Antique DOLL Collector February 2010 Vol. 13, No. 1
February 2010 Vol. 13, No. 1 $595 / $695 Canada www.antiquedollcollector.com
Portrait of an Antique Doll Collector by Valerie Fogel
J.N. Steiner FR A2; fully jointed compo body; stamped body; Petite Parisienne, 8.5 inches; Theriault’s Gold Horse pick
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h, the Collector! Such a colorful and assorted lot! No two with exactly the same quest or strategy. No two borne of the same inspirations or influences. As fascinating and dear as dolls are, they are enhanced and romanced by the very collectors that cherish and care for them. A doll in a vendor’s booth, regardless how spectacular or modest the display, will sparkle more brightly once placed “just so” in a proud collector’s cabinet. And every antique doll collector, like every doll, has a unique style and special grace by which her treasures are acquired, displayed and cared for. One such special collector, a west coast native, is Sheryl Varon. We first met several years ago at the Antique Doll and Toy Show in Bellevue, Washington, an intimate venue filled with exciting vendors and wonderful dolls and displays. Sheryl is not easily missed. An attractive brunette, elegantly understated in dress, with a fashion model’s height and proportion, her quiet demeanor belies the intensity of her collecting goals. I remember watching her as a small, pretty Emile Jumeau caught her attention. With a practiced eye and thorough examination,
E3J; straight-wristed, jointed body, fantastic couture ensemble with marked Jumeau shoes; 12 inches.
Incised Jumeau, size 6; straightwristed body; original stringing, original trunk and wardrobe; 15.5 inches.
Francois Gaultier Scroll Mark incised 4, marked body w/orig. paper label on rear torso reading; “Bebe Du Bon Marche”; dark blue eyes that appear brown; 13.5 inches.
J.N. Steiner FRE A 3; Le Parisienne paper label on lower hip. Straightwristed body; 10.5 inches. 19
The earliest Abigail, circa 1932, with blue eyes is the most firmly stuffed. She has a dart in the center of her neck which forms a chin and “darts” on the side of her head which suggest ears. She is stuffed with wool and has delicately painted features (her patch of hair was added). Another Abigail seen recently had a small vertical dart on each side of the neck to fashion a slimming effect. These slight variations in the early dolls are attributable to the fact that the doll bodies were made by various members of the community who had varying degrees of sewing skills. She is 18 inches tall.
Abigail
The Log Cabin Doll of Brown County
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by Sue Popp
everal years ago, while was created by a woman from Brown shopping for a new doll, County, Indiana. I contacted the director I noticed a softly colored, sweet-faced of the historical society who was kind cloth girl shyly smiling from across enough to assist me with my search for the room. I went over to get a better additional information. I also discovered look and decided that she would be a book called “Abigail”, written by going home with me. When I asked the the doll’s creator, and have spoken to dealer if any information about her was the grand daughters of the remarkable available, I was told that perhaps she woman who not only authored the should have cloth hair, but nothing was Abigail book, but designed both the known about how she might have been Abigail and Nancy Hanks dolls. dressed originally. I felt that she was Abigail’s story starts with Portia Howe probably from the 1930’s and that with Sperry. She and her husband, Ralph Waldo or without hair, she was charming. Emerson Sperry, moved to the village When I brought her home, I could of Nashville in Brown County, Indiana find no information or pictures for with their four children in 1931. Ralph reference, but I was always on the had achieved national recognition for his lookout, and a little over a year later, piano designs, but because of the Great I spotted the same face on a doll with Depression, lost his job. He briefly worked cloth hair! She had a yellow cotton fabric as a radio cabinet designer for RCA, but “Abigail” was first published in 1938. “wig” which had been sewn to fit her this job, too, was short lived. Ralph was head, split at the bottom to make braids, and fringed at the devastated by the loss of his position with RCA, and Portia forehead to create bangs. She was dressed in a calico prairie decided that the family would go to Nashville, as they had style outfit and attached to her hand was a tag which read fond memories of previous time spent there. She felt sure “Abigail, Brown County Folks Shop, Nashville Indiana.” that the family would do well in Brown County. At that time, I drew a picture of the hair and copied the After working at various seasonal jobs within the writing on the tag, but came home from the show, only to community, the Sperrys had gained a reputation as hard misplace my information. After several months, I found working, honest people. Because of that reputation, the my notes, and then started searching the internet for bits of manager of the Nashville House, a local hotel, asked Portia information. I began to find some answers to the questions to fill in for one week as a cook. When the week was over, I had about my mystery girl. A photo and caption posted she was offered another job – managing the gift shop for a by the Indiana Historical Society showed that “Abigail” few months. She agreed, but had the notion that the shop
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An Abigail with brown eyes, also stuffed with wool. She does not have the darts forming the chin and ears. I believe she was made between 1932 and 1938.
