Early 19t c Continued

You may enjoy Mis Munecas, a lovely blog with theme music. She as gorgeous photos,and covers the history well. She makes a point that by Victoria's time, there were few toys left from the poor childrens' toy box, and perhaps because commercial dolls, parts, and other materials to make them were becoming more plentiful, and because the Middle Class was forming and rising across the globe, especially in Western Countries. Also, those still wretchedly poor worked constantly, and they had no time for dolls. Even in the early 20th century, my grandmother in Europe had to work. She had to dolls as a child, only later as an adult, and these became the nucleus of my collection. My grandmothers worked, and went to school to be seamstresses so they could work even more. One of them lost her father as a little girl of six or seven; she had to wear black till she married twenty years later, and then had a Paris trousseau to make up for it. She used to beg us not to wear black, even if someone died. With the rise of the Middle Class, and more leisure time for children, there was more time for play, and for toys of all types.

The Early 19th Century

Papier Mache soon joined wood and other materials in doll making, again, because the Industrial Revolution made paper a mass produced item. Before, and even after for many, paper was a precious commodity, saved, and written on over and over again. Now, it was more plentiful, and could be used for many small items, including dolls and toys, and soon, Paper Dolls! The first of these as we know them were probably Pantins, from France, late 18th c., later forbidden to expectant mothers lest the mania for them lead to deformed children! Excerpt from a site on Sonneberg: History of toys: http://sonneberg.de/stadtinf/vorgestellt/evorstel.htm In the 19th century southern Thuringia - just like Nuremberg, Oberammergau, Berchtesgaden and the Ore Mountains - developed into one of the most significant centres of German toy manufacturing. In the course of the 19th century doll production grew to be the main element in toy manufacture and in 1840 dolls made up 70 % of the entire sales in Sonneberg. In addition to the production of wooden dolls, more and more dolls made of papier-mâché. Then in 1830 porcelain was used. The porcelain doll from Sonneberg became a world famous product made by porcelain manufacturers like Armand Marseille and Ernst Heubach. In the early decades of the 20th century the small town reached its peak in sales and international reputation. After the recovery from World War II toy factories began to produce again in 1945/46. From 1948 on craftsmen in the toy industry were forced to join cooperatives specifically established for purchase and distribution of goods, following the expropriation and nationalisation of the large-scale enterprises. By the end of the 50s private companies were more or less compelled to accept state interference. The foundation of combined collectives represented the next step of the economic centralisation and the entire toy industry with its 27,000 employees, 10,000 of which working in Sonneberg, was coordinated from there. The large-scale enterprises did not survive the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. Today about 1,000 employees are still working for small and medium size companies within the toy industry. Some of the local toy factories were able to make a name for themselves so that Sonneberg nowahttp://sonneberg.de/stadtinf/vorgestellt/evorstel.htmdays is called Toy Town to display the international significance which it still has.

18th Century Dolls II

Here is a link to a blog called 18th Century Notebook; maybe the best resource for 18th c. dolls I've seen: http://larsdatter.com/18c/dolls.html Keep in mind that the Industrial Revolution brought changes to dolls and toys as well. My theory is that with the successful mass production of china and glass, in fact, all ceramics, and with the success of Josiah Wedgewood, china manufacturers were looking for new ways to use their raw product, and eventually, a billion china headed dolls and more bisque and ceramic dolls and doll heads were born. Kestner and other German companies began in the late 18th century, and as cloth became commercially made, it was more feasible to make rag dolls and doll clothes, because the surplus of cheap cloth made the rag bag, and later, the flea markets we all love, so popular. My hands are still crippled up, but usable, and I still can't find spell check, so thanks for your tolerance.

Dr. E's Doll Museum Blog: But, I Love Dolls from Garage Sales . . .!

