Roxanna Elizabeth McGee Cole's Beautiful Family Of 19th Century Dolls

Image Courtesy National Gallery of Art,Washington.

In perusing the collection of doll illustrations Dolls From The Index of American Design at National Gallery Of Art I kept coming back to slide #3, which is shown in the picture above.  I was drawn to it because it was a Grandmother and because was about a southern lady who made cloth dolls to support herself after the Civil War.

The description was: Here is a handmade cloth doll representing a grandmother knitting a red wool sock. The doll was made by a southern gentlewoman who supported herself after the Civil War by making fine cloth dolls. This was the one-thousandth doll made by this woman.

The credits were as follows: Jane Iverson (artist), American, active c. 1935, Anonymous Craftsman (object maker), Wenham Historical Society (object owner), Doll, c. 1936, watercolor and graphite on paper, Index of American Design, 1943.8.15542

I just had to know  more.  There was just so much reflection in the dolls face.  I couldn't help but wonder what she was thinking.

It turns out the illustration above is actually of the "Grandma Cole" doll made by Roxanna Elizabeth McGee Cole who started making dolls in the United States in 1868.

Clay Pipe Dolls - Definitely A Conversation Piece

Clay Pipe Doll - Image Courtesy National Gallery of Art,Washington.

I know that dolls over the ages have been made out of all sorts of things.  Wishbones, nuts, corks, paper, apples, other fruits, etc. So, when I saw the illustration of the Clay Pipe Doll shown in the picture above from the National Gallery of Art   I wasn't quite sure what to make of it. Was that a pipe covered with fabric to form the doll's head or what?

Credits: Iverson, Jane, American, 1910 - 1997, Clay Pipe Doll, c. 1936,watercolor and graphite on paper, overall: 40 x 29.2 cm (15 3/4 x 11 1/2 in.) Original IAD Object: 7 1/2" high, Index of American Design, 1943.8.15616.

I thought...Hmmm.... A doll out of a pipe.  Now that's an unusual doll.

I was picturing my grandfather's pipe which was a typical bowled pipe. So, I went to get it.

In looking at it I wondered how I would make a doll out of it? I'd love to make an heirloom doll - but, how?

So, I decided to do a little research. Here's what I found out.

Frozen Charlotte Dolls - How Adorable But Tragic

Image Courtesy of Theriaults.com

How can you not fall in love with a bunch of "GERMAN 'FROZEN CHARLOTTE' DOLLS"as shown in the picture above from the Theriaults.com website. You can't especially when you find out they have a tragic story attached to them.

According to their description: 7" H. tub. Seven dolls, representing little children with chubby stomachs, are of one-piece porcelain or bisque, standing with their arms outstretched with curled fingers. Each doll has painted hair and facial features, two with painted shoes. Included is a German tin tub and shower with unusual copper hot water tank and receptacle hidden at back allowing the "shower" to actually work. Excellent condition except some paint flakes on tub platform. The dolls are notable for complete variation of hairstyles and facial painting. Circa 1880.

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

Frozen Charlotte 1850-1920 

I saw this adorable "Frozen Charlotte" doll, as shown in the picture above, on The Strong National Museum of  Play  and instantly fell in love with her, too. How could you not? Just look at how cute she is

Doll - 1850-1920, Material porcelain | cloth, Origin Germany, Style Frozen Charlotte, Object ID 78.9067

According the museum description:  An unjointed china doll molded in one piece, a Frozen Charlotte became a popular doll type in the 1850s. Initially sold as bathing dolls or naked babies, these floatable figures supposedly entertained youngsters of the Victorian era as they took their baths. The dolls sold in sizes ranging from one inch to 18 inches. Labeling these figures "Frozen Charlotte" recalls a 19th-century ballad about a vain girl who refused to cover up her pretty party dress while riding to a ball on a frigid winter's night. Of course, the girl of the story dies from the cold: "Fair Charlotte was a stiffened corpse/ And her lips spake no more"; and her demise reminds us to forsake vanity and use a little common sense. The smaller Frozen Charlottes were called penny dolls and popular with children with small coins to spend. Some English families hid small Frozen Charlottes in their Christmas puddings, along with or in place of the traditional hidden coins.