This page from the book shows the doll’s portmanteau under the bed.
This 18-inch Abigail has the most complete original outfit, although missing her apron. Her shoes are made of oil cloth, the material that her son, Jim Sperry, recalls his mother using to complete the dolls’ portmanteaus.
Side view showing the cloth wig.
could be more successful selling hand crafted, locally produced items. The manager thought her idea was a good one, and soon offered Portia a permanent job at the Brown County Folks Shop. Brown County was home to a flourishing artist’s colony. So Portia Sperry approached the artisans, who agreed to sell the items they created at the shop. Pottery, woven cloth, braided rugs, wood carvings and paintings were all available, as well as “folk type” toys. Portia was inspired to create a child’s rag doll after finding a tattered, old cloth doll in one of the log cabins in Brown County. She knew from experience with her own children that rag dolls were popular. Over several months, she developed a doll that she would name “Abigail”. Many hours were spent in the back room of the Nashville House perfecting the design of the doll’s jointed body using the old rag doll she found as a model. The torso and head of the doll were created using three pattern pieces. There is a center seam in the back, and the front of the doll is a flat piece of cloth which uses darts to create contours. She also worked at sewing pieces of clothing for her to wear. Portia felt that the doll could be a playmate and a teaching tool so her design was child friendly, using muslin and soft, washable wool stuffing to construct her. She decided to use buttons and ties on the clothing and shoes, and cloth hair cut into strips that were braided so children could learn these skills. She also wanted to teach a bit of
history, so Abigail became the Log Cabin Doll, dressed as an early pioneer. Later in life, Mrs. Sperry would tell her grandchildren that Abigail “might just as well be a doll that told a story and served a purpose”. Portia worked extremely hard on the pattern and clothing, but she just could not get Abigail’s face to look quite right. Because of her affiliation with the artist colony, she had strong friendships with several people there. One of her good friends was Carolyn Griffith, the wife of painter L.O. Griffith. When Carolyn saw the doll, she realized that Portia was putting the eyes in the middle of the forehead. Carolyn offered to design and paint the face of the Abigail doll using “fast dyes”. As production began, Mrs. Sperry realized that it would be necessary to enlist the help of local women. She went door to door with a finished doll and pattern pieces to recruit employees. Soon women in the community were approaching her to be part of her workforce. Not only were the dolls being made, but also a portmanteau was created to carry Abigail around. After experimenting with several methods, the portmanteau was eventually made by taping two empty Quaker Oat containers together, covering them with wallpaper and adding leather carrying handles. In February of 1932, the Nashville House held a “Christening Party” for Abigail, the Log Cabin Doll. Local newspapers printed an invitation to the party along with an article about Portia, the local women, and the artisans 29
Book Review
The Panorama of Parisienne Dolls By Danielle and François Theimer
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verwhelming in its scope, French historian Francois Theimer’s much anticipated book, The Panorama of Parisienne Dolls, the follow-up to The Huret Book, was well worth the wait. Over 400 pages, it is a grand, glorious tour of the Parisienne doll beginning with events that directly influenced its emergence – the fashionable salon of the Marquise de Rambouillet (1588-1665) whose prominent female attendees sent model dolls they called “Pandora” to capital cities around the world displaying the latest Paris fashions; French artist and store mannequins; Psyche, a small paper model which appeared in the magazine of the same name (1834-1878) – all adult pleasures, but this would soon change. Prior to the French Revolution toys were only made for the elite. The first dolls with kid bodies were advertised in 1791 in time for children’s New Year’s gifts. The early years of the 19th century saw the birth of the Parisienne doll, the bust made of cardboard (carton moule), a kid leather body and extremely long legs. German manufacturers studied the Parisienne dolls and eventually, with improved papier-mache techniques, began to mass-produce busts, which were largely exported to France and were available for a lower cost than the French busts. Theimer’s thorough historical analysis discusses how changing fashions influenced by current events, leaders and political motivations affected doll makers. Exquisite engravings and outstanding photography complement his intensive research. The second generation Parisienne doll begins with Mlle Huret and a new kind of body construction and a porcelain head. Every doll maker who played a part in the doll industry is discussed chronologically – their patents and improvements