Antique DOLL Collector May 2012 Vol. 15, No. 4
May 2012 Vol. 15, No. 4 $595 / $695 Canada www.antiquedollcollector.com
What’s Inside Miss Baggy Pants? The Repair of a Terrene French Fashion Doll by Kathleen Crescuillo
D
uring the latter half of the 19th century various French doll makers came up with many inventive designs for doll bodies. In those early years of doll designing the many firms were in serious competition with each other to make the better and more saleable doll. This fueled the fire for all the different and sometimes odd body styles. These different body styles are of great interest to me since they allow dolls to have varying degrees of articulation and make them more than just mannequins for their lovely fashions. A stiff kid body doll, no matter how lovely, is not as fun as a doll I can pose and animate. I think it goes back to my childhood when I had many fun times playing with my little Betsy McCall doll. Her knees could bend and this added great play value to the doll. This was fun until I tried to have her straddle
20
ANTIQUE DOLL COLLECTOR
MAY 2012
1.
my Bryers pony and snapped her leg off at the hip, later to be repaired by me as an adult. At last year’s UFDC doll convention in Anaheim, CA I was determined to find a doll with something unique. I found that special doll in the sales room on opening night, when a friend brought my attention to a Briens Fashion doll she had for sale. (Photo 1) A Briens has a patented early body style that involves the stuffed kid thighs being attached diagonally at the hip. There are inserted wooden washers that allow the legs to pivot somewhat like a teddy bear joint. The knees and bisque arms are also jointed in innovative ways involving half
3.
2.
wooden balls inserted in the kid allowing articulation. (Photo 2) I was so happy with this beautiful doll, that I was satisfied to go home with only her as my treasure from the convention. But each time I walked around the sales room my attention was always attracted to a pitiful fashion doll lying on a table, having no clothes and eventually a detached head. (Photo 3) I would call this doll a true basket case since she needed so many things repaired. Her legs were floppy and loose and appeared to be ready to fall off. The friendly and honest dealer brought attention to an invisible repair to the bisque under her chin. I recognized that she had a body style frequently referred to as Terrene. Another fun name, which is used to describe this doll is “Miss Baggy Pants,” referring to the covering of leather on her hips and thighs to below her knees. This has the appearance of ANTIQUE DOLL COLLECTOR
MAY 2012
21
Enjoy the beautiful coastal village of Camden, Maine located on the pristine Penobscot Bay. OUR SHOP IS FULL – we have been buying all winter. We invite you to beautiful Maine to visit our shop. We open Memorial Day weekend. Please call our cell phone for questions or purchases 207-322-4851. Shop 207-236-4122 Fax 207-236-4377 49 Bay View Street, Camden, ME 04843 email: lucysdollhouse49@roadrunner.com
A Mystery Doll by Kestner? I
by Penny Hadfield
n November, 2011, I acquired a most unusual 9” tall all bisque doll, incised “133” at the top of her head in back, and “12” way down on her neck (her size). She made me think “KESTNER” right away because of her plaster pate with her original gauze cap and attached mohair wig…but, she had pierced ears and pale peach colored shoes with pretty bows! I had never heard of peach (or any other pastel color, for that matter) shoes on a Kestner…Simon & Halbig yes, but not Kestner. I spent a couple of days speculating about her, and then decided to ask a couple of very knowledgeable friends their opinions. I sent pictures of her to Jan Foulke and Donelle Denery, both of whom I consider experts on the subject of all bisque dolls. We all emailed back and forth for several days discussing possibilities. Could someone else have made her? Well, yes, but Kestner was known to have used pierced ears on some of the so-called French Wrestlers. Still it was those peach shoes that perplexed us; they really were more like legs Simon & Halbig would have made. It finally came down to the need to know if the arms and legs were marked with a “12” as on her head. She was all pegged with kid lined joints and I couldn’t see the markings. I was left with no choice but to cut the cords attaching her arms and legs. I carefully peeled back the kid linings so I could re-use them, and then
9” tall doll marked only “133” and “12” at the base of her neck. A charming face with bright blue spiral threaded paperweight eyes, dimpled cheeks and lovely mouth, topped by her original plaster pate and wefted mohair wig. Markings on back of her head. Note how the ‘3’s are formed with inward curving ends. ANTIQUE DOLL COLLECTOR
MAY 2012
27
Blackberry Studio Margaret Gray Kincaid Tel. 410.323.0373 Cell: 646-709-4340 Margaret.kincaid@gmail.com Member NADDA and UFDC
Come see us in Boston May 11 & 12, 2012 French fashion with rare articulated body $7500 Little German children in all original outfits $1200 French goat $450 French little dog $300
Fritzi’s Antique Dolls
Buying and Selling Collections 630-553-7757 fritzisantiquedolls@comcast.net
Member NADDA and UFDC
Tel: 425.765.4010 • Valerie@beautifulbebes.com Member UFDC & NADDA
Early F. G. and Bru Smiler Fashions are out shopping for a new owner!