How can any adorable little dolls have a tragic story attached to them?  I had to know more. Here's what I found out:

Shell Dolls - Who Knew The Victorians Did This? Did You?

Image Courtesy of Carmel Doll Shop 

I've heard of sea shells being used to create elaborate pieces of art for hundreds of years - like sailors valentines but had never heard of shells being used to create outfits for dolls? Have you? Well, it turns out it was a very popular craft during the Victorian Era.

I found the Shell Doll pictured above on the Carmel Doll Shop website and think she is one of the prettiest shell dolls I've seen so far.  Just look at her beautiful outfit and bonnet. Just stunning.

Her description is as follows: Shell Doll wearing a wonderful stylish "dress" of the 1840 era. A lovely Grodnertal Wooden also wears a delightful hat to top off her stunning ensemble, there are a few missing shells to the reverse.She stands a sweet seven inches tall.

I may not have been aware of this doll crafting method, but was really intrigued when I saw pictures of a few of the shell costume dolls from the 19th century like the "Small Early Shell Doll Holding a Dog" from the Skinner Inc. Auctions website.

Since I literally had never heard of dolls and their outfits being made from tiny shells I had to find out more about these very unusual dolls. Here's what I found:

Image Courtesy of Wikipedia.com

According to Wikipedia.com, "Shellcraft, also known as shell craft, is the craft of making decorative objects, or of decorating surfaces, using seashells. The craft includes the design and creation of small items such as shell jewelry and figurines made from shells; middle-sized objects such as boxes and mirror frames covered in shells; sailor's valentines; and larger constructions including mosaics and shell grottos."

Dolls From The Index of American Design at National Gallery Of Art

 Image Courtesy National Gallery of Art,Washington.

In doing some of the research lately for the peg wooden dolls and peddler dolls I came across a wonderful slideshow collection of doll illustrations with historical information on each type of doll.

The National Gallery of Art :: Dolls from the Index of American Design is a beautiful collection of 28 different doll illustrations.  Included with each slide is some historical information for each type of doll made and the credit information for the doll maker, doll owner and doll illustration designer.

The illustration above is slide 1 of the exhibit.  Credits are as follows: Carmel Wilson (artist), American, active c. 1935, Eunice Cook Williams (object maker), Mrs. F.N. Holley (object owner), Doll, c. 1939, watercolor and graphite on paper, Index of American Design, 1943.8.16660

According to the overview:  From early times, children everywhere have loved dolls. This program presents a sampling of different types of dolls, many of them old, rare, or beautiful, which are cherished by collectors or exhibited in museums in the United States. The history of dolls may begin in prehistoric times with idols and ancestor images. It has been conjectured that, once the symbolic or religious role of figurines lost significance, they became toys for children. It is known that toy dolls as such existed in ancient Egypt and Greece, where examples have been found in archaeological excavations.

There are 28 illustrations with dolls in the collection.  Of course, I loved all of them, but have to tell you that I did have 3 favorites.  They're all from the Victorian Era. Surprise, surprise!

William F. Goodwin Patent Walking Doll - Circa 1870 and Other Autoperipatetikos Walking Dolls

Have you ever heard of the William F. Goodwin Patent Walking Doll - Circa 1870 or seen one of the video's of it walking?  I hadn't and was delighted to not only see pictures of these dolls, but to see a couple of video's. They are totally delightful dolls and I would love to see one.

The Early American Toy Stevens & Brown Goodwin Patent Walking Doll, shown in the video above,  is from the Antique Toys and Automata website.

If you'd like to see how the doll walks please click on the video above.