are detailed at length, along with beautiful photographs of each maker’s crowning achievements. Parisienne dolls were still being exhibited at the 1878 Exposition Universelle but as our readers know their time was ending and they were gradually being displaced by the bebe. An easy to use appendix lists makers, important dates and suppliers, a chronological list of patents for Parisienne dolls of the second generation and the various styles of kid bodies. Another invaluable section includes the smaller sized manufacturers; the luxury Parisian retailers including Madame Lavallee-Peronne whose magazine La Poupee Modèle trumpeted the fashion doll known as “Lily”; a complete listing of a full trousseau for a doll in 1865; accessories for the Parisienne and much more. In short this is the single most important reference for a collector of Parisienne dolls. Yes, it is expensive (largely due to our shrinking American dollar) but well worth the price. $330 includes priority postage. Email: Francois.Theimer@wanadoo.fr or visit www. theimer.fr 40
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Learning About American-Made Dolls
The Trion Toy Company Early Suppliers of American Made Composition Dolls by Ursula Mertz photos Otto Mertz
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he Trion Toy Company of Brooklyn was established in 1911. By 1915, the company was doing well and was advertising regularly in the trade magazines Playthings and Toys And Novelties. Just one year later in a December ad, Trion announced that they would participate in the spring New York Toy Show and in the Though this Chicago show in April. doll is clearly Around 1910, composition doll production was in its infancy. identified as The tremendous success of E. I. Horsman’s Billiken in 1909 had having been made by the encouraged young American toy companies to try their luck with Trion Toy Co., the production of locally made composition dolls. Besides Trion it was dressed there was Effanbee, Ideal Toy and Novelty Company and many and sold by the others. In those early days, all of them offered a similar line of dolls. Averill Co., 13” tall. They featured composition heads and short arms. Cloth bodies and limbs were stuffed with ground cork and with excelsior for the cheaper varieties. The composition components were made of a dense, gluebased composition, which was much too heavy to produce dolls made entirely of this material. The dolls featured molded painted hair and painted eyes. The start of World War I gave all of This little girl is 18” tall these newly established firms a boost. Toy and marked: Trion Doll shipments from Europe had been cut off. Co. // 1915. No name In 1916, Trion announced that they had was found for her. purchased a large additional plant She is all original, right down to her to be able to fill all orders received. shoes and socks. They were producing 25,000 dolls Unfortunately, her a week. Trion supplied other small face is very faded. companies with dolls. Illustrated with With more coloring, her smiling little face this article are two items that were would show off to dressed and sold by the Averill Co., one better advantage. outfitted as a Native American and the other dressed in a Dutch costume. Both bear the Trion mark on their necks. Many of the early Trion dolls were designed by Ernesto Peruggi. They were advertised as character dolls. There were boys and girls, and they were given individual names. The Coleman Encyclopedia states in 1915, Happy has the same face as the that some of their dolls were produced with kid previous girl. He is bodies. None of these have ever been seen. Few of 17” tall and wears the Trion dolls seem to have survived. his original clothes. One of the Trion ads stated: “Dollar For Dollar
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SELL A DOLL IN THE EMPORIUM
If you’re like most of us, there are usually a couple of dolls in your collection that you would like to sell in order to reinvest in another doll. That’s what we designed the Antique Doll EMPORIUM for… you the collector! Take advantage of this special forum; the cost is only $60. Send us a photo or a digital photo of your doll with a description and your check or credit card information. We do the rest!! Antique DOLL Collector, P.O. Box 239, Northport, NY 11768. Phone 1-888-800-2588. Email: antiquedoll@gmail.com
Babes from the Woods
SARA BERNSTEIN DOLLS
www.sarabernsteindolls.com or www. sarabernsteindolls.rubylane.com Email: santiqbebe@aol.com
I’ve just acquired some fantastic dolls cloth, bisque, etc. Enjoy a visit to my websites for pictures and prices. phone 732-536-4101
presents hand carved wooden Queen Anne style dolls by Kathy Patterson
Debra’s Dolls
20 N. Main Street P.O. Box 705 Mullica Hill, NJ 08062 856.478.9778 www.debrasdolls.com Member UFDC & NADDA OPEN: 12-4 Thurs, Fri & Sat
(705) 489-1046
11” Kestner #185 PaintedEye Character Child $3,250
Email: toysintheattic@sympatico.ca
www.babesfromthewoods.com
JOY’S ANTIQUE DOLLS PO Box 30 Westcliffe CO 81252 719-783-4500
The Russian girl listed in the SFBJ catalogue of 1912. Perfect and pristine. Price on request.
