August 2012 by Antique DOLL Collector magazine

Antique DOLL Collector August 2012 Vol. 15, No. 7

August 2012 Vol. 15, No. 7 $595 / $695 Canada www.antiquedollcollector.com

Brave, Gay and Beautiful

German Flapper Ladies by Simon and Halbig and Armand Marseille by Sharon Weintraub

“I want her (my daughter) to be a ﬂapper, because ﬂappers are brave and gay and beautiful.” Zelda Fitzgerald, 1924

he doll lay dirty and unstrung in a battered shoe box at a local estate sale, clad only in a silk chemise so frail that bits of it blew away at the slightest breath and a single dirty ragged stocking. Her glass eyes had fallen into her head and her mohair wig was tangled and gray with dust. But I could see the beauty beneath the dirt and neglect. Her soft rounded face with the large eyes and open mouth with four tiny teeth seemed sweetly child-like, and her torso and slim arms could be those of a slender child, but her lower legs were the long shapely limbs of an adult woman, the narrow feet molded to fit pumps. In another room, I found a cedar box which first appeared to be filled with scraps of vintage fabric, but turned out to be the little lady’s wardrobe, including a perfect miniature pair of high34

ANTIQUE DOLL COLLECTOR

AUGUST 2012

Illustrations 1-2, doll marked “1159 Simon Halbig S & H. 5,” 13 inches tall.

heeled shoes and additional stockings. A bag of broken costume jewelry was found to contain several pieces of doll-sized adornments that fit her perfectly. This was my introduction to the line of German ladies with slim bodies and lithe legs generally referred to as flappers. My estate sale find is a 13-inch tall doll marked “1159 Simon Halbig S & H 5.” A little soap and water revealed the rosy, flawless bisque of her face and a bit of plaster put her big blue sleep eyes back in place. Some careful pin-combing brought shape and sheen back to her mohair wig, which still had its original ribbon headband, and inside her body was tucked the mate to her single stocking, as well as a little milk-glass bead chocker. Cleaned up and restrung, she was ready to model her wardrobe. In Illustration 1, she is poses for her portrait.

Illustration 3, Simon and Halbig 1159 with original undergarments.

Illustration 4, Simon and Halbig 1159 in original dress and shoes.

Although her silk chemise was melted beyond repair, most of the other pieces in her trousseau were intact. In Illustration 2, she stands in her sheer, short chemise, which ties with a pink ribbon at the neck and has short ruffled sleeves edged in blue. The stockings appear to be rayon, introduced as an alternative to silk in the 1880s, and the garters are adorned with ribbon rosettes. She wears a “pearl” drop on a delicate chain. Her house slippers, however, were borrowed from another doll, as they better suit her state of dishabille. In Illustration 3, she shyly shows off her other original undergarments. The fine cotton teddy snaps between her legs, a one-piece chemise sometimes referred to as “step-in.” On the chair next to her are a half-slip and a pair of panties in delicate pink windowpane fabric. The blue linen dress she models in Illustration 4 is beautifully tailored and looks commercially made. Her black pumps are original. The “pearl” necklace and bracelet were also found in the bag of costume jewelry. Another original outfit, an emerald green wool suit with a sleeveless silk blouse a la Coco Chanel, is shown in Illustration 5. This ensemble looks homemade. In Illustration 6, our little model is stepping out on the town. Her silk dress with rhinestone trim is homemade, but beautifully tailored. Unfortunately it is starting to melt. The velvet cloak with rabbit fur collar looks commercially made. Her sequin headband comes from the bag of costume jewelry.

Illustration 5, Simon and Halbig 1159 in original dress and shoes.

ANTIQUE DOLL COLLECTOR

AUGUST 2012

Gigi’s Dolls & Sherry’s Teddy Bears Inc. Allow Us To Help You Discover The Child Within You!

2003, 33” Steiff Maximilian, button & tag in ear, #123/1500 made exclusively for the Toy Shoppe $595 22” S&H #1159 Lady Doll, great 22” Kestner Baby Dome Head 18, blue sleep original body, auburn mohair eyes, jointed wrist, wig and clothing. Net over cotton dress, beautiful face and repainted hands, $695 coloring, slight repair on left cheek and chin, brown sleep eyes. Was $1150 Now $950 8” Adorable SFBJ #247 Twirp baby, blonde mohair wig, 5 piece baby body, blue glass eyes, C/M, great coloring $1095

8” 1870 Rare hair do, AWFR, Kister Porcelain Factory, blue eyes, bisque legs & arms, brown shoes, wonderful hair do $250 19” Molded brown eye ﬂat top China, great coloring & molding, hairline by left eye, left shoulder plate reglued, new body, china arms and legs $125

25” 1830 Wax over composition C/M, brown glass eyes open with wire, cloth body, arms of blue leather, fabulous material, in white dress with aqua blue satin ties, HH wig with antique lace and silk bonnet $1350

22” O/M Toddler K star R #126 with teeth, blue sleep eyes, lower left lid has a tiny eye ﬂake, body repainted, great expression. Was $495 Now $450 20” K star R baby #126, blue sleep eyes, mohair wig Was $550 Now $495