WE WILL BE AT THE FOLLOWING SHOWS IN MAY: May 11 & 12, NADDA, Boston, MA May 19, Milwaukee, WI, Rose Percy Event May 20 – Madison Heights, MI, UFCW Hall, Dollicious Show 40
ANTIQUE DOLL COLLECTOR
MAY 2012
Stunning 17" Brevete by Leon Casimir Bru circa 1879. If you have always dreamed of owning a truly beautiful Brevete Bru this is the mademoiselle for you! Powdery pale bisque, gorgeous blue spiral threaded eyes set in tenderly rendered palate of mauves and rose tones. Enrobed in rich teal and bronze toned frock with high brimmed bonnet and antique shoes; all in generally superb condition. Moderately priced. Please call for additional details! Come See Us! May 11-12, 2012 at the NADDA Annual Doll Show & Sale Embassy Suites Boston/ Waltham
Beautifulbebes.com www.rubylane.com/shop/bebesatticfinds
ictorian Trade Cards and the Doll Motif by Elizabeth K. Schmahl
L
ife for a lady during the Victorian era was simple and modest. With a strong emphasis on domestic strength and morality, Victorian society was often demanding of the woman’s role in the home. From the responsibility of child rearing to the tedium of daily household tasks, women during this period often sought amusement in scrap projects. As countless Victorian scrap albums turn up in antique shops, we realize that the Victorian woman was a sentimental woman. Scrapbooks from the 1880’s were often full of scraps and trade cards that brought out such images as the beauty of nature, the tenderness of animals, and the comforts of the everyday home life. But perhaps some of the most cherished items found in these scrapbooks are those that emphasized the innocence and happiness of childhood and the joys of toys and dolls! Some of the most popular paper items coveted by Victorian women were advertising trade cards. The chromolithography technique used at the time produced such colorful and delightful images that the average Victorian lady cherished each trade card
she received. Because trade cards often advertised household items and appealed to women, businesses and merchants tried to connect with women in the design of their advertisements. One could imagine the typical day of a nineteenth-century woman… trying to find a spare moment between darning socks or starching linens, all the while tending to her children. For example, as seen in these two ads of early Domestic Sewing Machines, (above) the cards market a stunning sewing machine in all its glory while the children play nearby with their dollies. In the next trade card for “Household Sewing Machines”, the mother almost appears solemn as if the day has gotten the best of her. She enjoys her time by the fire as she plays with her little girl and a doll. Other trade cards had a much more lighthearted theme. As seen in another trade card for Domestic Sewing Machines, (next page) the salesman chose not to illustrate a sewing machine at all, but focus on the splendors of childhood! Certainly, this trade card is almost an overly lavish image since the typical Victorian family could not afford many luxuries for ANTIQUE DOLL COLLECTOR
MAY 2012
41
SELL A DOLL IN THE
EMPORIUM BABES FROM THE WOODS Hand carved wooden Queen Anne style dolls by Kathy Patterson toysintheattic@sympatico.ca
Hand Carved Queen Anne Style and Antique Style Wooden Dolls by Anne Reiss Doll Kits Available Hand carved wooden dolls made to your specifications
Ph. 705-489-1046
www.cameoqueen.com
www.babesfromthewoods.com
843-314-3324 thecameoqueen@gmail.com
Kathy Libraty’s ANTIQUE DOLLS
GOT KEWPIE Blain Kukevitch
PO Box 295, Central Village, CT 06332 860-450-2617 • GotKewpie@att.net
Elisa with a stupendous 38” Kestner—call for Price of doll!