MAGNIFICENT MARY TODD LINCOLN china head lady doll, circa 1860, 20” tall, $2250. See this and many other antique dolls, clothing and accessories on my website.
www.joysantiquedolls.com
Nora’s Antique Dolls & Collectibles 1-732-341-2611 Extremely rare 11” incised Jumeau cartouche. Extraordinary pale bisque and mesmerizing spiral blue threaded eyes. Marked early Jumeau body in excellent original condition. Exquisite antique costume. Visit her and other quality antique dolls and accessories on my website.
www.noramcneil.com
Nora’s Fabulous Finds
rubylane.com/shops/nora2 Fabulous antique factory made pink silk brocade dress, bonnet, shoes and socks for doll of approximately 19”-21” in height. Excellent condition. $1695. Please visit my web shop at
www.rubylane.com/ shops/antiquedolls
for beautiful dolls and genuine antique clothing items and wigs for your dolls.
TRISH’S TREASURES ANTIQUE DOLLS Email: trish_maule@yahoo.com 46
9” AM “Just Me” An outstanding example of one of the most beloved of AM characters.The face speaks for itself. Great bisque and adorable body,precious original dress under her coat,can be seen on my website. $1700. 1-914-939-4455
www.museedelapoupeeparis.com
10” Simon Halbig Rare Character #1448 known as IV. Fully jointed body, original Scottish attire. $11,500. Gloria Duddlesten 903-792-3747 903-277-0833
www.evelynphillipsdolls.com
Fine Antique Dolls Since 1979
For a Valentine’s treat, call for this adorable 22” toggle tongue K*R 126 with flirty eyes $1,200. Holding 14” Bye-Lo Baby by Grace Putnam $495.
Currently selling a large collection on eBay under the screen name “dollstx”
lindak222@comcast.net (804) 364-1328 Member of UFDC and DDA
www.gloriasantiquedolls.com email: dollstx@cableone.net RA Character Boy9 1/2”, laughing open/ closed mouth with upper and lower molded teeth and tongue, molded hair, painted eyes, perfect bisque except for some specks on the neck behind the ear, 5 piece body with unpainted torso, original romper. $795. Member UFDC and NADDA. Call 215-794-8164 or email: alloyd@nni.com or find me at
RubyLane.com/shops/anntiquedolls
Victorian Retreat Antique Dolls Lynne Shoblom. Phone 928-445-5908 or cell 928-713-1909.
email: victorianretreat@msn.com Member of UFDC
Fantastic 22” closed mouth and rare Simon Halbig 719. Gorgeous blue spiral eyes, beautiful oily bisque, expert painting on this sweet character face. She is on her original chunky straight wristed body, lovely antique whitework dress and hat, original mohair wig. There a few wig pulls, other than that perfect bisque. A steal at only $4295! (books for $6500!) See this beauty and more dolls at my Ruby Lane site.
w w w. v i c t o r i a n r e t r e a t . r u b y l a n e . c o m
A Page from the Past:
A Galluba and Hofmann Catalogue Page and Some Matching Figurines
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by Sharon Hope Weintraub
stablished in 1891 by Hugo Galluba and Georg Hofmann 1891, the Germany company of Galluba and Hofmann is renowned among doll collectors for its beautiful bisque and china bathing beauties, fashion ladies, and half dolls. However, as has happened with so many German porcelain manufacturers, much of the company’s original catalogue material has been lost or destroyed. So, when a generous fellow collector from Germany sent me a copy of a single catalogue page, I was granted a rare glimpse back into history. Many of the figurines featured on the page are scarce and unusual, affirming Galluba’s extraordinary artistry and imagination. Although the page, shown in Illustration 1, was a copy of a copy, the images were still clear enough for me to definitely attribute several bathing belles in my own collection to this factory.
Illustration 3. Bisque bathing beauty of matronly woman, original bathing suit and wig. 5.5 inches long and 4.75 inches high, no visible marks. Illustration 4. Close-up of face of Illustration 3.
Illustration 1. Copy of a catalogue page from Galluba and Hofmann.
Illustration 2. Close-up of portion of catalogue page.
The catalogue page also demonstrates that Galluba had a sense of humor as well. Illustration 2 is a tableau featuring a handsome man in a bathing outfit gazing upon two women in net swimsuits, one a lovely young lady looking coyly over a shapely shoulder and the other a rather heavy-set matron. According to my German correspondent, the accompanying card placed between the man and the two ladies roughly translates as, “ I hope she doesn’t become like the old lady.’ The old lady herself is pictured in Illustration 3, and I think she has a beauty all her own. Of smooth bisque with a tanned, somewhat sallow, complexion, she is a superbly sculptured study of what thirty years or so will do to even
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