Antique DOLL Collector February 2011 Vol. 14, No. 1
February 2011 Vol. 14, No. 1 $595 / $695 Canada www.antiquedollcollector.com
A bebe by Gaultier with stunning blue eyes on a Gesland body stands over a large valentine whose cut border is reflected in the similar border of the lace collar that hangs behind the doll.
In pristine condition, an early Steiner retains her original wardrobe still packed in the presentation box it came in.
Valentines and Old Lace by Janet Gula
R
omance can be defined in many ways. A Valentine to be exchanged between lovers or a delicate piece of lace worn by a beautiful woman can both produce iconic images of romanticism. Their history and origins, although separate and unique, is still connected through their association with love and marriage.
The History of Valentine’s Day
18
Two character dolls produced by the firm of Kammer and Reinhardt, Marie and Gretchen are visions in white lace.
The celebration of Valentine’s Day is one that goes back many centuries. While it is named after a martyred saint there remains much mystery as to who this saint was and how he became connected with this day. The celebration of a day to recognize romance is also one that has historically been held in February and also has questionable roots. Today the Catholic Church honors three saints, all named Valentine, who were martyred in the ďŹ rst centuries. One of the most popular legends involved a priest named Valentine who disobeyed a decree from Emperor Claudius II outlawing marriage for young soldiers (Claudius believed that unmarried soldiers made better soldiers) and married them
Copying the look of lace, this elaborate valentine was produced by the English firm of Joseph Meek around 1850. This time period is sometimes referred to as the Golden Age of Valentines.
secretly. When it was discovered that Valentine was doing this he was ordered to be put to death. While awaiting his execution he fell in love with the daughter of his jailor and just before his death he sent her a letter that he signed “from your Valentine” effectively sending the very first Valentine card. Whether this was based on fact or fiction it became a story that was widespread and by the middle ages Valentine was one of the most popular saints known in both England and France. The choice to celebrate this day in February and particularly February 14th may not be just a coincidence. During Roman times, February was considered the official start of spring; a fertility festival began on the 15th of February. During these celebrations young girls would write their names and deposit them in large urns. Young men would pull a name out of the urn and that was the girl they married. Early Christian leaders, hoping to convert their Roman masters, might have decided to hold a holiday celebration that would coincide with these festivals and appeal to new converts. Circa 498 A.D., Pope Gelasius declared February 14th as the official day to celebrate Saint Valentine’s Day. In the Middle Ages, it was believed that February 14th marked the beginning of the mating season for birds, further adding to the notion of it as a day associated with romance. In Geoffrey Chaucer’s “Parlement of Foules” written in 1382 he noted that “for this was Saint Valentine’s Day, when every bird cometh there to choose his mate.” In Chaucer’s day it was a tradition for young men and women to draw names from a bowl on Valentine’s Day and
A 238 character doll created by S.F.B.J. has a twinkle in her “jewelled” eye as she prepares for Valentine’s day. All that’s missing is the chocolate!
A rare bebe from the firm of Mothereau and Bayeux has a mischievous expression. Has she been into mother’s candy box?
A hand cut religious devotional card from around 1700 is a precursor for the modern Valentine. This one contains at its center a painting of St. Paul. Esther Howland is sometimes called the “Mother of the American Valentine”. She decorated her valentines with real lace, satin ribbon and pieces of “scrap” (small paper images). From modest beginnings in the late 1840’s she quickly established a thriving business. 19
Civil War Era Fundraiser
W
e recently caught up with Miss Rose Percy, arguably the most important doll in American history. Next year marks her 150th birthday and to mark this momentous event a very special birthday celebration has been planned, one that continues her mission of service to veterans of wars. Good morning Miss Percy. May we call you Rose? Certainly, I do not stand on ceremony and Donna, I feel like we are old friends. Your publication has always been very kind to me.
24
Comes out of Retirement You were the talk of the 1864 Metropolitan Sanitary Fair. What did it feel like to raise so much money for those suffering from injuries inflicted during the Civil War? There are so many people to thank for my success. When I think of the generosity lavished upon this humble person by so many distinguished gentlemen – Mr. Charles Tiffany and the furriers Messrs. C.G. Gunther come to mind. And then the painstaking labor by the lovely young women of Mrs. Hoffman’s finishing school – what an amazing trousseau they created for me! Is it any wonder that Mrs. John Jacob Astor could not resist paying dearly for me? We understand Mrs. Astor generously donated you back to the fair and you were raffled again. That’s correct. My lucky winner kindly returned me to the finishing school and I was given to the school’s doctor, who in turn gave me his daughter Bertha. We became terribly close. For over sixty years, Bertha took care of me and I continued my mission – to raise funds for worthy causes. I miss her terribly, but I know she watches over me and simply loves what I am doing know.
