room-size for an inexpensive 5″ doll with long brown hair that I bought with my own money. In the summer, she had a magical garden fairy world with an unexpected bit of high tech–if she was kidnapped and stranded on the shelf of a higher stone wall, my brother’s battery powered helicopter would come and rescue her!

The fireplace clock now belongs to me and is still a favorite centerpiece for little doll displays. The fire is lit with a Christmas tree light bulb. Here are Karen and Vicki’s Ginny and Muffie dolls enjoying the fire’s warmth as they watch the clock for tea time.

As a young adult, I became enthralled with 1/12th scale miniatures after several trips to see the Thorne Rooms at the Chicago Art Institute. I could stand for hours gazing into those glass fronted boxes where everything was so lifelike, even with perfect lighting and shadows. I felt like I could fall right into that eighteenth century kitchen! There were no dolls to break the suspension of disbelief in these tiny realms. You expected a live person to walk in and resume living there.

Thorne Rooms Pennsylvania Kitchen 1752.

Of course I had to make my own mini house which, given my limited means and space, was made of stacked sturdy boxes. I called it “Der Kline Haus,” which means simply “The Small House.”

This hand-made intricately detailed 1/12th scale cradle once resided in the master bedroom of my dollhouse. I crocheted the tiny little coat and hat, that are shown here in the cradle, from size 20 cotton thread in the 1980’s when my eyesight was better. This crochet set and the rug, which is actually a vintage lamp mat, were all part of the sadly demolished Der Kline Haus. The china dolls, circa 1850’s and 1860’s, have not had the pleasure of visiting Der Kline Haus in its prime.

Then I discovered the wonder of antique toy furniture in 1/8th scale, perfect for Ginny and 8″ Madame Alexander dolls, at the Fowler House Museum just two blocks from where I lived in Lafayette Indiana. It must have been a joy and an adventure for the original owners of that dollhouse to find those little wooden treasures of furniture, and copper pots and pottery dishes, on world travels! This house was made to be played with, dolls in their settings in the rooms.

My dollhouse has been packed away for many years. The box-rooms were discarded as the wallpaper (some of which was made from wrapping paper from my wedding gifts!) faded and turned brown. Yet I still can’t resist picking up little things in the course of my wanderings. And like Auri in Patrick Rothfuss’ tale, The Slow Regard of Silent Things, I listen to the things to know where they best want to be; to know where they will be comfortable and where they belong. Until now, the little things have been in various places throughout the house, some more comfortable than others. Teeny tiny seashells found in the sand of a long-ago Far East beach are in a little bottle in the bathroom. A doll-size Japanese clasp purse is on a shelf of the desk. Little wooden and metal toys are in a small cabinet in the bedroom. Miniature books are in a drawer or on the shelf near larger books. Fingertip sized perfume bottles are in the “powder room” cabinet. Child sized dishes live in a wooden box on top of the antique sewing machine, or get overwhelmed among the larger Depression Glass. (No, they are not comfortable there!)

These small kitchen items, including a cordial glass, a silver corn scewer, two silver salt spoons, and toy pans and dishes, are now collected together on an antique spice cupboard that is the right size to be a doll cabinet.

Last summer I gave you a glance at my long-ago packed away and brought out anew doll bed and the newly acquired dresser to go with it, along with a coordinating ladderback chair. These, along with some of the scattered minis as accessories, make a lovely little bedroom for the lady china dolls. Paula Walton’s post (IzannahWalker.com) from July 2014 showing Edyth O’Neal’s wonderful large scale closet doll house inspired me to clear off enough shelf space in my hall closet to tuck in a little bedroom for the ladies. Besides, where else would I have room to display this 1/4th scale doll furniture? It could have ended up in the closet packed away for lack of display space, so why not as a display in the closet instead? Near perfect solution! I don’t see this enchanting room every day, but when I do slide open that closet door, I can peek in at Edith and Miss Bettina Bumblebottom as they sit on the bed in their crisp white undies, drinking tea and confiding secrets to each other.

Edith (in the red boots) and Miss Bettina Bumblebottom spend hours and days with each other in the closet bedroom as they await new wardrobes. Edith is sharing her favorite sentiments from a mini book of Love Letters while her tea gets cold in the little blue Depression Glass cup on the chair to the left. Bettina’s cup is Blue Willow transferware from Occupied Japan, and was an excellent second-hand store find!