According to their description:  We are pleased to offer for your consideration a wonderful early American, circa 1872, clockwork toy called "The Improved Automatic Walking Doll" more commonly called the Goodwin's Patent Walking Doll .  

This beautiful toy was by manufactured by The Stevens and Brown Company in Connecticut and appears in their 1872 catalog on page four. The ad displays the wood carriage but the script introduces the "improved" tin carriage version.

The clockwork motor for this toy is hidden under the carriage seat and it drives the rear axle, propelling the toy forward in a circle. As the carriage moves forward, the doll follows and her metal jointed legs move up and down allowing her to walk along as if she is pushing the carriage. Her ankles also flex, making for a very realistic “walking” motion so be sure to watch the video above. A hard or polished surface will not allow the doll to walk, the pins on her feet must catch slightly to cause the mechanism to function (she walked best for us on concrete).

I found them to be totally charming so, of course, I had to find out more. Here's what I found:

The mechanical doll’s legs were patented by William Farr Goodwin Jan 22nd 1867 & Aug25th 1868.

The Stevens & Brown Clockwork Goodwin's Patent Walking Doll circa 1870 shown in the video below is from the Antique Toys and Automata website.

If you'd like to see how this doll walks please click on the video below.

Beautiful Peddler or Pedlar Dolls

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

In doing some of the research for my "Early American Wooden Dolls By Joel Ellis From 1873" post I ran across the Peddler Doll from 1851-1951 (Material - painted | carved | papier-mache | wood | molded) pictured above from the strong National Museum of Play and, once again fell in love.

I know, I know. I fall in love with every doll I see. Guilty as charged. But, she is just so charming - don't you think? Just look at her face.

So, of course, I had to find out if they had any more and what information they had on peddler dolls. Here's what I found out:

In the description of the peddler doll pictured above they stated: Most 19th-century makers of peddler dolls began with a mass-produced, small figure made of wood, papier mache, leather, or china and added the handmade red cloak, black bonnet, white lace cap, calico dress, and apron of the traditional "notion nannies." The fun of making the peddler doll was in crafting the dozens (sometimes hundreds) of tiny notions, buttons, fabrics, laces, ribbons, and pots and pans that the peddler offered for sale. Peddler dolls displayed their merchandise on large trays hung from a strap around their necks, in baskets on their arms, or in larger bins displayed at their feet and protected by a glass dome. The doll form seems to have been most popular from about 1820 to 1860.

Based on the above it seems like the fun in making the doll was all their miniature accessories.  I bet that was a lot of fun, but definitely time consuming.

Grodnertal Wooden Costume Dolls

Image Courtesy of Theriaults.com 

If you follow my Victorian Dolls, Victorian Traditions, The Victorian Era and Me Blog you know that I just LOVE the Victorian Era, love history, love to do research, and love fashion doll collections. Several years ago I ran across the Metropolitan Museum of Art website and fell in love with their collections, the ability to see everything they have in their collections, and the ability to set-up my own "My Met" space to bookmark items at the MET that I love.  So, I spent an afternoon "Moseying At The MET!" and wrote about it HERE.

Well, while researching the "Penny Wooden and Peg Wooden Dolls" I came across a series of beautiful Grodnertal Wooden Costume Dolls depicting the 11th - 16th century and just had to show them to you.  All of the dolls are from the Theriault's website.

I think they're all absolutely beautiful and love all their costumes.  As you would except they are all very pricey - especially the doll depicting the 16th century costume.

Linda's Book Reviews - Cloth Dolls From Ancient To Modern by Linda Edward

If you are a reader of my Linda's Blog then you know that I just love dolls and books about dolls, especially cloth dolls.

One of the books that I bought several years ago was Cloth Dolls: From Ancient to Modern : A Collector's Guide (A Schiffer Book for Collectors). It is a collectors guide of cloth dolls and their values and I was especially interested in it because it contained cloth dolls, which up to this point in time were often overlooked by the doll collecting society as a whole.

