A collection of beautiful dolls

Throughout time dolls have been one of the most widespread forms of toys, from the primitive home-made version to the modern models with various accessories that you can buy in the shops today. The purpose of the doll was to prepare girls for the domestic work which was ahead of them and which also was an object of dreams and fantasies.

Old dolls give a good insight into the world of the past.  Most dolls, which are seen at auctions today, were made in the 19th and 20th centuries, and they clearly show the social development, which has taken place during that period.  The fashion of the times is reflected in the hairstyles and extensive wardrobes of the French and German dolls. The shape of the body reflects the changing ideals of beauty.

With regard to early porcelain dolls, there are two types in particular, which you often come across, namely Parian and China dolls.  Parian are the fair-haired dolls, and China are dolls with black-glazed hair.  These dolls date from the period 1850-1900. These dolls are often unmarked, and therefore they have to be dated from their hairstyles and clothing.

French dolls

French dolls are characterized by very high quality.  One of the most important types is the so-called Parisiennes – a fashion doll which, similar to the contemporary German dolls, resembled an adult woman both in figure and clothing.  They were produced in Paris during the period 1860-1890. Often the dolls had an extensive wardrobe, and it is generally true of French dolls that there was much emphasis on the accessories, which today is of great importance to collectors.  You often find clothes and shoes sold separately. 

Jumeau was among the first to produce baby dolls, namely Bébé. As the name implies, these were copies of children and not fashion doll copies of adults.

Francois Gaultier produced both fashion dolls and Bébé dolls. Characteristic for Gaultier dolls are the large, intense eyes. The body is made of skin or oilcloth and has a pronounced waistline, and the hands can in rare cases be made of skin and sewn with separated fingers.

Another well-known French company is Barrois, that produced Parisienne dolls in the period 1858-1877.

German dolls

The company, Kestner and Co., was founded by Johannes Daniel Kestner. In the 1880’ies they began to produce dolls made of porcelain. They are mostly known for their character and baby dolls, but have also produced a number of shoulder-head dolls and fashion dolls. On the early dolls the eyelashes were painted.

Armand Marseille was born in Russia, but moved to Germany where he took over a porcelain factory. From the 1890’ies he began to produce dolls’ heads from his own factory.  There are both shoulder-head dolls and baby dolls with the AM-mark.

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