16.5” 1957 Alexander Elise Ballerina, jointed elbows and knees, no shoes $185 16.5” Elise 1957 Bridesmaid #1638 in box with tagged nightgown, shoes and ﬂowers, no basket. Was $425 Now $295 18” Uneeda Dolly Kins, all original, blue sleep eyes, black hair with pearls, satin and net tutu, fully jointed $150 8” NASB Mufﬁe, Sold 18” Ideal 1930’s compo Shirley Temple, original wig and dress, newer combination and shoes, great coloring, lip touch up, almost no crazing, great doll $325

4.75” 1920 A 16/0M pair, moveable bisque head, jointed 5 piece compo body, glass eyes, CM, all original outﬁts and wigs $265 6” Steiff 1960’s Mohair bear, no tag or button, stitched nose, glass eyes, jointed $150

19” Nippon Hilda, about 1915 Japan, original body, blue sleep eyes, mohair wig Was $650 Now $450 1960 Steiff Mopsy, swivel head, tongue, has Mopsy tag $95 17” Baby Horsman Nippon #2, blue sleep eyes, paint touch up on hands, 1915 $150

6” Wee Patsy Effanbee “Fairy Princess”, all original $175 9” German bisque Recknagle 28-7, molded cap w/ blue pom poms, O/C/M with teeth, Intaglio eyes, 5 piece baby body, smiling face. Was $425 Now $325 6” Wee Patsy, Effanbee with original pin and 2 outﬁts, Colleen Moore Doll House doll $225

14”Alpaca R John Wright jointed Winnie the Pooh with boots and ﬂannel-wool scarf, open mouth with tongue, box & certiﬁcate #7/1000, Walt Disney World Convention. Was $695 Now $400 12” Alpaca R. John Wright Winnie the Pooh, black glass eyes, jointed Was $425 Now $310 14” Alpaca R John Wright jointed Winnie the Pooh with honey bee on ear, glass eyes and honey pot, #4459/5000. Was $395 Now $325 16”x8” Winnie the Pooh Bears bed with antique type mattress, blanket and pillow, white iron/ metal bed #102/500 Was $499 Now $399.99

1969 Early English Sasha, Sold Sasha Baby Ginger, Sasha tag on arm, no box $125 1981 Sasha Velvet, L.E. 3701/5000,style 180, Sasha tag on arm, HH wig, blue eyes $189.95 11”x8” US Zone Germany Steiff horse, alpaca & mohair, glass eyes, felt hoofs $125

LAYAW AVAILA AY BLE

23.5” 1980 Lenci Lavonia with box and COA, nylon and felt dress, blue eyes Was $580 Now $325 28” Seated 25.5” Briget Deval “Gerda” Sold 24” OAK Rosie, ODACA artist Gillie Charleston, wax over porcelain arms, legs, head and shoulderplate, brown eyes, brown HH wig, C/M, purple & lavender ﬂoral cotton coat, holding bouquet. Was $1440 Now $995

Winnie the Pooh Series R John Wright all MIB 11.5” Christopher Robin & Winnie the Pooh, blue jacket, white hat, tan short pants, white shirt with suspenders and buttons, mohair wig, brown eyes, leather sandal shoes #317/1500 $1055 6” Pocket Eeyore, #327/3500. Was $284.95 Now $235 5” R John Wright Kanga & Roo #2495/3500 both with jointed heads $225 4.5” Tigger #757/3500, jointed head $235 7” Piglet with Violets, #1008/2500 $245

English wood hand painted dishes, 27 pieces, compote, 2 candle sticks, 2 ﬂower vases, dishes and soup bowls $125 Tilt Top wood hand-made table by Fred Laughan, 1985, table is 6” round by 9.5” tilted $75 Shaker sewing table, top is 4.5” x 5”, 6.5” high, 2 drawers open either side, wooden table by Fred Laughan 5/29/84 $60 1.75”x2.25” Brynes Thumb Dictionary $65 1.75”x2.25” 1924 Hotel, St. Regis New York, photo of hotel and calendar, leather $55 1.75” German Brass pig with tape measure in tummy, crank tail to wind up tape, 4 leaf clover in mouth $150 1.5”x2” 1912&1913 Calendar, red leather cover, as is $45 each 1”x1.5” Leather album with embossing and metal latch, old photos inside $150 1.5”x2” Dew Drops America Tract Society, gold edging $32 each 1”x1.25” Bible, 1943, given to soldiers $32

19.5” Monika Collette L.E. 35, velvet coat and hat with black braid trim with silk gown, sculptured brown eyes looking to the right, brown mohair, porcelain head, arms and legs $795 21” “Love Letters” L.E. 35 Monika “Tienna Linnea”, purple patterned silk gown mohair wig with ringlets, porcelain head, arms and legs, beautiful sculptured face and brown eyes, graceful hands holding a rose, $795 19” Early Monika doll L.E. 35, bare feet, mohair wig, sculpted painted brown eyes, porcelain head, arms and legs, cloth body, ivory satin and lace gown $695