I never understood this as I always thought that the category of dolls would include dolls with cloth heads as well as dolls with wood, china, bisque, clay, or cernit heads. Fortunately cloth dolls are gaining in popularity amongst collectors and especially amongst the ever growing segment of people who love "primitives." Unfortunately, cloth doesn't always survive well over time so there are not a lot of examples of really ancient dolls made solely of cloth around.

Cloth Dolls: From Ancient to Modern : A Collector's Guide (A Schiffer Book for Collectors) starts with a small chapter about cloth dolls of long ago. Unfortunately, not a lot survived.

Early Grodnertal Tuck Comb Wooden Peddler Dolls and Other Grodnertal Peddler Dolls

Image Courtesy of Theriaults.com 

It seems like every time I'm doing research for one thing I find so many other things that pique my curiosity. Such was the case with my research on the "The Sweet Simplicity of Tuck Comb Wooden Dolls" I posted about earlier. I discovered the "Early Grodnertal Tuck Comb Wooden Peddler Dolls" and absolutely had to know more.

The "Early Grodnertal Wooden Doll As Doll And Notions Peddler Lady" doll shown above is from Theriaults.com website is a doll after my own heart. Not only do I absolutely love her large bonnet, but she's selling sewing notions and dolls. She has five tiny dolls on her table including two mini Grodnertal woodens. Perhaps that was me in another life?

According to her description :7" Condition: generally excellent,original finish perfectly preserved. Comments: Grodnertal doll,circa 1850,presented for the English market as a peddler lady offering sewing notions and dolls. On her table are arranged a myriad of tiny laces,ribbons and buttons, sewing tools such as tiny scissors, various papers with lettered names "Robert","Margaret" and "John", several tiny doll costumes, and five tiny dolls including two mini Grodnertal woodens. Realized Price: $4,100

According to The Ultimate Doll Book by Caroline Goodfellow peddler dolls were popular from 1820 - 1920.  They were a conversation piece in fashionable 19th century English drawing rooms and held a prominent place on the fireplace mantels. During this period there was a fascination with itinerant traders who travelled all over Europe, but peddler dolls were a "peculiarly English phenomenon." Most of the dolls were made in Germany and dressed in England with heads of wood, composition, apples and wax. The bodies were made of wood, composition, or stuffed cloth.

The Sweet Simplicity of Tuck Comb Wooden Dolls

Image Courtesy of Theriaults.com.

While I was doing research  on the "The History of Faceless Dolls" I read several articles about antique wooden dolls and fell in love with Penny Wooden Dolls so much so that I ended up writing a blog post entitled, "I'm In Love With Penny Wooden or Peg Wooden Dolls."

In researching the penny wooden dolls I learned about a special type of peg wooden doll called "tuck comb dolls."  The dolls are so named for their carved and painted hair combs.

According to Wikipedia.org, " Tuck comb dolls are a special style of peg wooden doll, named for their carved hair comb. The head and body is turned as one piece. The hair is usually painted with curled bangs and with a painted comb. Early tuck comb dolls had elongated, graceful proportions, nicely carved details, painted slippers, and sometimes with wood pendant earrings. Some dressed as merchants were called pedlar dolls."

Also, according to The Ultimate Doll Book by Caroline Goodfellow: The high comb, often painted yellow was a fashionable hair ornament and special feature of early 19th century wooden dolls.

I just love these dolls and find them irresistible. I love their adorable painted tuck combs and their clothing. So, of course, I wanted to see more pictures and find out more about these types of peg wooden dolls. Here's what I found and what drew me to each of the dolls:

Sweet, Sweet Julianna! Is Wearing Her 1863 Walking Dress - Victorian Lady Doll

"Sweet, Sweet Julianna", "Mehitable" "Ester Loves The Morning" and "Prudence On A Walk" have been friends since they were all in diapers. In fact they've always been the BEST of friends. They love each other, protect each other, and are fiercely devoted to each other. So much so that it sometimes gets in the way of their relationships with their boyfriends.

