The Beautiful Collection of Fashion Dolls At The Strong National Museum of Play

Online Collections (The Strong) / CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

It's definitely no surprise that I love Victorian dresses and Victorian dolls.  So, you can imagine how thrilled I was to see how many Victorian French Fashion Dolls the Strong National Museum of Play had in their doll collection.  It's unbelievable.

There are so many I couldn't decide which was my favorite.  I LOVED them all and would like to see all of them.  They're all simply exquisite.

Here's a few of my favorites:

The French Fashion Doll c. 1850-1890, shown in the picture above, is from The Strong National Museum of Play online collection.

Credits: doll 1850-1890, Manufacturer E. Barrois, Material kid | bisque | glass | mohair | paint | silk | straw | cotton | wool, Origin Paris, France, Style fashion, Object ID 77.6627.

Please click here for more information on this beautiful doll.

Hitty Dolls - What's Not To Love!

If you've never heard of the Hitty book entitled "Her First Hundred Years" it's a children's book written by Rachael Field and Published in 1929. It won the Newbery Medal for excellence in American children's literature in 1930. It's a book about a lttle dolls adventures.

According to the Hitty Wikipedia page: The book details Hitty's adventures as she becomes separated from Phoebe and travels from owner to owner over the course of a century. She ends up living in locations as far-flung as Boston, New Orleans, India, and the South Pacific. At various times, she is lost deep under the sea and also under sofa cushions, abandoned in a hayloft, serves as part of a snake-charmer's act, and meets the famous writer Charles Dickens, before finally ending up in an antique shop in New York City among other, fancier dolls of porcelain and wax. There Hitty is purchased and taken to her new owner's summer home in Maine, which turns out to be the original Preble residence where she first lived.

If you would like to read her book there is a .pdf of the words and chapters here.

If you would like to see all of the illustrations by Dorothy Lathrop for Rachael Fields book they are here.

For The Love Of Rococo Dolls - You Might Become Speechless, Too!

Image Courtesy of Carmel Doll Shop

I absolutely love Rococo fashions and have always wanted to make a Rococo fashion doll of my own.

Well, while doing some research on other fashion dolls I could hardly believe my eyes when I landed on the page for the unbelievable 18th Century Fashion Doll From Eugene Barrois c. 1790, shown in the picture above, from the Carmel Doll Shop website.  She was just stunning.  Just look at that amazing dress! And, that unbelievable hair.  I just LOVE her.

Please click here for more information on this beautiful doll.

Image Courtesy of Carmel Doll Shop

No sooner had I landed on the Carmel Doll Shop page for the doll at the beginning of this post when I saw the 18th Century Fashion Doll From Eugene Barrois, shown in the picture above, from the Carmel Doll Shop website.  She was every bit as stunning as the first one.  Just look at that amazing dress! And, that unbelievable hair.  Just stunning, too.

Please click here for more information on this beautiful doll.

Image Courtesy of Carmel Doll Shop

Seeing two astonishing Rococo fashion dolls is certainly a delight. What do you say when you see a third astonishing fashion doll like the 18th Century Fashion Doll From François Gaultier c. 1790, shown in the picture above, from the Carmel Doll Shop website.  Maybe you become speechless.

Please click here for more information on this beautiful doll.

17th, 18th, and 19th Century Wooden Dolls

Online Collections (The Strong) / CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

I can't help falling in love with the beauty of the Queen Anne Doll, shown in the picture above, from The Strong National Museum of Play.  She is an exceptional wooden doll circa 1750-1800.

Credits: Queen Anne Doll, 1750-1800, Material wood, Origin England, Style Queen Anne, Object ID 79.451

I would love to see this doll.

Online Collections (The Strong) / CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

The unbelievable Earliest Queen Anne Doll c. 1690, is also from the Strong National Museum of Play.   How amazing is she?  Just incredible.

Credits: Doll ca. 1690, Material wood, Origin England, Style Queen Anne, Object ID 73.1447

According to their description: A simple, jointed body and carved face decorated with stylized eyebrows and brightly rouged cheeks characterize this "Queen Anne" style doll made in around 1700. Manufacture of these wooden dolls originally predated their namesake, Queen Anne, who reigned only from 1702 to 1714. English woodcarvers and craftsmen began making these dolls in the 1600s, and the craft continued through the 1840s. Affordable only to affluent families, the vast majority of Queen Anne dolls were owned by women, who dressed them in the fashions of the time. Because the clothing obscured the plain wooden bodies, carvers focused their artistic attention on the faces. The dolls' painted, almond-shaped eyes, though distinctly conventionalized, changed to glass or porcelain in later years, and limbs came to be made of fabric or leather. Dolls made prior to the mid-19th century are scarce: some reports note that fewer than thirty seventeenth-century Queen Anne dolls have survived.

Only thirty 17th century Queen Anne dolls have survived.  What a shame.

