Antique DOLL Collector February 2009 Vol. 12, No. 1
February 2009 Vol. 12, No. 1 $595 / $695 Canada www.antiquedollcollector.com
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Early French Papier-Mâché Dolls by Samy Odin
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hat’s in a name? For a long time, French collectors referred to them as “Paulines.” Yet, if we look back at the various research done over the years concerning this particular type of doll, we cannot find a unique term used by specialists to refer to these dolls made in France. The term “papier-mâché,” as brilliantly noted by Jo Elisabeth Gerken,1 is not very clear and, originally, it may not even be a French word! The British “mashed paper”, translated in Italian is “carta pesta”, and perfectly expresses the process of making this basic material: a formula of paper mixed with water, glue and other fillers to obtain a solid substance that can be easily molded. There also exists a variation that the French call “carton moulé,” a process whereby several layers of heavier carton are pressed into a mold, with the addition of glue, and sometimes other ingredients, such as gesso, to produce a resistant, thick material that is ideally suited for molding and painting. We see its use in the purest tradition of religious figures. Serious research by the Ciesliks2 and Christiane Gräfnitz3 has proven that some dolls found in France with French leather bodies had German papier-mâché heads. Yet, if one goes through the overwhelming Annuaire du Commerce and the Annuaire Parisien or consults the innumerable documents kept at the INPI (Institut National de la Protection Industrielle), the equivalent of the US Patent Office, it can be easily proven that several companies in France, and especially in Paris, made papier-mâché doll heads as much as Johann Andreas Voit in Hildburghausen, Johann Friedrich Müller in Sonneberg and Johann Daniel Kestner in Waltershausen.
16” elegant lady wearing an original gown from the mid-1850s. 19
Roberta's DOLL HOUSE Roberta and Ziggy Zygarlowski, 475 17th Ave., Paterson, N.J. 07504 (973) 684-4945 • Fax (973) 523-7585 • CALL TOLL FREE 1-800-569-9739 31
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31. Exceptionally beautiful Simon & Halbig #1009 - soft as butter bisque with first out of the mold quality - soft feathered brows over enormous lapis blue sleep eyes - open mouth with outlined amber shaded lips - original fully jointed compo body- 24” tall $1,295. 32. Ever so wonderful and sweet as they can be - small size baby boys: a. Kammer & Reinhardt - #122 - enormous chestnut brown sleep eyes. B. Bahr & Proschild - mold # 619 - solid dome baby boy w/ gorgeous baby blue eyes. Both are 13” tall - $795 each. 33. Wonderful Schoenhut pouty character toddler boy - great condition beautiful blue eyes - old sailor suit - 17” tall $995. 34. Wonderful & oh so rare to find painted oil cloth child by Rollinson of Holyoke, MA - lovely hand painted facial features w/ amazing cornflower blue eyes - original marked body - original hand tied wig - lovely old clothing - 18” tall 35. Extremely rare “Skookum’s” crying papoose wonderful molded & hand painted features w/ open screaming mouth - original hand tied carrier amazingly unusual and all original - 26” tall - baby is 22” tall - $1.995. 36. Very unusual brown bisque character boy marked “R” “Dep” - nice quality bisque w/ lovely hand painted facial features - chestnut brown paperweight eyes - open laughing mouth w/ upper teeth - fully jointed compo body 18” tall $1,995. 37. This falls in the very usual category - what a truly amazing great piece very early papier-mâché & wood coachmen caring the queen - finite detail to clothing and faces - notice the gold filigree carriage w/ the not to
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attractive queen - just wonderful - love it - measures 5” x 11-1/2” at base $1,495. 38. Wonderful early American hand carved wood young lady - human hair wig - rather flat face w/ hand painted features - note how much she looks like the dolls in the recent article in Antique Doll Collector - Body & head are one solid piece of wood - hand craved wood lower arms & legs - wonderful early Americana in such great condition - 23” tall - $1,495. 39. Extremely rare to find & always desirable “Little Alice” papier maché on that always desirable Motschmann body - blonde molded hair pulled away from her face with that molded blue band - bulbous dark glass eyes - closed smiling mouth - to make her all the more wondrous she’s on a never to be found Motschmann body and yes she still cries - 10” tall - $1,495. 40. Two wonderful & oh so rare to find compo kids - that we all need & love: a. (top) - “Trudy three-face” - great all original condition - turn knob on head for crying. Sleeping. Smiling faces - excellent condition - 14” tall $695. B. Extremely rare to find - “Fly-Lo baby” by Grace Putnam - all original excellent condition - amazing baby blue eyes - yes he still has his original hat - 12 tall - $995. 41. Wonderful German bisque character child riding his big beautiful black stead - mold # 442 - open mouth all original little boy w/ chestnut brown glass eyes - wood body and metal arms - made with bow legs to sit upon his handsome black stead - soft fur covered w/ yarn mane & tail - stands on small wood base - doll is 6-1/2” tall - horse is 8” x 8” - $1,495.