Little white kid leather shoes that long ago belonged to a bisque doll have a home now under the ladderback chair. I have had these shoes for more than 30 years before finding a place for them to truly belong.

You can see on the dresser-top a doily that I crocheted, and on it is a red English transferware bowl that is probably a salt bowl. It was not intended as a child’s or doll dish, yet it fits perfectly in this setting. Barely visible in the bowl are tortoise shell hairpins for a bisque doll. They also find a place to belong here, even though neither the Chinas, nor the Izannah can wear them! Behind the bowl is a little tintype in its case. Three perfume bottles are on the right, with more small bottles and a little fan on the left.

Like my closet bedroom, Tasha Tudor’s acclaimed doll house is also 1/4th scale, consisting of special items from her childhood dollhouse made for her by her mother, of fabulous antiques collected by Tasha, and of special gifts from her friends and family. Her dollhouse, originally set up on large shelves in her home, was created for dolls that Tasha made herself. Later, a special house was made for her treasures and displayed in Colonial Williamsburg for twenty years. Now, Tasha’s dollhouse is back at her Home, Corgi Cottage. Tours, run by part of her family after her death, are very limited and are quite expensive.

Note the antique toy Staffordshire plates on the wall shelf, and the matching tureen on the table.

The furniture in this house is quite exquisite. These dolls have a more affluent lifestyle than my dolls who prefer their primitive style surroundings.

And now, who among China, Papier Mache, and Izannah Walker doll lovers wouldn’t fall in love with an Izannah home like Joy Harrington’s, featured in the August 2015 issue of Antique Doll Collector magazine? Not only is this small house a delightful home for antique dolls, it’s the perfect way to bring together and display a lifetime of collected small antiques! I have pored over this article, gleaning every little whimsy, and again, I am inspired to bring together my own collection in a display that is more doll house-like, if not actually a large scale dollhouse.

“A Visit to an Izannah Home” by Joy Harrington

At this point in time, my best option beyond the closet bedroom is my stairs which are wide enough to accommodate a multi-level keeping room display. Perhaps later in the fall or winter, when renovations to our apartment building wind down, I can try a two room display on my extra antique dining table.

On my stairs, an antique doll cupboard holds an abundance of French, and English Staffordshire, doll china and pottery. Laundry waits to be put away in a basket near the cupboard. On the step behind the cupboard is my newest find–a little silverplate coffee pot that came from Goodwill! It is waiting to find its best place to belong.

More of my stairstep display with twin Hertig dollhouse size little girls on the Seth Tudor made chair.

I am so enthusiastic about the large scale doll houses that I would like to write about more insights in several more posts. Coming up will be postings on miniature scales and choosing the right size of furniture and accessories for the dolls, on furniture and little things for putting together the displays, which seem to be fluid as collections grow and change, and on English Staffordshire toy or doll china, my newest antique collectible love. We could even have a tea party!

There is so much information on 1/12th scale miniatures, and so little on doll sized small things. The small things, unlike “miniatures” are large enough to be a pleasure to hold. It is also a sensual delight to contemplate small things not meant to be toys that can be seamlessly added into a doll’s space. What a fun and endearing venture into the world of the whimsical and enchantment! Come and play with me!

Ruby has a new soft and cuddly quilt just her size, and some very special little china dolls to snuggle up with.

Little Davie: A New Brother

Davie likes his wooden bowling set that is just his size!

In July, when I was three years old, my father picked me up from the neighbors’ house where I had spent the night, and took me on an outing to the nearby hospital. He left me for a little bit at the big red curly slide outside, then took me inside to get a look at my new baby brother through the wide glass viewing window of the nursery. The baby’s face, which was all I could see that wasn’t bound up in a white blanket, was red and wrinkledy. When asked what I thought of him I said, “He’s funny,” and asked if I could play on the slide some more.

Big sister Jennie can help nine-month-old Davie learn to walk. San Diego, 1964

As David grew, he became more interesting as a playmate, and definitely more ornery as the years went by. Now, he is one of my best friends and advocates. I value him immensely as my only sibling.

Winter 1966, Oklahoma City

The Martha Chase dolls for sale at the Portland Doll Show, February 2015

So, when I spotted this Martha Chase boy in the green velvet suit, I couldn’t resist bringing him home as a new brother for Miss Ruby, my reproduction Izannah Walker girl. His white-blonde hair and bright blue eyes reminded me so much of my little brother, he is perfect as Ruby’s brother!