The Maggie Bessie Cloth Doll - A Doll of Simplicity and Grace

Image Courtesy of Theriaults.com

Would you pay tens of thousands of dollars for a doll?  Maybe the question should be would you pay tens of thousands of dollars for a beautiful handmade 19th century doll that is the epitome of simplicity and grace?  If I had that kind of money I probably would - especially if the doll kept increasing in value.

The VERY RARE AMERICAN CLOTH MORAVIAN DOLL KNOWN AS "MAGGIE-BESSIE" IN ORIGINAL COSTUME, shown in the picture above, is from the Theriaults.com website.

According to their description: 13" All-cloth doll with flat-dimensional face, oil-painted complexion, hair and facial features, short brown center-parted hair with feathering details, shaded blue eyes, black and brown upper eyeliner, feathered brows, outlined nose with accented nostrils, closed mouth, stitch-jointed body, oil-painted lower arms and legs....  Comments: created by Bessie and Maggie Pfohl in their Moravian community of Salem, North Carolina, early 1900s. Value Points: the rare American doll is flawlessly preserved with daintily detailed hair, and most endearing expression, with original costume. Realized Price: $13,000.

The A COMPANION AMERICAN CLOTH MORAVIAN DOLL KNOWN AS "MAGGIE-e BESSIE", shown in the picture above, is also from the Theriaults.com website.

According to their description: 13"  All-cloth doll with flat-dimensional perfectly rounded face enhanced by chin definition, oil-painted complexion, hair and facial features, short brown center-parted hair with feathering at sides of forehead, shaded blue eyes, black and red upper eyeliner, feathered brows, outlined nose with accented nostrils, closed bow-shaped mouth, stitch-jointed body, oil-painted lower arms and legs.....  Comments: created by Bessie and Maggie Pfohl in their Moravian community of Salem, North Carolina, early 1900s; the hand-crafted artistry and personality of each Maggie-Bessie doll is evident in this and the preceding lot. Value Points: most appealing shy expression with beautifully painted facial details and blush. Realized Price: $9,000.

I found the pair of "Maggie Bessie" dolls, shown above, totally charming and, of course, had to find out more. After all what could make a pair of dolls worth $22,000 collectively?

I knew there were many different types of dolls created by members of different Moravian Churches for benefits, etc.  I had to know what made these dolls so special and worth so much. Here's what I found:

Topsy-Turvy Dolls - Two In One

Online Collections (The Strong) / CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Most young girls know what a topsy turvy doll is and want one.  Why wouldn't they? You get two dolls in one.  What's not to like especially if you get a Topsy Turvy: Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf doll, like the one shown in the picture above, from The Strong National Museum of Play.

Credits: Topsy Turvy: Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf doll, ca. 1890, Material fur | bisque | cloth, Origin France, Style multi-head, Object ID 78.1016.

I've always wanted to make a topsy turvy doll and have always been curious as to their origin.  Since I was doing research on rag dolls I thought I'd do a little research on the topsy-turvy doll.  Here's what I found:

The concept of the topsy-turvy doll is easy to understand.  It's two dolls joined in the middle with the skirt pulled down to cover one of the heads.  When you want to display the other head on the doll you just flip the doll over and the skirt will now cover the head you were just viewing and reveal the other head.

Historically, most of the heads had opposite expressions (i.e. happy and sad) or were characters that were polar opposites (i.e. Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf) but not all were created this way.

In researching their history I found several interesting articles about the topsy turvy dolls also known as Topsy and Eva, their ties to a dark past: slavery and Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Here's what I found:

17th, 18th and 19th Century Wardrobe or Trousseau Dolls

If you'd like to see an amazing amount of pictures of beautiful 19th century dolls Theriaults.com has a wonderful Ensemble The Hanne Büktas Collection of French Poupées, Their Trousseaux, Accessories, Furnishings, and Related Dolls issue on Issuu.com.

I just loved the dolls and their wardrobes on Page 20 + 21, Page 30 + 31, Page 42 + 43, Page 44 + 45, Page 88 + 89, Page 78 + 79, Page 82, and Page 109.  Check it out. You won't be disappointed.  The dolls and their wardrobes are just exquisite.

After viewing the gorgeous 19th century dolls with their elaborate wardrobes I couldn't help but wonder what kind of expression a young girl in the 19th century would have on her face after receiving one of these dolls.  I know what my expression would be - pure joy!

So, I decided I wanted to know more and see more pictures of antique dolls and their elaborate wardrobes. Here's what I found and some I'd love to see:

Image Courtesy of Carmel Doll Shop

The beautiful German Tuck Comb Wooden Doll and Wardrobe, shown in the picture above, is from the Carmel Doll Shop website.  If you would like to read more about this amazing doll and her wardrobe please click here. 

I would love to see this doll and all her hand stitched gowns. Wouldn't you?