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42. Wonderful 1880’s hand carved wooden shoulder head lady with beautiful hand painted features - highly detailed features w/ double bun hairstyle gracious blue eyes & smiling closed mouth - molded broach & collar on should plate - cloth body w/ hand carved wooden hands & feet - 16” tall $995. 43. Utterly adorable & ever so desirable mechanical - “Boy on Scooter” - all original open mouth German character child w/ wondrous hand painted facial features and the most amazing super size heather blue eyes - he stands atop his wooden three wheel scooter - when wound his left foot pushes back and forth and he quickly moves across the floor - how delightful - excellent working condition - 14” tall - $1,995. 44. Wonderful & ever so rare to find early Sonnenburg child made for the French trade - she has the very distinct look of an early Jumeau “EJ” excellent flawless bisque w/amazing hand painted facial features - soft arched brows over the most amazing enormous chestnut brown paperweight eyes - closed slightly pouty smiling mouth w/ soft rose shading - very unique flange neck on original body - 11” tall - $1,995. 45. Rare & wonderful is this amazing Kathe Kruse child - she is a very rare to find doll #1H - she has the face of the number #1 but with the more slender body & she’s one inch taller - excellent condition - no facial painting loss no facial rubs - original human hair wig - original clothes & shoes - 18” tall - $2,995.
by Maureen Herrod
A close-up of the doll shows her near perfection. Note that most marked Greiners have painted eyes, unlike Amanda’s glass eyes.
Amanda is a big girl at 34 inches.
Like Bleuette, even large pre-Greiners must possess a christening dress.
hat a discovery! Can it be believed? Seldom, no hardly ever, can a large (34 big inches) paper mache pre Greiner be found with a complete wardrobe: seven dresses, a hat, an apron, two bonnets, two pair of shoes, a pair of high-top button-up boots - even several sets of underwear. It is a miracle! Amanda, the name the doll has been called over the decades, does not suffer the usual condition aws found on most paper maches. Only a few almost invisible crackles on her shoulder plate, along with a little bit of missing lip paint. Her hair is shiny with few akes. Her body is sturdy muslin with white kid hands. Could she 35
Discovering a Pit Brow Lass by Erica Tanner
ne of the most fascinating aspects of doll collecting for me has always been the window into the past that dolls and toys provide us. Also, I tend to gravitate toward the quirky and unusual – no mold number, I’m interested interested; never seen one like it, let me have a closer look! Put the two together and every new acquisition prompts a flurry of research as I try to discover everything I can about my new treasure. Recently I came across a doll that opened more windows in the past than I could ever have imagined. It all started with a trip to California’s Gold Country. Once upon a time, this region teemed with men from all over the world, come to make their fortune. Today, many of the towns they deserted when the gold rush ended have become weekend destinations for city folk. Bed and Breakfast Inns, mining museums, fine restaurants and of course, antique shops. One very charming such town goes by the impressive name of Amador City, although it is now home to only about 150 residents. Still, it was my destination, as behind one of its old west storefronts is a delightful antique doll shop belonging to Kay Jensen. As I peered into the display window from the wooden boardwalk I spotted what looked to be an ethnic type doll, maybe Russian or Polish. Several hours later, having happily lingered over two roomfuls of dolls, I emerged, true to form, with my “couldn’t quite place it” dolly. We knew she was a German papier mache, sometimes called a Patent Washable type, but in what manner she was dressed, or where she same from, neither of us knew. I brought her home and immediately dug into my costume books. There were similarities to some folk costumes, but nothing definite. I kept her out, gingerly poked and lifted her well attached outfit, and let it all stew for a while. I think it might have been the patches on her trousers, or perhaps the skirt folded in half and tucked under her apron, but from somewhere I recalled reading something about women who were notorious for dressing like men in Victorian times, something about mining . . .