Davie’s smile seems bigger now that he is home to play with his sister.

I don’t know much about Martha Chase dolls yet. Here is what I found out: Similar to Izannah Walker, Martha Chase, who was a doctor’s wife, didn’t care for the idea of children being given mechanical creations and fragile bisque dolls as playthings. She thought that the use of “technology” in mechanical playthings overwhelmed the child’s own inventiveness in play. She also thought that the fashion dolls popular around the turn of the twentieth century were likely to teach children to be materialistic. This idea of creating a less materialistic, “pop culture” toy, in favor of one that is made of soft natural fibers was continued in the early childhood philosophies of Maria Montessori in her schools, and by Rudolf Steiner in Waldorf Education.

Mrs. Chase used her sewing skills, beginning in 1899 in Pawtucket Rhode Island, to create lightweight, more life-like and child-like dolls of stockinet stuffed with cotton (which is lighter than sawdust, a popular doll filler in the 19th century). By 1913, she and the workers in her cottage industry were making dolls in six sizes from 12″ to 30″, and the dolls were selling in department stores such as Macy’s and Wanamaker’s.  Mrs. Chase died in 1925, though her company continued to produce dolls into the 1970’s.

Davie in the buff, just like the time he (my brother, I mean) escaped from mommy after his bath, and ran outside to play!!

I don’t know enough about the Martha Chase dolls to know in what era my Davie doll was made. It seems that his type of blonde boy with blue eyes was common. He measures just short of 18″ with an old cloth torso topped by a sized or gessoed and painted shoulder-head, and he has adorable applied little ears. His left foot has a little stitched-on sole, and his right foot seems to have been re-finished. He has patches on various locations of his body. I could not locate a signature anywhere on him. The outfit he came in is not original. If any of you, dear readers, can tell me more about him, I would be grateful! (I know that you can, Paula! 😉 )

Notice the difference in construction of Ruby’s slender little girl hand and Davie’s chubby baby hand.

Though Ruby is a reproduction Izannah Walker doll, she is made true to the original ones by Paula Walton. I find the contrast in styling for hands and feet between these two dolls to be intriguing–little girl versus baby, like the difference in china doll heads styled to be ladies or to be children–the face, neck, and hands are so proportionally different for the different ages represented.

What mischief will these two get into together?–or perhaps Ruby is grown-up enough to be a good girl influence on her little brother.

How the evening has flown! I hear Ruby offering to read a story to Davie to help him relax into sleep to be ready for Independence Day festivities on the morrow.

Happy Birthday David, Bro!

Post Script:  When is a computer like a puppy? When it is new, and you have to teach it everything! Okay, maybe I will grow to like my new Windows 8 technology, but at the moment, true to Martha Chase’s prediction, it is interfering with my own inventiveness! Among other technical difficulties, I have not yet succeeded in getting my old and still quite useful and working printer to interface with Windows 8. I want to scan my old photos! I want to play my DVD’s! Can you teach a new dog old tricks? This remains to be seen.

Happy Independence Day!

Clothes Maketh the Doll

As we know from revered doll collectors and historians such as Mildred Seely, the best and most valuable antique dolls to collect are those that are all original.  That is, they retain the head, limbs, body, and clothing which they had as new dolls.  We also know that these all-original dolls are now scarce, and expensive when they are available. As Mildred said in her book, Beloved China Dolls, there are more collectors now than there were in the mid-twentieth century, and the same number of antique dolls.  I would add that there are likely fewer dolls, as some of them break and deteriorate, though we can always hope that more are being recovered from years spent sleeping in attics and closets.  Furthermore, the price of desirable dolls goes up so that only wealthy collectors can afford and hoard them, while the economy in the USA has decreased the ability of most of us to be able to buy luxury items such as dolls for our beloved collections.  If you follow auctions in Antique Doll Collector magazine and similar venues, then you know that the price realized for many of the antique dolls on auction, or for sale, today is enough to cover the wages of a woman such as myself for a number of years!

Fear not, kindred low-income doll collectors!  There are still many opportunities to find inexpensive not-so-perfect antique dolls that can become lovely additions to our collections with just a little bit of creativity, and perhaps a small stash of sewing remnants.  Such was the case for Florence, a little unassuming doll-house sized china head doll who I acquired a few years ago, for about the equivalent of one hour of my wages.  Florence has an unusual hair style with her black hair covered with a net in back.  I have never before seen a small doll with this style.