Tell us about your years with the Red Cross. In 1920 at the end of her life’s journey, my beloved Bertha donated me to the American Red Cross in Washington, D.C. You can imagine what a change that was for me! For eighty years, people visited from around the world and heard my story, but I felt rather out of sorts. After all, I was used to being on the go, but being the official mascot for the Junior Red Cross for over eighty years was one of the honors of my life. And then a big change came. Yes, the Red Cross suffered a shortfall following Hurricane Katrina and they were forced to sell some of their treasures. I was packed up and sent off to an auction house. It was wonderful to be on the move again, but I was very nervous. Who would buy me and where would I end up? It would be dreadful if I were forced to leave the country that I love. 25
Phil May Antiques & Collectables
TOP ROW: 1. Wonderful rare 18” German Character Boy – deep intaglio eyes – no marks, $2250 2. 14” Georgene “Beloved Belindy” in nice condition, $1150 3. Black Kopplesdorf toddler #339 - mint condition, wonderful outfit, $575 4. Rare 11” (smallest size) Shirley Temple, original outfit and pin, $895 5. Black child by Handwerck, perfect bisque and good body, $1450 6. Black compo and
Ocean Grove, NJ 732-604-3011 dollmanofog@aol.com
cloth character man doll - great features, $495 7. Uncle Wiggly and Nurse Jane - cloth - original outfits, good color, $1450 8. Patsy Ann by Effanbee in unusual riding outfit, excellent compo, $495 SECOND ROW: 9. Kestner all bisque twins in presentation box, perfect with 4 outfits, $750 10. 7” AM Googly, all original (small chip where wire strung sleep eyes), $495 11. 7” AM Googly – all original and perfect, $795 12. 4” Black Heubach Piano Baby – perfect, $350 13. 5” Black Heubach Piano Baby – perfect, $450
THIRD ROW: 14. Hertwig boy and girl bisque figures 8” boy/wolf and girl/lamb, perfect, $675 pair 15. 22” S&H 1329 Oriental doll – rare, great condition, $3450 16. Delightful Hertwig Jubliee Googlies – wonderful examples, the large doll in near mint original condition with toddler body, $13,500 and her smaller sister at about 15 inches, also in excellent condition, $7,500. So appealing and rare! 17. Ideal Teddy, c. 1910-15 – shoe button eyes, very nice condition, red ribbon, 23”, $1750 18. Ideal Teddy, c. 1910-1915 – shoe button eyes, very nice condition, 23”, black ribbon, $1750
34
The California Bisque Doll Company Solving a Mystery
I
By Susan Foreman
n 1987 we purchased a most unusual bisque doll. The 30” doll has a pale bisque head with an open mouth featuring four upper teeth as part of the mold, blue glass sleep eyes beneath slightly molded/painted brows, and is on a composition and wooden ball jointed body. The back of the head is stamped in black “CBD Co (in circle)//Patent Applied for.” The auction company from which we purchased the doll noted that she was a product of the short lived California Bisque Doll Company of Berkeley, California and dated the doll circa 1925. A most unique feature of this doll is the unusual glaze on the inside of her head. This glaze further verifies her origin. Other than that we knew nothing, but we were intrigued to know more about this relatively unknown company. We first turned to Coleman’s Encyclopedia of Dolls Part II (part I had nothing) which had only a brief notation indicating that the company was in existence in 1925 and probably other years in Berkeley, California (no doubt the source for the auction company description) and that they “made doll heads marked CBDCo under the direction of Mrs. H.T. Epperson.” I was fortunate to sit with the Colemans at a UFDC function in 1988 and the conversation turned to this mysterious doll. Jane Coleman mentioned that she had only seen one such doll (the doll photographed in the Encyclopedia) and it was of a smaller size than our 30” example, had a closed mouth, and was marked CBDCo (in circle) and MS (intertwined letters). Dorothy Coleman suggested I try writing various newspapers and historical societies in the Berkeley area. The Berkeley Historical Society and the Oakland Library could only provide the original address of 1175 San Pablo Avenue in Berkeley, confirm the names of the original partners as H.T. and H.C. Epperson, and that the company was listed in the City Directory from 1922-1930. There was also mention of a Marion F. Davis being associated with the company. (Perhaps the MS on the doll head represents the first letter of Marion’s first name and the last letter of her last name DaviS). I wrote to everyone named Epperson that I could locate in the bay area in hopes that one would be related to the dollmaking Eppersons…no luck. In the days before the internet everything took time. The search continued. In the Fall 1988 issue of the UFDC magazine Doll News my request for information was included in the “Let’s Trade Secrets” column. I received one reply from Marylily (Mrs. John D.) Speakman of Kensington, California. Mrs. Speakman wrote as follows:
Full length view of our doll wearing a beautiful coat that was a gift to us from one of our watch repair customers. This was our customer’s coat in 1923.
“Dear Susan, In reply to your letter in the Fall 1988 issue of Doll News, page 47, I have a little information which might be of interest to you. I knew the California Bisque Doll Company on San Pablo Avenue in Albany (Berkeley), California. I visited it many times with my Mother. I have a wig for one very old doll (c. 1923) that my Mother had made from my own hair at the California Bisque Doll Company. As for dolls and toys from there I have none, only perhaps my old “mama doll” which I received on Christmas in the early 1920’s from Santa Claus. After several years we did take that doll to the California Bisque Doll Company to have her face and hair repainted. It is still a treasure.
35