Wigan Pit Brow Lasses shown in their working clothes and typical Victorian clothing. 38
A Pit Brow Lass closely resembles my doll.
The girls wore a padded cotton hooded bonnet. It was of pink, blue or black in color. They wore a blue striped skirt. Over it was a double breasted waistcoat. Fustian or corduroy was the material their trousers were made from, but they were often patched. They wore clogs that were fastened with brass clasps. Arthur J. Munby, diarist 1860’s
Pit Brow girls of Haigh Collieries, c. 1910
Thank goodness for the internet! Searching for women and mines I discovered there were indeed women miners – the famous Pit Brow Lasses of northern England. Today English mining history is not exactly mainstream stuff, but Mr. Dave Lane, who lives in the mining country of England, has amassed articles, clippings and photographs of this almost forgotten story. As a result, there, staring at me from the screen of my computer, was an old photograph of a young woman who looked exactly like my doll! These women miners were quite a bunch! By all accounts they were strong and healthy, took pride in what they did, dressed for the job, and stuck together. Mind you, this was the same era when class really mattered, ladies were sheltered, and unmentionables were many. For those of us who collect dolls, the late 1800’s are the Golden Age of the French Bebes, fashionably dressed in ribbons and lace, to be carefully played with by their pampered owners – a world away from screening coal in the damp and cold. In 1842 a law was passed making it illegal for women to work underground in a mine. It wasn’t a very popular law with the women miners as they could make more money inside a mine than they could outside. For a time, some hid their identity in men’s clothing and continued working, but eventually the law was complied with and the female “lasses” had to make do with work on the outside, or “brow”, of the “pit”. Being female they earned only one-third to one-quarter of what the male miners did. The lasses sorted rock and dirt from the coal as it came up from the mine, loaded it onto waiting wagons or barges, kept the shoots clear, and dumped the spoils. It was hard work and several contemporaries remark how strong the women were, but also how free and easy their manners were, more like young lads than shy girls. Predictably, however, it was what the girls wore that most fascinated people. They wore (gasp!) trousers, like men, tucking their skirts up around their waist, so one could see their legs! Reporters and photographers came from all over England to record this sensation. Around 1900 postcards of the Pit Brow Lasses were a popular collector’s item. Details of their dress – the color of the shawl, whether they wore scarves or bonnets, and especially just how far up those skirts were tucked – varied from one mine and one region to another and were a source of local pride and identification. In 1860 Parliament took up the question of the possible adverse affect on men’s health of having to work next to women dressed in short skirts and trousers. Twice, in 1887 and in 1911, legislation was proposed to make it illegal
She wears a pair of trousers, which formerly, were scarcely hidden at all, but are now covered with a skirt reaching just below the knees. Her head is cunningly bandaged with a red handkerchief, which entirely protects the hair from coal dust… When she is at work the pit brow lass tucks the skirt around her waist, but when she is walking to and from home it is let down and there is nothing to distinguish her from any ordinary working woman. Frank Hird, 1910 “Lancashire Stories”
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