Without fail, every day they get together for their afternoon tea and crumpets. Everything and anything is fair game in their discussions. They might be talking about the latest Godey fashions plate pages, they're newest outfit, the Queen's annual ball, their families, their boyfriends, their engagements, etc. Nothing is off limits. That is, nothing within the reasonable limits of proper Victorian discussion etiquette. Their afternoon teas are held on a rotating basis with each friend hosting the afternoon tea every fourth day. Today, they will all be having tea in Mehitable's parlor.

"Sweet, Sweet Julianna!" is a 13" Victorian square bottomed cloth bodied doll with a gathered waistline, porcelain head, and porcelain arms. She is wearing an 1863 Walking Dress. Julianna has two layers of lace trim along the bottom of her body. Her slip has 2 layers of lace trim along the bottom hem edge and is gathered at the waist. It also has a full length lace overslip that is gathered at the waist as well.

Her 1863 Walking Dress has oversleeves and a finished scalloped lace overskirt. The sleeves are lace trimmed and gathered at the shoulders and wrists. The oversleeves have lace trim along the edge and are also gathered at the shoulders and mid-sleeve. Both her Victorian dress bodice and her dress skirt are gathered at the waist. The finished scalloped lace overskirt is also gathered at the waist. Her neck edge is gathered and covered by a finished doily collar. A lace binding waistband is wrapped around her waist and is tied in a bow in the back. It is decorated in the front with a silk ribbon floral. Julianna is wearing a delicate handkerchief with lace trim as a shawl which is wrapped around her shoulders and tied in the front in a knot. Her frilly, lace trimmed and gathered bonnet sits atop her head and is tied under the right hand side of her chin in a bow.

"Sweet, Sweet Julianna!" is anxious for this afternoon's tea. She has some wonderful news to tell her friends and can hardly wait to do so.

Note: The porcelain head and hands that are pictured are from Midwest Design Imports.

Designer - Linda Walsh Or Linda Walsh Originals

Beautiful Early American Wooden Dolls By Joel Ellis From 1873

While I was doing research  on the "The History of Faceless Dolls" I read several articles about antique wooden dolls and fell in love with Penny Wooden Dolls so much so that I ended up writing a blog post entitled, "I'm In Love With Penny Wooden or Peg Wooden Dolls."

While doing that research I also ran across the wooden dolls created by Joel Ellis in 1873 which piqued my curiosity as he was from Vermont and only made his dolls for one year. Given I'm a die hard New Englander and curious as to why he only made them for one year I had to find out more.

Not only did I love his wooden dolls, what interested me was the workmanship on his dolls clothes, which was exceptional, unlike the cheap clothes on manufactured dolls today.

The doll pictured above is for sale on the Liveauctioneers.com website - 9: Rare 19th Century Wooden Head Doll, Joel Ellis.  According to their website this doll is attributed to Joel Ellis with metal hands, legs & feet and stands 15" tall.

According to their website, "Joel Ellis created a doll whose face is indeed a portrait of the traditional New England model of graceful simplicity – a quiet composed and simple beauty that now transports us to a long ago time. Yet we may forget the technological challenges and triumphs so benignly represented in this little rendition of humanity."

It turns out that Joel was an inventive genius who patented 13 different articles, one of which was for a wooden doll. He is credited as being the creator of the first commercial doll for America which he manufactured through his company, the Co-operative Manufacturing Company, on the premises of the Vermont Novelty Goods Company.

He filed his patent for a wooden doll of rock maple with mortise and tenon joints, and pewter or iron hands and feet on February 21, 1873 and it was granted on May 20, 1873.