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The Seven Faces of Margaret by Rebecca Hawkins

hy do we do this? Those of us who have discovered the exciting world of dolls and made them an integral part of our lives have done so based on the personal feelings these miniature, inanimate objects bring to our lives. While their beauty, craftsmanship and history are intriguing enough, it’s the mind game we play regarding their previous, and especially their original owners, that excites us the most. My personal collection covers French and German antique dolls from the 1850’s to the turn of the century and while I love this segment of my collection, my other area of interest, early rag dolls, elicits the most wonder and excitement. Why? Because I know that the dolls were owned by young children who befriended them and made them a part of their lives and sometimes passed them along to younger friends or relatives who loved them in the same way. It was with this in mind that I came to know Margaret, or at least that’s the name on the tag of her original skirt. Having purchased her at one of my club’s doll shows several years ago from Charles and Sherry Minton I discovered from the Mintons that she came from a family collection in Tennessee. Discussions with the gentleman who had previously owned Margaret revealed that she belonged to his grandmother then his mother and while their nicer dolls had been “put away” Margaret was always “played with and loved”. How lucky could I be! At this point a brief description of Margaret is in order. She is dressed in her original skirt, hat, underwear and socks. They are quite worn but are made just to fit her. She has a human hair wig that is stitched to black material and attached to her head. Her well constructed lady body is made of cotton sheeting designed to be flexible at the hips, knees, shoulders and elbows and her feet, which the maker stitched onto her legs, are separately made and stitched forming individual toes, heels, and arches. Her hands are “mitten-type” with stitches forming four fingers on each hand and separately applied thumbs. My mind games started ANTIQUE DOLL COLLECTOR

AUGUST 2012

Learning About American-Made Dolls

Effanbee’s Sweetie Pie and Tousle-Tot By Ursula Mertz Photos by Christopher Partridge

he year was 1942. The United States had become involved in World War II, but that did not deter Effanbee from offering an opulent line of dolls made of composition, one of them being Sweetie Pie. An editorial of the same year in the trade journal Toys And Novelties pictured a beautifully dressed Sweetie Pie, headlined: “This Is Sweetie Pie.’” During wartime when it is highly essential that children on the home front be kept amused and contented, “Bernie” Fleischaker, president of Fleischaker & Baum, manufacturers of Effanbee dolls, decided that what was needed

today was a new baby doll, and so Sweetie Pie, “that charming little miss with the rosebud mouth, sparkling eyes and captivating smile makes its bow to the toy buyers of America.” At the annual New York City toy fair in April of 1942, Sweetie Pie was shown atop a trunk set. Three slightly opened drawers were ﬁlled with extra clothes for her and editorial copy stated: “This popular miss retails for $7.95 and up.” Obviously, wartime prosperity was generating additional income and people were spending more money on toys.

Sweetie Pie, as seen in the 1944 Montgomery Ward Christmas catalogue. Children must have been spellbound by the large image of this lovely doll.

Full page from the 1948 Christmas catalogue. While Sweetie Pie is still wearing the same outfit, her display takes up only one third of the page.

ANTIQUE DOLL COLLECTOR

AUGUST 2012

This page is from the 1949 Christmas catalogue. Sweetie Pie’s costume has been redesigned, and she is sharing the page with Bi-Bye-Baby.

16” Sweetie Pie - Marked on head: © 1942 // Effanbee – Composition flange head and limbs, stuffed cloth body with inserted crier that still works. Disk jointed at shoulders, stitched hip joints. Blonde human hair wig, brown sleep eyes also move from side to side. Painted fingernails (not toenails) All original except for hair bow (bonnet missing). Close-up of the 16” Sweetie Pie. Note the expertly painted eyebrows and lashes. Her blonde hair is still in the original setting.

Montgomery Ward offered Sweetie Pie in their annual Christmas catalogue in the front color pages for several years, thus attesting to her popularity and success. In a full page display, the 1944 catalogue showed her in a beautiful organdy dress and matching bonnet, and she was offered in three sizes, 24, 19, and 18 inches at $15.95, 11.50, and 9.95 respectively. Accompanying copy stated: “Her ﬂirting Glassene eyes (with real lashes) move from side to side and she says ‘Ma, Ma.’ Curly ‘Tousle Tot’ hair is real lambskin … won’t mat and tangle, can be ‘shampooed’ with damp cloth – see page 72. Head, arms and legs are beautifully molded composition. Soft body is cotton stuffed…” One can only hope that parents did check “page 72” regarding shampooing instructions. The doll’s head was made of composition and usually under the wig no paint was applied. If the dampness had penetrated the lambskin, the composition would have reacted adversely. Note the mention of “glassene” eyes. Formerly the eyes of composition dolls were made entirely of metal or metal with inset irises made of celluloid. These new eyes were made of plastic. To know this should be a relief to collectors, as these plastic eyes do not crack like some of the celluloid ones used before. ANTIQUE DOLL COLLECTOR

AUGUST 2012