Antique DOLL Collector January 2009 Vol. 11, No. 12
January 2009 Vol. 11, No. 12 $595 / $695 Canada www.antiquedollcollector.com
The Royal little mistress of one hundred and thirty-two dolls, at least thirty-two dressed by the Queen herself, kept an ordinary copy-book in which she recorded the names of her dolls and characters they might portray. Sir Henry Ponsonby, Private Secretary to the Sovereign, relates, Her favourites were small dolls—small wooden dolls, which she could occupy herself with dressing and they had a house in which they could be placed.
Ella is smitten with Sylvie, her own Tuck Comb Wooden, reminiscent of the Queen’s doll, Mlle. Sylvie Leconte. Mlle. Leconte is seen here dressed in blue satin, poised on the table gazing at Mlle. Brocard and Mlle. Zephyrine Galebstie in graceful flight.
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Charming lady dancers Mlle. Proche, Mlle. Pauline Duvernay, with Mlle. Euphrosine Ancilin front and center. Mlle. Duvernay appears in a work by Novelist William Makepeace Thackeray as a vision of loveliness.
Queen Victoria’s Dolls
Representing characters in the ballet of Kenilworth are the Earl and Countess of Leicester costumed by the Queen to painstaking detail. The dress worn is believed to be from the grotto scene, where the Countess comes before the Queen in search of the Earl.
ones, traveled with Victoria through her teen years, during which she went on long and costly journeys to visit the great families of England. Her dolls were familiar friends when she was away from home. Victoria also enjoyed dressing up. As an adolescent, she would dress as historic and exotic figures, or romantic and often tragic heroines played by the dancer Marie Taglioni. Several of Victoria’s creative pastimes share similar themes. Ballet inspired her watercolor sketches, the costumes of her wooden dolls and her own fancy dress. Collectors have long harbored suspicion that Victoria was a doll person and it is clear that she gave French poupées as presents on more than one occasion. She surely could not have overlooked the greater beauty and refinement of design and manufacture these modern dolls exhibited compared to the more folk art quality of early nineteenth century dolls. How fitting that Emile Louis Jumeau was given the title Prince of Dollmakers! The Jumeau firm was renowned
for its elegant poupées, which had obvious appeal to Her Majesty Queen Victoria. Emile’s father, Pierre-François Jumeau, launched their two-generation family business venture in 1841. At the outset, Pierre-François formed a partnership with Louis Belton. That liaison dissolved four years later. By 1845, Jumeau was specializing in the manufacture of poupées and soon earned medals at Paris Expositions. Luxury items were produced concurrently with less extravagant models, thereby gaining a broad spectrum of clientele. Queen Victoria may well have noticed the Jumeau company’s dolls at this early date when she toured the famous Great Exhibition in London, which spanned May through October 1851. She made several visits to the exhibition that had been substantially promoted and organized by her husband Prince Albert. The Jumeau exhibit received official jury acclaim, not so much for the dolls themselves, but for the fine quality and attention to detail of the dolls’ dresses. Accounts suggest that there
At the time of the loss of King Humbert of Italy and the Duke of Saxe-Coburg, protocol for Royal mourning was presented in The London Mail. It was customary in England that the death of a King or Queen commanded three months and, for the son or daughter of a sovereign, as in the case of the Duke of Saxe-Coburg, the second son and fourth child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, the mourning period should span six weeks. The court would dictate ladies dress in black for the first period, white gloves, black or white shoes; feathers, fans or gold ornamentation might also be worn. When that period concluded, ladies would continue in black combined with ribbons, flowers or feathers of color. It has been said that nearly the entire Victorian era was a period of mourning for the Queen, whose bereavement over Prince Albert endured for forty years until her own death. The Edwardian era emerged shortly thereafter in 1901, ushering in less restrictive codes of fashion. Ella’s eighteen and one-half inch gusseted kid leather body has individually stitched fingers. She carries herself with grace and poise in a spun silk dress, a strong fiber which makes possible the smooth, shaped bodice and drapes perfectly into a flowing skirt with bustled silhouette. This fashionable frock has lavish layers of underskirts. Batiste undergarments with the most meticulous pin tucks are paired with a soft light woolen flannel slip. Ella puts her best foot forward in leather boots from beneath an abundance of accordion pleats. The boots are embossed with her size number – 4. Haute couture at its finest!