Because of her small size, it is difficult to photograph Florence with my inexpensive camera. Sorry for the poor focus.

Florence is 7 1/2″ tall and has her shoulder head glued to her body since she has no sew holes.  Her face painting is well done for such a small doll, yet I cannot tell which factory made her, or which 19th century decade she originated from.  I do not know if her body is original to her, or if it was placed with her head later.  Her limbs are bisque in the style made in the early 20th century for inexpensive play dolls.  Her coarse woven fabric body and legs are made all in one piece in a rather blockish shape.  She seems to be stuffed with cotton batting.  I sewed across her legs at the hip so that she could sit in a chair.  Her body has mildew stains as well, and is not very pretty.

Choosing fabric and trim for Florence’s new clothing,

Even though Florence has a well-painted face and an unusual hairstyle, she came clothed in a poor child-made dress of cheap wide-width lace, and she is modest about her less-than-perfect body.  A new outfit is just what she needs to improve her self-esteem!

Blocking out the small clothes.

As usual, I did not use a pattern for the simple lines of this outfit.  I measured and estimated size, adding seam allowances.  In the photo above, the white undergarments are cut from an antique petticoat remnant.  The large rectangle at the top is Florence’s petticoat, the small piece under it is the waistband, and the two rectangles to the left are the drawers.  The final shaped piece on the right is the chemise.  You can see that the antique indigo remnant is narrow, and this size dictated the overall width of the dress.

Florence already appears more shapely in her new small clothes made of antique fabric and vintage lace.

The drawers, made from two tubes of fabric, are “split” and only connect with the drawstring waist. The vintage lace on all three undergarments matches.

Creating the dress took many fittings.  I wanted it to be high at the neck, long of sleeve, and to have a mid-19th century look.  The shoulders are slightly dropped and the sleeves are slightly flaired at the shoulders.  I added darts at the waist of the bodice for a more fitted look.

Florence’s pinafore is made of the same fabric as her under things, but I gave it a trim of new lace that is crisp and white to accent the white striped pattern in her indigo dress.  My plan for the shape of her apron was to rely on a photo of an antique doll in a similar costume. The apron part is perfect, and the bodice part is a bit unique, as I didn’t want to make it just like the one in the photo.  That’s the way mommy and auntie made doll clothes were sewn in the past, so it’s still authentic, even if I just made it up!  The tiny mob cap renders Florence fully dressed and ready to go out and tend to her sheep.

Creating this outfit for Florence took oh so many tiny hand stitches!  I worked on it during spare moments and quiet times intermittently throughout the winter and spring. It consists of six pieces and transforms Florence from a rather modest and unremarkable doll into a winsome beauty!  I think the cotton country work clothes fit her countenance perfectly!  Admittedly, she is not all-original, and perhaps not that most desirable doll sought after by wealthy and discerning collectors.  Yet she is now rather irresistible in her unassuming way.  And all for under $30 (including the antique fabric) and some diligent sewing!

Happy creating!  ~ Jennie

Red is STILL the color: Treasures from the Portland Doll Show

Red leather shoes with a low heel made for a young girl bisque doll.

Red is still going strong and lovable in my little world of dolls! The Crossroads Doll Show, in Portland the day after Valentine’s Day, wielded more red treasures, including these little low heeled bisque doll shoes.

Caroline looks quaint in her white antique dress while she waits for an 1850’s style pink print dress. Do the shoes work for her?

I was looking for shoes to fit the narrow, pointed ballet feet of Caroline, my little Greiner-type Kloster Veilsdorf doll. These shoes fit her feet, and I couldn’t resist buying such a fine pair of antique red shoes! But now I’m not sure that they are right for Caroline. Maybe I should make her a more primitive pair of boots from the fingers of a pair of leather gloves. That may fit the type of doll she is better. What do you think? She is in line to get an 1850’s style dress, similar to Ruby’s red dress, only in a pink print. It may be awhile, because I have several other dresses in the planning stages for other dolls in varying states of disrobe (!). And it takes me ever so long to get the dolls’ white clothes (undies) in order and actually cut and sew the dresses! At least Caroline has a nice antique white dress for now.

