China doll
Encyclopedia
A china doll is a doll
made partially or wholly out of glazed
porcelain
. The name comes from china being used to refer to the material porcelain. Colloquially the term china doll is sometimes used to refer to any porcelain or bisque doll
, but more specifically it describes only glazed dolls.
A typical china doll has a glazed porcelain head with painted molded hair and a body made of cloth
or leather
. They range in size from more than 30" (76 cm) tall to 1 inch (2.5 cm). Antique china dolls were predominantly produced in Germany
, approximately between 1840 and 1940. Rare and elaborately decorated antique china dolls can have value on the collectors market. Beginning in the mid 20th century reproductions of china dolls of various quality were produced in Japan and the United States.
, approximately between 1840 and 1940, with the peak in popularity between roughly 1840 and 1890. Unglazed bisque doll
s became popular after 1850. Harper's Bazar referred to china dolls as "old fashioned" in 1873, though they continued being made well into the early 20th century. China doll heads were produced in large quantities, counting in the millions. Some of the most prolific manufacturers were companies like Kestner; Conta & Boehme; Alt, Beck and Gottschalck; and Hertwig. Other German companies include Kling, Kister, KPM, and Meissen.
China dolls were also produced in Czechoslovakia (Schlaggenwald), Denmark (Royal Copenhagen
), France (Barrois, Jacob Petit), Poland (Tielsch
), and Sweden (Rörstrand
),. The earliest known were made by Kestner, KPM, Meissen and Royal Copenhagen.
The earliest china dolls often depicted grown women. From approximately the 1850s on child like china dolls became popular. Blond haired china dolls became more prevalent at the end of the 1800s. These dolls display contemporary hairstyles: sausage curls, ribbons or headbands.
appearance. The head is typically attached to a body made of cloth
or leather
, sometimes with arms and legs made of porcelain. Some early china head dolls were placed on peg jointed wooden bodies. China doll parts were also sold for the customer to fashion a body and clothing. The largest cloth bodied china dolls could be more than 30" (76 cm) tall, and as small as 3" (7.5 cm). Some china dolls, like the "Frozen Charlotte
dolls", were made entirely out of porcelain, with head and body made in one piece without any articulation. The Frozen Charlotte dolls range in size from 2.5 cm (1 inch) in height up to 46 cm (18 inches).
Rare and elaborately decorated antique china dolls can have value on the collectors market. Most china dolls are unmarked or marked with only a size number. Alt, Beck and Gottschalck dolls will sometimes have a size and model number. Rorstrand dolls usually are marked with a model letter and size number on the bottom front of the shoulder plate. KPM, Meissen, and Royal Copenhagen products will bear company markings.
Parian dolls are similar to china dolls in that their heads are made of untinted porcelain, but they are unglazed with a matte finish. They are found on similar body types. They were also mainly made in Germany, from around 1860s to 1890s.
and Martha Washington
made in the same manner as antique dolls.
Some hobbyists purchased or made molds from original antique china dolls and created reproductions in low fired ceramic. These home made versions are typically of poor paint quality and may exhibit crazing
in the glaze due to poor firing technique. Another tip off that such a doll is a reproduction is if it is signed with an individual's name and/or date. The antique dolls were not typically signed in this manner.
There were several models of china dolls made in Japan and marketed in the 20th century too. These doll heads were often labeled only with easily lost stickers inside the heads. They are frequently mistaken for their antique German predecessors. Trading companies in The United States
, such as Shackman, Brinn and A A Importing company, distributed these dolls, frequently in kit form. The Standard Doll Co. of Long Island, New York also advertised china dolls in the 1970s. The examples shown here were marketed by A A Importing Company of St. Louis, Missouri. This company was founded in 1934 as a dealer in kerosene lamp parts and is still in business today. Shortly before and after World War II the company's focus changed and they became importers of crystal, art glass and porcelain. Today they specialize in antique reproductions. The blonde doll heads shown here were probably marketed by A A Importing Company after the end of World War 2.
