Decorative Child's Rocker Circa 1920's with Circa 1900's Doll in orginal clothing from a Doll Collector in Ct. H:20.5" W:14" D:21.5" for Rocker. Doll is 23.5". Following the era of the ancient dolls from the Egyptian, Greek and Roman dolls of more primitive materials, later Europe became a major hub for doll production. Historically these dolls were primarily made of wood, so they were very primitive wooden stump dolls from 16th and 17th century. The Grodnertal area of Germany produced many peg wooden dolls, a type of doll that has very simple peg joints and resembles a clothespin. During the 17th and 18th Century Wax Dolls were popular and Munich was a major manufacturing center for wax dolls, but some of the most distinctive wax dolls were created in England between 1850 and 1930. Procedure was for the wax modelers would model a doll head in wax or clay, and then use plaster to create a mold from the head. Then they would pour melted wax into the cast. The wax for the head would be very thin. Later in the 1800's there was an alternative to wax and wood developed: Composition is a collective term for mixtures of pulped wood or paper that were used to make doll heads and bodies. These mixtures were molded under pressure, creating a durable doll that could be mass produced. Manufacturers closely guarded the recipes for their mixtures, sometimes using strange ingredients like ash or eggshells. Papier-mache, a type of composition, was one of the most popular mixtures. From the beginning of the 19th century, Porcelain was very much in vogue and Porcelain is made by firing special clays in a kiln at high temperature and only a few clays can withstand firing at such temperatures. Porcelain is to refer to both china and bisque dolls, the china is glazed, whereas bisque is unglazed. In Germany, France, and Denmark they created china heads for dolls in the 1840s. China heads were replaced by heads made of bisque in the 1860s. Bisque, which is fired twice with color added to it after the first firing, looked more like skin than china did. There were during this period that the French "Bebe" doll was also a popular doll. In America and England the Rag dolls made of fabric were also in vogue, since this was more popular as a child's first toy and usually made by mothers for their children. Dollmaking did not become an industry in the United States until after the Civil War in the 1860s, mostly concentrated in New England, with dolls made from a variety of materials such as leather, rubber, papier-mache, and cloth. After this period the doll makers experimented with plastics, manufactured in the 1940s. They resembled composition dolls, but they were much more durable. Other materials used in doll manufacturing included rubber, foam rubber, and vinyl in the 1950s and 1960s. Vinyl changed doll making, allowing doll makers to root hair into the head, rather than using wigs or painting the hair. Although most dolls are now mass-manufactured using these modern materials, many modern doll makers are using the traditional materials of the past to make collectible dolls. This unique hand painted American Doll from the 1900's is a fine example of an early doll with orginal clothing and seated in it's own vignette. LifestyleAntiques.com is the web site where one can shop on line or if you are in the area we are an antique dealer in Summerland, California just 3 minutes south of Santa Barbara. Specializing in European Antique Furniture and our accent is antique lighting for your home, or office with handmade parchment shades adorning the selection of unique lamps. We specialize in Decorative Arts and French furniture as well as antique furniture from Spain and Italy, you will find the shop warm and inviting.

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