Valerie’s pretty shopping bag with the red shoes from her booth.

The red shoes were found at Valerie Fogel’s Beautiful Bebes Booth. If you get to peruse Antique Doll Collector magazine, then you have surely found Valerie’s pages full of sumptuous doll offerings there. Here are three exquisite bisque dolls, including a small Jumeau in a burgundy silk dress, that were offered at the Portland Crossroads show:

Beautiful Bebes just beg to come home! So sad that they are out of my price range!

Edith, with the lovely red boots you saw in my last post, received an antique dress with a red striped floral print, to wear until she gets her new stylish dress with the floral and bird print to compliment her lavish boots.

Edith and Caroline both model their red boots.

CROCHET was the other theme of the day. I found ever so many teeny crochet dresses for the littlest of the bisque dolls. A china boy doll with pink tint and side parted hair is modeling a christening gown with a fancy crochet hem detail. He is definitely an old enough lad to be breeched, and he needs some knickers and a waistcoat. Decisions, decisions! Who to clothe first!

Eight little crochet dresses and a pair of blue dungarees.

And here is the comic relief: I bought this little pair of bisque legs because I adored the mauve stockings on them. They fit perfectly with the plum colored crochet dress! “She got legs!”

She got legs! Comical!

Well, I have plenty of crochet inspiration now! You may be seeing some original crochet creations for my dolls soon! I’m wishing for more time to allot to the doll sewing. So, I’m off to create!

Red Shoes: The Romance and Power of Color

Roses are Red, Like Valentine Hearts,

Little Doll Slippers, And Cupid’s Love Darts

Eight sweet little red shoes . . .

Red is a powerful color that is at the center of Valentine’s Day. It is the hue of roses, hearts, chubby vintage girls in frilly dresses adorning dainty cards, and yes, shoes!

Ruby’s dainty scalloped leather shoe with a red silk ribbon bow.

In symbolism, red is the color of LOVE and of WAR. It stirs up PASSION. Red is associated with energy and the emotions that stir the blood ~ anger, passion, and love.

Babies in Renaissance Europe were sometimes swaddled with red bands and wrapped in a red cloth as a form of protection. Because of the passion of red, in Victorian times, pink was considered to be too strong a color for baby girls, so the cooler light-blue was the color for girls, while pink and red were reserved for baby boys.

Red shoes have a mythology and symbolism of their own. They usually symbolize power and distinction. Senators and high officials of ancient Rome wore red shoes called calceus mulleus. In the Christian world, the Pope’s red velvet slippers symbolize the blood of martyrs and the Pope’s submission to the ultimate authority of Jesus Christ. In the French court of Louis XIV, red shoes were worn by Courtiers to distinguish them from other aristocrats. Of course, the style was copied and became fashionable outside of Court as well. Understandably, red shoes went out of fashion in France, though, after the French Revolution.

Dorothy’s famous ruby red slippers were crystal, not red, in the Frank Baum book.

And then there is Hans Christian Andersen’s tale of The Red Shoes, in which a greedy girl manipulates her benefactor to obtain the costly red shoes she desires, and then she cannot stop dancing. While this tale has an element of the macabre, red shoes are redeemed again in the Ruby Slippers that Dorothy wears in the movie version of The Wizard of Oz. Here again, the red shoes are powerful!

Today, modern designers may battle over who has the patent rights to red shoes; however, red shoes were a common and lovely fashion accessory for 19^th century young girls, and therefore, for dolls as well.

. . . and the dolls who wear them.

Three of my china dolls have red shoes or boots (including the exquisite narrow handmade lace-up red leather boots on a lady doll who you will meet in more detail in a future post). One china doll has pink china shoes, and one wee bisque doll has mauve glazed china boots. I also chose red leather shoes for my reproduction Izannah Walker doll.

Big people like red shoes too, And some little people lose their shoes!

And, as you can see, red shoes are still in vogue, for big and little people today. They are still powerful, romantic, and whimsical!

Perhaps a commentary on blue shoes is warranted next . . .

May Aphrodite and Cupid bring you the splendors of the season this Valentine’s Day!

Yes, she wears RED SHOES! A Glitter Greetings Vintage Valentine by Cavallini & Co.

History of China Dolls Page

My History of China Dolls page now includes the doll history following A Short History of Porcelain Production. More sections are still in the works. Check it out by clicking on History of China Dolls in the left bar.