Doll
A doll is a model of a human being, often used as a toy for children. Dolls have traditionally been used in magic and religious rituals throughout the world, and traditional dolls made of materials like clay and wood are found in the Americas, Asia, Africa and Europe. The earliest documented dolls...
made partially or wholly out of glazed
Ceramic glaze
Glaze is a layer or coating of a vitreous substance which has been fired to fuse to a ceramic object to color, decorate, strengthen or waterproof it.-Use:...
porcelain
Porcelain
Porcelain is a ceramic material made by heating raw materials, generally including clay in the form of kaolin, in a kiln to temperatures between and...
. The name comes from china being used to refer to the material porcelain. Colloquially the term china doll is sometimes used to refer to any porcelain or bisque doll
Bisque doll
A bisque doll or porcelain doll is a doll made partially or wholly out of bisque porcelain. Bisque dolls are characterized by their realistic, skin-like matte finish. They had their peak of popularity between 1860 and 1900 with French and German dolls. Bisque dolls are collectible, and antique...
, but more specifically it describes only glazed dolls.
A typical china doll has a glazed porcelain head with painted molded hair and a body made of cloth
Textile
A textile or cloth is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands...
or leather
Leather
Leather is a durable and flexible material created via the tanning of putrescible animal rawhide and skin, primarily cattlehide. It can be produced through different manufacturing processes, ranging from cottage industry to heavy industry.-Forms:...
. They range in size from more than 30" (76 cm) tall to 1 inch (2.5 cm). Antique china dolls were predominantly produced in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, approximately between 1840 and 1940. Rare and elaborately decorated antique china dolls can have value on the collectors market. Beginning in the mid 20th century reproductions of china dolls of various quality were produced in Japan and the United States.
History
Antique china dolls were predominantly produced in GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, approximately between 1840 and 1940, with the peak in popularity between roughly 1840 and 1890. Unglazed bisque doll
Bisque doll
A bisque doll or porcelain doll is a doll made partially or wholly out of bisque porcelain. Bisque dolls are characterized by their realistic, skin-like matte finish. They had their peak of popularity between 1860 and 1900 with French and German dolls. Bisque dolls are collectible, and antique...
s became popular after 1850. Harper's Bazar referred to china dolls as "old fashioned" in 1873, though they continued being made well into the early 20th century. China doll heads were produced in large quantities, counting in the millions. Some of the most prolific manufacturers were companies like Kestner; Conta & Boehme; Alt, Beck and Gottschalck; and Hertwig. Other German companies include Kling, Kister, KPM, and Meissen.
Meissen porcelain
Meissen porcelain or Meissen china is the first European hard-paste porcelain that was developed from 1708 by Ehrenfried Walther von Tschirnhaus. After his death that October, Johann Friedrich Böttger, continued his work and brought porcelain to the market...
China dolls were also produced in Czechoslovakia (Schlaggenwald), Denmark (Royal Copenhagen
Royal Copenhagen
Royal Copenhagen, officially the Royal Porcelain Factory is a manufacturer of porcelain products and was founded in Copenhagen 1 May 1775 under the protection of Queen Juliane Marie...
), France (Barrois, Jacob Petit), Poland (Tielsch
Carl Tielsch
Carl Robert Tielsch was a German merchant who founded the Carl Tielsch & Co. Porcelain Manufactury.-Carl Tielsch & Co.:In 1845, encouraged by Carl Krister's results as a porcelain entrepreneur, Tielsch founded in 1845 in the locality of Altwasser founded, together with his partner Gideon von...
), and Sweden (Rörstrand
Rörstrand
Rörstrand porcelain was one of the most famous Swedish porcelain manufacturers, with production initially at Karlberg Sea on Kungsholmen in Stockholm.-History:...
),. The earliest known were made by Kestner, KPM, Meissen and Royal Copenhagen.
The earliest china dolls often depicted grown women. From approximately the 1850s on child like china dolls became popular. Blond haired china dolls became more prevalent at the end of the 1800s. These dolls display contemporary hairstyles: sausage curls, ribbons or headbands.