According to the article from the Old and Sold Antiques Marketplace, "In 1873 Ellis took out a patent for a wooden doll of rock maple with mortise and tenon joints, and pewter or iron hands and feet. Heads were of blocks of wood taken from the end of the grain and rounded, except for one pointed side which allowed for the nose. Each block was put into a steel mold and shaped under hydraulic pressure. When it came out of the press, holes were drilled to fit a large tenon that had been made on the end of the body. The head, which was stationary, was glued to the body by means of this large tenon. The doll came in twelve, fifteen, and eighteen-inch heights. The most plentiful is the twelve inch, the least, the eighteen inch."

Laura, Lady In Waiting! and Sweet Dreamy Dana, Victorian In Her Soul! - Victorian Candlestick Dolls

I tend to like unconventional dolls and dolls that can stand by themselves. As a result, I'm always looking for different ways to make Victorian dolls and decided that I would like to make a Victorian equivalent of a primitive "make-do!" But, instead of using something primitive like a rusty spring I wanted to use a wooden candlestick and a half porcelain Victorian doll. Thus, my Victorian candlestick dolls were born.

"Laura, Lady In Waiting" and "Sweet Dreamy Dana, Victorian In Her Soul!" are identical twin sisters and two of my new Victorian Candlestick Dolls. They both LOVE the Victorian era and love Victorian fashions, and love to play tricks on their family and each others boyfriends. They are so identical it is hard to tell them apart facially. However, Laura is taller than the Dana and Laura tends to like splashy colors while Dana favors blues.

Plus, Dana is a bit on the shy side and tends to favor walks in the park, reading a good book, and sewing while Laura prefers Victorian balls, splashy appearance, and societal teas. Facially they are very alike. In their personalities they couldn't be more different.

Linda's Book Reviews - Ultimate Doll Book

Readers of my "Linda's Blog" know that I just love dolls of all kinds, shapes, and sizes. I also love history, especially if it's doll history.

Many, many years ago I bought a book on doll history (the cover is shown in the picture above) that was supposed to be the "ultimate" book on dolls and doll history. Well, it definitely lived up to its hype.

The Ultimate Doll Book was written by Caroline Goodfellow who is a doll curator.

"The Ultimate Doll Book" is a wonderful treasury of more than 400 different dolls of every type and every time period. It covers the history of dolls from a manufacturing perspective over the last 200 years which was something I was fascinated by. Plus, for the doll collector or someone thinking of starting a doll collection there is some helpful advice for doing so.

There are beautiful, beautiful pictures of all of the various dolls photographed by Matthew Ward contained throughout the book. One of my favorite dolls is the "Old Pretender" pictured on Page 2 and Page 13. She was made in c1680 and it is said that she belonged to the court of King James II. Of course, I just love her and all the rest of the early dolls (circa 1680's to 1820's). Now why is that? Hmmm....

The book is arranged in chronological chapters by manufacturing processes and materials used to make the dolls and starts with Wooden Dolls. This chapter covers Early Dolls (1680's to 1820's), Dolls from the New World (1850's to 1930's), Poupards and Simple Dolls (1800's to present), and Peg Woodens (1790's to present).

The next chapter is Composition Dolls and covers Greiner and German Dolls (1840's to 1900's), Developments in Composition (1850's to 1930's), Alexander Doll Company (1926 to present), and Wax-Over Composition Dolls (1830's to 1900's).

Then we learn the history of and manufacturing of Poured Wax Dolls, Early Dolls ( 1750's to 1850's), English Makers (1850's to 1930's), The Pierotti Family (1770's to 1935), Pierotti Portrait Dolls (1900's to 1930's), and Princess Daisy (1890's).

Next is the history of and manufacturing of Porcelain Dolls, Fancy Glazed China Heads (1830's to 1880's), Plain Glazed China Heads (1840's to 1870's), Fancy Untinted Bisque Heads (1860's to 1880's), and Plain Untinted Bisque Heads (1860's to 1880's.