Antique DOLL Collector June 2009 Vol. 12, No. 5
June 2009 Vol. 12, No. 5 $595 / $695 Canada www.antiquedollcollector.com
The Trousseau Doll at by Sylvia Mac Neil photography by Esther Huybreghts
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De Kleine Wereld Museum
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n the mid-nineteenth century, Paris was the place above all others for variety and innovation in the magical world of dolls and their endless, attendant accessories. The innumerable Parisian doll and toy shops were abound with miniature replicas of every item necessary to a doll’s toilette. The most exquisite fashions in the most perfect taste presented such a tempting array in the shop windows that it required the greatest amount of self-denial to pass them by. These goods were destined to delight every fancy of the little demoiselles. Madame Prinsart was the proprietor of one such toy shop, “Au Père Noel.” The china doll featured here was purchased at this establishment, and she now resides at a toy museum in the small, historic town of Lierre, Belgium, De Kleine Wereld. The enchanting china doll (right) stands 15-1/2 inches tall. Her eyes are blue glass and her brown wig is made of real hair. The body is made of leather and the lower arms are china. The doll is photographed in one of the museum’s main attractions, the magnificent, three-floor mansion, Villa Helena. Built in the nineteenth style by a master-carpenter for the museum, and furnished in the style of Napoleon III, it provides a unique presentation for lady dolls, their accessories and furnishings. An original paper label (below, right) from a French doll shop is found on her back. “Au Père Noel, Perruques en Vrais Cheveux Fins, Figurines Artistiques, Mme Prinsart, 49, Rue Saint Sebastien “Father Christmas, Wigs of Real Fine Hair, Artistic Figurines, Madame Prinsart, 49 Rue Saint Sebastien.” She possesses an elegant trousseau that is documented by an itemized list, hand written in French, (below) “list of the Trousseau of my doll.” Amazingly, nearly every item on the list is present and intact. “List of the Trousseau of my doll; 3 daytime chemises; l night chemise; 2 drawers; 4 petticoats; 2 guimpes; 3 pairs of sleeves; 2 collars; 1 crinoline; 7 dresses; 1 wedding gown; l shawl; 1 apron; l plush coat; l coat with a hood; 2 hoods; 4 hats; l wedding crown; l cape; l muff; 2 pairs of stockings; 4 pairs of boots; 2 bonnets; 1 night bonnet.” Made up in a large scale, ivory and coral plaid, silk taffeta, this elaborate dress (left) is one of the most elegant creations ever introduced into the realms of doll fashion. One doesn’t often see such a large scale plaid, or one in such a pretty color. The separate, round-necked bodice, with long, double-piped points front and back, is boned at the back where it closes by hand-made eyelets and a silk cord. A separate bertha is tucked and edged with white blonde. The voluminous, side-pleated skirt is trimmed with three flounces which are gathered by a cord at the top, in the l860s style. Rows of narrow, coral, silk ribbon with tiny picot loops, garnish each flounce, with the added fancy of a wider, coral ribbon box-pleated ruche heading the top flounce. The same width ribbon is fashioned into numerous classic bows with long, floating ends, which are set about in the most unnecessary places. The doll wears a fanchon of white dotted silk, bound along the edge with coral ribbon, accented with Chantilly lace. This plaid, taffeta confection could very well be the robe de mariage, or wedding gown, as mentioned in the trousseau list. A head piece of white flowers, accented with coral ribbons completes the ensemble. 19
DEP:
Quality French Bébés with a German Touch by Samy Odin
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ow long did we struggle, in France, with the fact that some of our dolls came with a German made head! One needs to look back to history in order to better understand the reasons for such a drama. The peaceful period between wars fought by France and Germany, the 1870s and World War I, nourished a strong, not to say wild, competition between two cultural clichés. The first stated that the French made a very small production of classy dolls, nice looking but too expensive for what they were. According to the second cliché, the Germans made a huge quantity of poor quality dolls, usually ugly and sold inexpensively. Between these two caricatured realities there are myriads of nuances that are equally true. Many dolls during that period frame were the result of the combined efforts and skills of both countries. Today, as doll collectors free from patriotic concerns, we appreciate each doll for its attributes, paying a well deserved tribute to both the countries who contributed in creating a generation of, oftentimes, outstanding dolls. The purpose of this article is to present the varied production of dolls whose heads were made in Germany by Simon & Halbig for French makers such as Fleischmann & Bloedel and, later, the SFBJ. Their common marking is the abbreviation “DEP” clearly engraved in block letters in their neck. The earliest dolls of this kind came with a closed mouth and stationary enamel eyes of the best quality. They were made out of poured bisque by the talented porcelain factory of Simon & Halbig, whose standards during the 1890s were superior in quality to the majority of the French companies active at that time in France. The mold reserved for the French market was Simon & Halbig’s mold #749. Yet, the heads made out of this mold rarely bore the mold number, only “DEP” appears (an abbreviation for “Deponiert” in German or “Déposé” in French) engraved in the neck, together with the size number, usually marked lower. Observing the doll presented here (photos 1 and 2), one can notice the excellent creamy complexion, the delicate make-up, the very expressive French made eyes and the lightly curled mohair wig. The unmarked body also has French characteristics. It is made of wood and compo with articulations at the shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips and knees.