was an attractive selection of beautifully dressed dolls on view. Porcelain heads were supplied by the François Gaultier factory from 1860 to around 1872. Introduction of the bébé and articulated bodies for poupées took place early in that period. Pierre-François’ older son, Eugène Georges, emerged as the inventor of a spiral spring for articulating dolls’ heads, intended first for the poupée but later refined for the bébé. Sadly, the year after construction was completed on a porcelain factory for the company, Eugène Georges passed away. Following the Franco-Prussian War, Jumeau became a leader in its industry, gaining self-sufficiency by eliminating the need to go abroad for doll heads. This momentum continued with the marriage of PierreFrançois’ younger son, Emile Louis, to Ernestine Stéphanie Ducruix. Ernestine, one of the quiet achievers of doll history, began supervising the construction of costumes. That led to recognition in 1876 across the Atlantic in Philadelphia, where her husband accepted first prize in doll costuming for the firm. Within two years a Gold Medal was awarded at the l’Exposition Universelle in Paris. A pinnacle was reached in our Ella’s era, with the distinguished Diplôme d’honneur bestowed on Emile Jumeau at the Antwerp Exposition Universelle of 1885. Emile had become extremely influential in the ten years
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13. When choosing “Common” china head dolls for your collection, try to purchase examples with well painted features, such as this large blonde china head.
12. Although this small size china head doll is dressed in an 1860’s Civil War style costume, the doll is of a much later date (1920’s-30’s). Her printed cotton dress was meticulously made by an expert seamstress of the period.
Among the more interesting common china varieties are the “Pet Name” china dolls, a type of “Common” china with a fancy moulded-on collar and yoke, along with the doll’s name rendered in gilt lettering. An example of a “Pet Name” china doll appears in photo eight. This delightful doll is called Dorothy, and she has the typical features that all “Pet Name” china dolls possess. Note the moulded bodice with her name emblazoned in gilt. Little girls of the era loved the “Pet Name” china dolls, and they continued to be sold well into the 1930’s. Like the doll pictured, many of the “Common” and “Pet Name” china dolls had factory bodies that were printed with colourful pictures, such as flowers, animals or ABC’s. The doll shown has an interesting factory original body showing flags of the world, a feature thought to be educational to the doll’s small owner! Dating china head dolls to an exact year of manufacture can be extremely difficult considering that the various styles were continued for many decades. As a general rule dolls made prior to 1891 are usually unmarked, 48
although certain manufacturers such as Meissen and Kling of Germany did mark their fine quality dolls with identifying markings. Dolls of this date may also have a mould mark or number, which usually identified the size of the head. After 1891 most dolls will have a country of origin moulded into the back of the shoulder plate, such as “Germany”. Dolls made after 1900 may also be marked “Made in Germany”, helping to at least date a doll to the 19th or 20th century. When choosing china dolls for your collection, try to pick examples that are as original as possible, and avoid dolls that have serious damage such as chips or cracks. Having an original body is a definite asset, regardless of whether the body is homemade or factory made. It is always better to have an original cloth body with repairs or stains rather than a replaced body, so do resist the urge to replace original parts unless absolutely necessary. Remember that bodies and limbs can be replaced several times over the years so it can be difficult to determine if a body on an older china is truly the original. Value can also be added for original or period clothing. If a doll has a replaced costume it should be in a style and fabric that is appropriate to the age of the doll. Nothing saddens me more than to see a beautiful antique
doll dressed from head to toe in polyester fabrics, so please stick to authentic materials such as cottons, silks, linen or wool. Dolls with a provenance, such as those with a known history, or dolls that still retain photographs of the original owner holding the doll are very desirable. The doll that appears in photo four has all of these sought after characteristics, including her original handmade two piece blouse and skirt that is also shown in the photograph (dated 1887) with her young owner. Other qualities that increase the value and rarity of a china head doll include fancy intricate hairstyles, brown eyes, inset glass eyes, open mouths with moulded teeth, swivel necks, unusual shades of hair, pierced ears designed to hold earrings and dolls with glued on wigs (often known as Biedermeirs). Prices greatly increase when any of these distinct features are present. Easy to find antique china dolls, such as the “Flat Top” variety, can still be found at antique shows and through internet auctions for under $200, often with their original clothing still intact. Common china heads are among the bargains of the doll world, with all original examples often selling for $100 or less. The all original 10 inch china head doll shown in photo nine was purchased recently at a cost of only $50. The doll is in perfect condition, and she even has a factory original body with colourful printed on animals and letters. The beautiful costume is completely hand-sewn, and is made from antique lavender silk trimmed in black cotton lace. Her antique woven straw hat dates from the 1890’s and helps to complete the doll’s outfit, but was purchased separately and is not original to the doll. I hope that seeing photographs of these lovely affordable dolls has inspired you to start your own collection of china head dolls. Who knows? Perhaps china head dolls will eventually regain the immense popularity that they enjoyed in the 1930’s, and will be on their way to once again holding their own against the ever popular bisques!