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From the Philadelphia Doll Museum which features Black Dolls; take their virtual tour as well; there is also a YouTube film of them. Thanks to my friend RM for sending me the link: http://www.philadollmuseum.com/history.asp History Since the beginning of civilization, man has made images of himself from objects from his environment, either as drawing on cave walls or as figurines made of wood or clay. These dolls or idols were used as a religious or magical status. Today, dolls are defined as a three dimension figure representing a human being. Added to this definition, is that a doll is a play toy for children. Dolls have been found throughout the world from the sarcophagi of Ancient Egypt, to the Catacombs in Rome to Native American graves of North America. Dolls tells a story about their past. That is why “the world of doll collecting” provides a treasure of information and holds such interest and joy to all peoples. In Africa, from Ashanti to Zulu, image sculptures called “ancestor figures” are traditional and religious. These wood carved images represent deceased loved ones. The dolls are used to thank the gods for good health, wealth and a rich harvest. Ancestor’s images permeate an African’s day-to-day existence because of strong powers. There is a doll for each cycle of life-birth, initiation, marriage, and death. With the rise of the German doll industry in the 19th century, black dolls found their way from the marketplace and into the home of the wealthy. The early black dolls from Germany were crudely made from papier-mâché, hand painted with pupiless eyes, glued-on wig or molded hair and some with molded shoes. The doll bodies were stuffed with saw dust or straw. Known as the “Golden Age of Doll Manufacturing,” from 1880 to 1930, the Germans made china, porcelain and bisque head dolls as well as celluloid. Black dolls were painted or had the color fired in during the second firing process. Of the leading German doll manufacturers, notably three manufacturers led in the production of black dolls: Simon & Halbig, Armand Marseille, and Heubach Koppelsdorf. Although the Germans were the leading doll manufacturers, the French made more black dolls. Both doll makers Emile Jumeau and Casimir Bru were producing black bisque dolls commercially as early as 1880 and some came with the fired in black color. These luxury French bebes were produced with shades of coloring which gave more realistic tones. The majority of black Bruns and Juneau’s are found in the United States. In 1895, the Golliwogg appears as a black character doll in Florence Upton children’s best seller, The Adventures of Two Dutch Dolls. The series of books featured the mishaps of the dolls. The Golliwogg was the delight of most English children. In America, handmade and hand crafted dolls were not only popular because Americans could not afford the expensive porcelain dolls imported from Europe. Old cloth was used over and over to make faceless or embroider face cloth dolls called “Rag dolls”. The Native American taught settlers to plant corn and to make corn husk dolls. Other dolls made during the early 1900’s were nut dolls, bone dolls and tobacco dolls. These dolls are considered “American Folk Dolls”. Many of the black dolls made during this period portrayed stereotypical images of black people. Many black parents would not give these dolls to their children; instead they made dolls for them. Early black dolls were made from the same composition mold as while dolls and painted black or brown. After the First World War, the use of unbreakable material such as rubber and celluloid was used to make dolls. As for the rubber dolls, they could be bathed, fed, and diaper changed without damage to the doll. The most popular black rubber doll was “Amosandra” produced by CBS Broadcasting Radio Co. Amosandra was the daughter of Amos from the Amos and Andy Show. Also some of the famous Kewpies dolls were made of celluloid material; some of the black Kewpies were called “hottentot”. Although, in the 40’s there was an increase of black dolls on the American market, but it was not until the late 50’s that black dolls had ethnic features. The “Sara Lee” doll was designed from the composite pictures of black children. “Sara Lee” was considered the first “Anthropologically correct” black doll. Since the 1960’s Civil Rights Movement, many independent black doll manufacturing companies produced black dolls such as Shindana Doll Co., Keisa Dolls Inc., Whitney Doll Inc., Golden Ribbon Inc., and Olmec Inc. A noted African American doll artist was I. Roberta Bell (1904-1992), an educator. Ms. Bell was the first black to become a member of the National Institute of American Doll Artist. She created a Heritage series of porcelain dolls representing famous and historical African Americans. The Philadelphia Doll Museum continues to preserve and research black dolls as artifacts of history. More than play toys, these dolls symbolize the struggle for freedom and human dignity. The growth and legacy of black dolls will increase as both American and International doll artists continue to design and create wonderful black dolls.

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