Photo 1 Photo 2
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The Character Dolls of
Theodor Recknagel by Linda Edward
This 6 ½ inch doll is incised with the Recknagel mark R 46 A. Mold 46 features googly style side-glancing intaglio eyes, molded hair with a molded/painted hair band, and a closed mouth. The crude 5 piece body generally used for Recknagel’s dolls. Photos courtesy of Joan & Lynette Antique Dolls and Accessories.
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ay the words “character dolls” and one is immediately swept away with thoughts of Kämmer & Reinhardt’s 100 series, Kestner’s painted eyed beauties, Simon Halbig’s exceptional faces or Gebruder Heubach’s open/closed mouth children with their intricate molded hairstyles, but one maker of characters that is often forgotten about is Theodor Recknagel. Recknagel worked in his early career for the porcelain factory of Julius Karl Heubach (a relative to the owners of the Gebruder Heubach Company of Lichte). Julius Heubach manufactured bisque doll heads at his factory in Laushca near Sonneberg and hired a number of sculptors to create doll heads for his firm. In 1886 Theodor Recknagel’s employment with Heubach was ended and he opened his own porcelain factory in Alexandrienthal, Coberg. By 1989 his factory employed 200 workers. Recknagel began to manufacture bisque doll heads that were much like the other dolly faced dolls popular at the time. As exploration and colonialism opened up
Recknagel’s character dolls included his version of Max and Moritz. This is a 7 inch tall Moritz. The close-up of Moritz head shows his distinctively molded hair style. Photos courtesy of Ann Marie’s Antique Dolls, Arizona.
This pair of 8 ½ inch Bonnet babies wear their original factory gowns which are stamped “Baby Bunting.” The boy is mold 28 and has an open/closed mouth with 2 upper teeth. The girl is mold number 22 and has similar facial features to the boy.
This 7 inch girl is mold 58. This model is interesting with her molded hair including its adorned band and small intaglio style eyes but the coloring and quality of the bisque is somewhat rough. Photos courtesy of The Museum Doll Shop.
new doll markets and fostered an interest in exotic dolls Recknagel, like many other German doll makers, experimented along this line. In 1893 he took out a design patent for a method of adding pigment directly to porcelain slip to create “Mullatto” dolls. By the turn of the 20th century his mind had turned to improvements for doll eyes and eyelashes and he took out design patents for these ideas in 1900 and 1901. By 1910 the same forces in the industry that caused other doll makers to move in the direction of character dolls were having an effect on Recknagel’s dolls as well. From 1910 to 1912 he registered design patents for over 30 different character head molds. Many of these dolls were strikingly similar to heads being produced by other companies such as Heubach. Recknagel’s character doll heads were numbered 22 through 57. They included googly types and bonnet babies. The quality of Recknagel’s porcelain doll heads ranged quite widely from some very low-end products to dolls of high standards, so much care should be exercised when shopping for a doll to add to your collection. In February 1910 an article appeared in the New York Times which covered an exhibit of a new type of doll made by a group of artists spearheaded by Marion Kaulitz. The reporter remarked how the public response to these new character dolls was sure to “effect the entire future” of doll making. Although the character doll movement turned out in the light of history to be short-lived, basically lasting a mere ten to twelve years, these first artist dolls did have a major impact on the doll industry which filtered down from the largest doll makers to even the smaller companies. Although Theodor Recknagel’s dolls may have been somewhat derivative in design and variable in quality they are good examples of the impact the character doll movement had on the doll making industry and make charming additions to any character doll collection today. 39