Antique dolls
Posted by Gill Jones on 31/07/2013
Dolls. For many people, dolls are quite off putting, especially antique dolls from the Victorian period. That glassy eyed stare, the frozen pose as they gaze into the middle distance, it almost feels sometimes as if they’re looking at you. In fact any doll made from the Victorian age and up and including the 1950s is quite unique and unsettling in equal measures. Some were made to be the size of a small child, but they do fascinate as much as they scare. As you look at each doll through the ages each decade is a sign of further technological innovation and evolution in toy making, as new materials led to ever more sophisticated techniques leading up to present day Barbies.
Dolls weren’t always seen or used as toys, they were often symbols of religion or magic, it is only in the last 200 years that dolls have been seen as purely toys for children’s entertainment. However, dolls are still seen as collectors’ items and even more contemporary dolls are now purchased for adults. China dolls in particular are still made in the manner of their Victorian predecessors and sold for the adult market.
They evolved from cruder materials such as wood, clay, stone, paper, bone and cloth, to china, which led to extraordinarily lifelike features and more sophisticated designs. It was usually the head, hands and feet that were made of china while the rest was made up of other materials. Their hair would often be human and their faces were made to look as real as possible. They would wear clothes that were lavish and colourful representing all that Victorian fashion had to offer, in miniature.
It was in Europe, Germany, France and England where doll making was to exceed expectation with the U.S lagging behind with cruder versions. Dressel and Schilling were famous for their exquisitely made dolls heads and Jumeau the French toy manufacturer made dolls that could talk. In fact, it would be Jumeau that would create the first doll that would most closely resemble a child. They would come to be known as Bebe dolls; however as they were so expensive only the rich could afford them.
Before the beginning of the 20th century dolls were either girls or young women, during World War 1 the Americans caught up with their European counterparts and created what would be the first baby doll modelled on a real baby.
Dolls have come on in leaps and bounds since then, plastic and rubber would revolutionise doll making, leading to more sophisticated dolls such as Tiny Tears, Sindy, Barbie and Ken and those big eyed dolls that were replicas of their Disney heroines. They can’t really replace the haunting beauty of those earlier dolls however.
If you’re buying a doll then you must decide what kind you are looking for, an older doll would have been used by a child to play with, and clearly if you’re thinking antique you’re not looking for contemporary dolls, which are used for purely decorative purposes. There are many ways of authenticating a true antique doll, looking at the materials to start with; see if there’s any damage; the characteristics and design of the doll are also a few things to look out for. They may have markings of some kind to show the makers of the doll, a name or number which would normally appear on the shoulder, neck, head or foot. Many of the older porcelain dolls will come with certificates as signs of authentication. It takes a little research and time to find the right one, but you’ll know when you find it.
Of course you may not necessarily be looking specifically for porcelain dolls or for dolls from the Victorian period for that matter. There is quite a selection of dolls on www.antiques.co.uk which offer a wide choice for would be collectors.
There is a particular unique vintage doll of Dutch origins that dates back to the 1930s, the face is quite detailed with a typical thirties haircut and red heart shaped lips with a full length suit. There’s also a female version complete with clogs and a rather fetching Dutch costume. There’s a rather beautifully dressed 4ft life size porcelain doll dressed rather lavishly in what would appear to be Victorian costume, as this doll is described as being ideal for placing on a bed or spare room, then one would naturally assume that this is not a particularly old doll, but from a later period.
The final doll which is really the piece de resistance on www.antiques.co.uk is the Ventriloquist dummy from the 1900s in perfect working order and described as a rare genuine item. It has moving eyes and mouth that when open shows a full set of teeth. It’s a little removed from the dolls described earlier, but it’s a perfect example of how scary some of these dolls can be. I defy anyone to resist the urge to pick him up and try using him. For a doll that is at least 100 years old if not more it is in pristine condition. I have visions of Anthony Hopkins in the 1978 film Magic. It would be a perfect collector’s piece for those interested in ventriloquism.
So dolls are never out of fashion regardless of the pull of the IPad and the Playstation for younger audiences today, while they prefer to disappear into a world of technology, adults it seems, still prefer the world of dolls.