Elegant Etta Boudoir Dolls E
by Bonnie Groves
tta cloth boudoir dolls, made only in the 1920’s, are not easy to find and for many reasons are among my favorite boudoir dolls. The costuming was superior and ranged from contemporary vamps to lavish period ladies. The hand painted facial expressions of the dolls show such different personalities in each unique doll. They reflect a time of elegance and are a bit naughty as well. This contradiction seemed rampant in the 1920’s. It was an interesting era! Etta boudoir dolls were made in New York City from 1927-1930 by Miss Etta Kidd. This women only company made cloth art and boudoir dolls. An ad in Playthings advertised, “For the first time in the history of America, the attempt to rival European creations of Boudoir dolls, art novelties and pillows has been successful. Etta, Inc. claims this distinction by offering a varied and increasing line of extraordinarily attractive boudoir dolls, novelties d’art, pillows and bags of the vogue, animals and toys of topical interest.” Most Etta boudoir dolls are 30 inches long, are all cloth and have swivel heads. They are often confused with Blossom Company boudoir dolls which also made in New York, but in the 1930’s, after the Etta doll company had closed. Was the stock market crash to blame for the company closing? Gerling Toy Company cloth boudoir dolls, made in the 1920’s, in New York, also had a similar appearance, 2 confusing the identification process even more. In her excellent article in Dolls magazine, November 2002, Patricia Brill speculates that Etta Kidd might have been a doll designer for Gerling, before starting her own doll company. The construction and molding of Gerling and Etta dolls is very close, although they have slightly different face painting and wig treatment. In a discussion of Etta
dolls with Pat, she thinks that originally Etta had their doll faces made in France and shipped to the USA. Finished dolls might also have been made in France. This explains the variations in facial painting and costuming. The Gerling Doll Company also imported their dolls from France and Germany. Their molds were made for the company in Europe and perhaps even painted there. As an American 1 importer they would have had to create their own face molds for production in a German or French factory. This was a common practice for boudoir doll companies in the 1920’s. Some boudoir dolls of this period are tagged and some are not. Some Etta boudoir dolls have inset lashes, some do not. Ettas and Gerlings have painted lashes under the eye. Ettas and Gerlings have a line painted in the crease of the eyelid. The later Blossoms had a line painted over the lashes and no lashes painted under the eye. Ettas have very distinctive painted eye shadow often pale lavender. Gerlings have more of an airbrushed shadow. Only later Blossoms have painted eye shadow. Etta dolls have a more heart-shaped face than Gerlings or Blossoms. The lips also have a distinctive darker line painted in the corners. The legs of both Ettas and Gerlings are shaped with a small ankle and a well defined calf instead of the straight legs of Blossoms. Many Ettas and Gerlings are made with gusseted legs at the knees for ease in posing them for sitting. Blossoms do not have this knee bend. 3 The fingers of the hands are stitched like Blossoms and Gerlings. Blossom boudoir dolls have a distinctive half moon shaped eyelid
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Celluloid - Parson Jackson, stork mark, baby or toddler. Cynthia Oregon
Celluloid - German marked, excludes molded clothes, 12 inches or under. Left, Sally Roscoe. Right, Evelyn Rutledge
Celluloid Japanese marked, excludes molded clothes, 12 inches or under. Gina Cass Celluloid Dressed in ethnic costume, 12 inches or under. Name not visible
Celluloid - Dressed in ethnic costume, 12 inches or under. Ellie Kringer
Cloth - Norah Wellings doll, excluding sailors. Left, Janis Silberhorn. Right, Kathleen Gordon Smith
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Cloth - Bernard Ravca doll, made in France, 1924-1939. Liz Krezowski
Cloth - Vintage doll or marionette made from Edith Flack Ackley doll pattern. Left, Patricia McCaughin. Right, Sharon Zerkel
Cloth - American, before 1940, excluding Raggedy Ann and Andy, 18 inches or under. Left, Bruckner. Karen D’Onofrio. Right, “Sweets” by Maud Tousey Fangel. Deanna Pinizotto
Composition Madame Alexander Kate Greenaway. Ursula Mertz
Cloth - Lenci, Mascotte, 9 inches or under, before 1950. Kathleen Gordon Smith
Composition - Effanbee, Patsykin/ Patsykins, marked Patsy Jr. Above, Betty Ann Leigh. Below, Mary Lee Stallings
Composition Raleigh all composition child. Judith Vaughn
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