Characteristics
A typical china doll has a shoulder head made of glazed whitish porcelain, with painted molded hair and facial features. The glaze gives the doll a characteristic glossyGloss (material appearance)
Gloss is an optical property, which is based on the interaction of light with physical characteristics of a surface. It is actually the ability of a surface to reflect light into the specular direction. The factors that affect gloss are the refractive index of the material, the angle of incident...
appearance. The head is typically attached to a body made of cloth
Textile
A textile or cloth is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands...
or leather
Leather
Leather is a durable and flexible material created via the tanning of putrescible animal rawhide and skin, primarily cattlehide. It can be produced through different manufacturing processes, ranging from cottage industry to heavy industry.-Forms:...
, sometimes with arms and legs made of porcelain. Some early china head dolls were placed on peg jointed wooden bodies. China doll parts were also sold for the customer to fashion a body and clothing. The largest cloth bodied china dolls could be more than 30" (76 cm) tall, and as small as 3" (7.5 cm). Some china dolls, like the "Frozen Charlotte
Frozen Charlotte (doll)
Frozen Charlotte is a name used to describe a specific form of china doll made from ca. 1850 to ca. 1920. The name comes from the American folk ballad Fair Charlotte, which tells of a young girl called Charlotte who refused to wrap up warmly to go on a sleigh ride and froze to death during the...
dolls", were made entirely out of porcelain, with head and body made in one piece without any articulation. The Frozen Charlotte dolls range in size from 2.5 cm (1 inch) in height up to 46 cm (18 inches).
Rare and elaborately decorated antique china dolls can have value on the collectors market. Most china dolls are unmarked or marked with only a size number. Alt, Beck and Gottschalck dolls will sometimes have a size and model number. Rorstrand dolls usually are marked with a model letter and size number on the bottom front of the shoulder plate. KPM, Meissen, and Royal Copenhagen products will bear company markings.
Parian dolls are similar to china dolls in that their heads are made of untinted porcelain, but they are unglazed with a matte finish. They are found on similar body types. They were also mainly made in Germany, from around 1860s to 1890s.
Reproductions
There was a resurgence in the popularity of china dolls in the mid 1900s when many were reproduced in the United States by companies such as Ruth Gibbs of New Jersey and Californians Emma Clear and Mark Farmer, among many others. From the 1930s Emma Clear became renowned for her high quality, finely made reproduction china heads. She also produced some all-original, non-reproduction dolls, including portraits of GeorgeGeorge Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
and Martha Washington
Martha Washington
Martha Dandridge Custis Washington was the wife of George Washington, the first president of the United States. Although the title was not coined until after her death, Martha Washington is considered to be the first First Lady of the United States...
made in the same manner as antique dolls.
Some hobbyists purchased or made molds from original antique china dolls and created reproductions in low fired ceramic. These home made versions are typically of poor paint quality and may exhibit crazing
Crazing
Crazing is a network of fine cracks on the surface of a material, for example in a glaze layer.Crazing is a phenomenon that frequently precedes fracture in some glassy thermoplastic polymers. Crazing occurs in regions of high hydrostatic tension, or in regions of very localized yielding, which...
in the glaze due to poor firing technique. Another tip off that such a doll is a reproduction is if it is signed with an individual's name and/or date. The antique dolls were not typically signed in this manner.
There were several models of china dolls made in Japan and marketed in the 20th century too. These doll heads were often labeled only with easily lost stickers inside the heads. They are frequently mistaken for their antique German predecessors. Trading companies in The United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, such as Shackman, Brinn and A A Importing company, distributed these dolls, frequently in kit form. The Standard Doll Co. of Long Island, New York also advertised china dolls in the 1970s. The examples shown here were marketed by A A Importing Company of St. Louis, Missouri. This company was founded in 1934 as a dealer in kerosene lamp parts and is still in business today. Shortly before and after World War II the company's focus changed and they became importers of crystal, art glass and porcelain. Today they specialize in antique reproductions. The blonde doll heads shown here were probably marketed by A A Importing Company after the end of World War 2.
Further reading
- "Identifying German Chinas 1840s-1930s" by Mary Krombholz : Published in 2004
- "Chinas, Dolls for Study and Admiration" by Mona Borger : Published in 1983
- "China, Parian & Bisque German Dolls" by Lydia Richter : Published in 1993
- "Beloved China Dolls" by Mildred Seeley
- "Conta & Boehme Porcelain" by Janice and Richard Vogel
- "Blue Book Dolls & Values" by Jan Foulke, volumes 1-16