www.rubylane.com/shops/kathylibratysantiques www.kathylibratysdolls.com 718-859-0901 MEMBER: UFDC Libradolls@aol.com OR—Buy My Dolls on eBay where I begin most of my antique dolls for just $1—Search seller name kathylibraty
All original 18” Kuddle Kewpie w/tag, Kestner 13” glass eyed showing off her ‘signed” foot, her little sister all original and the 12” mysterious “1377” Kewpie Looking to purchase RARE bisque Kewpies & Kuddles
ALSO! MORE FRENCH BEBES, FASHIONS, BLACK BISQUE, GERMAN CHARACTERS & DOLLIES, PLUS++++
DOLLS FULLY GUARANTEED IN WRITING - 3 DAY RETURN PRIVILEGE!
ASK ABOUT OUR GENEROUS 8 MONTH LAYAWAY POLICY!
NEW! LARGER Size Emporium Ads.
Purchase of an ad includes FREE internet ad on our website. 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!! Take advantage of this special forum; the cost is only $95 for a 2.4”w x 2.9”h ad space. Antique DOLL Collector, P.O. Box 239, Northport, NY 11768. Phone 1-888-800-2588. Email: antiquedoll@gmail.com
46
ANTIQUE DOLL COLLECTOR
MAY 2012
Jumeau Automaton knitting girl - she has a marked Jumeau head and knits when the key is wound. It works well, the bisque is perfect and she is all original. $4950. Call 215-794-8164 or email alloyd@nni.com Member of UFDC and NADDA. Others may be seen at RubyLane.com/ shops/ anntiquedolls
SARA BERNSTEIN DOLLS Visit my website and view Quality Dolls at affordable prices. 100’s of pictures and prices.
Phone 732-536-4101 Email santiqbebe@ aol.com
www.sarabernsteindolls.com www.sarabernsteindolls.rubylane.com
“BABS”
Takes Her First Steps
A Bit of a Doll History Mystery by Donilee Popham Photos by Scott Popham
A
ventriloquist might seem an unlikely candidate to become a doll designer, but for Harry H. Coleman, it was this occupation that lead him to the doll business. More precisely, it was his ventriloquist’s dummy that gave him the idea. The Fort Wayne News reported on May 1, 1917, that Coleman, who was currently appearing there at the Palace Theater, was planning on “entering the manufacturing game soon to make…dolls for society girls.” It seemed that young girls were so attracted to his dummy, which could walk and “even does a tango step or two” that Coleman “determined there is a big potential market for the contraptions.” Harry Coleman was a British subject living in New York at the time he decided to take up doll manufacturing. He intended to make the United States his permanent home, as he had procured naturalization papers, but prior to beginning doll manufacturing, he traveled the country as a visitor, performing his ventriloquist act. A snippet in the May 6, 1915 Washington Post announced that Harry Coleman would perform at the Cosmos Theater “as a singing ventriloquist with a number of new and interesting features in his line.” His walking, dancing, singing dummy attracted much
Pair of “Babs” walking dolls are made almost entirely of metal. ANTIQUE DOLL COLLECTOR
MAY 2012
47