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19th Century Paper Dolls

Dolls ain't always pretty ~

11/8/2010

 
This weekend I did some browsing on eBay (so naughty, I know), but I am being good for the most part and not spending willy-nilly. Meanwhile, I am enjoying discovering a lot of interesting dolls out there ~ from the beautiful antique kind to the flimsy magazine variety. And one of the things I have noticed is that however beautiful the clothing may be, the dolls themselves are sometimes anything but.

Case in point the sad little horror that I post today. Unfortunately I haven't any real information about the doll except that it was printed in 1985.
Picture
It would seem to be (judging by the undergarments) intended to come from the 19th century (vaguely?), although it could really be anywhere from 1830 to 1900. The "painted" hairstyle doesn't provide us with any further clues.

Perhaps there was originally another page that went with this; one on which the doll's name, the artist, and other information was provided, but alas that all seems lost. There are some initials attached to the foot of the doll, but they don't mean anything to me.

One would hope, as well, that if there was another page with other clothes on it, they included a chemise of some sort. It seems somehow indecent for this poor naked doll to have to go through life with only a pair of pantalettes and a ruffley gown to wear.

There are a lot of paper dolls in the style of actual dolls out there. I've never been fond of them as a general rule and this one is a good example of how they can be off-putting and even somewhat creepy. Click on the picture to see the detail of this poor creature's hideous dog-like face.

margery Schaffer link
11/28/2010 12:09:31 am

it is too bad this poor doll has such a bad face, the rest of the doll and especially the dress is done very well and is lovely. But you have to like this set as someone tried hard.

Boots link
12/1/2010 09:19:57 pm

i agree the clothes are lovely and i especially agree that someone made this with love, so there are definitely points on which i have no criticisms. and there's also the possibility that the paper doll is based on an "actual" doll and so the face is not the creation of the paper doll artist to begin with.

i am reminded that however a doll might look, its value as a plaything will nevertheless be immeasurable to whoever treasures it ~ and that's all that really matters.

: D

Fran
12/29/2010 12:02:19 am

I'm almost certain that this is Hittie, as in "Hittie: Her First 100 Years." The book is a children's book about a little hand-carved wooden doll. Part of the point was that she wasn't very pretty but people loved her anyway!


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