First I would like to say that I am not an expert at doll collecting. I enjoy it as a hobby. I like to read about dolls and their history. Dolls appeal to adults as well as children. Adults enjoy collecting dolls because of the history behind each doll, how they were made, or where they came from. Their clothing is important too. We can look back in history and see how the fashions were, the stlye of hats and shoes, etc.
Did you know?Raggedy Ann doll, was a cartoon illustration created by artist Johnny Gruelle. After a short time Gruelle had to make a companion for Ann, who was Raggedy Andy. In 1918 Gruelle wrote his first book, Raggedy Ann Stories and then in 1920 wrote the Raggedy Andy Stories.
The Kewpie doll is based on illustrations by Rosie O'Neill in the Ladies' Home Journal in 1909. George Borgfeldt of New York arranged with the J. D. Kestner Company, a German company to manufacture the bisque Kewpies.
One of the greatest dolls of all times is the Bye-Lo baby, also known as the, "Million dollar Baby", created by American sculptor Grace Ann Putnam in 1922. Miss Putnam used a newborn infant as a model. The first dolls had heads were made from wax. Then later they were made from composition, rubber, vinyl, celluloid and wood.
In 1867 Emile Jumeau joined his fathers firm. Later he introduced the bébés Jumeau. Bébés is a French word meaning babies. The bébés heads were made from fine bisque, jointed composition bodies. French doll makers named their bébés after their manufacturer. Example: Leon Casimir Bru created the Bébé Bru.
Folk dolls are made by local crafts people, using traditional handicraft skills. Some of the materials used in making folk dolls are clay, cloth, corn cobs, flowers, nuts, straw, and wood.
In the later half of the nineteenth century, in England, children of the middle class played with "Sunday only" dolls. They were only allowed to play with them for an hour or two in the afternoon, under strict supervision.
In the late 1940's plastic became the popular material for dolls. There was hard plastic and then a soft plastic called vinyl. In 1959 Barbie appeared. She was considered a fashion doll, just like the dolls 100 years earlier, she had a very large wardrobe. But Barbie was to play with, not like the fashion dolls, that was strictly looked at for their fashions styles.
Tips About Collecting DollsCollecting dolls is a very popular hobby. When buying an antique doll you should look for their original clothing and obtain the doll from the original owner. The owner usually will know the history of the doll and have the original clothing.
Many doll collectors collect dolls of a certain country, a particular artists, maybe a specific period and the materials the doll is made of. Someone might collect cloth dolls, costumes dolls, vinyl dolls. Doll figures, like Princess Diana, Jacqueline Kennedy, Marilyn Monroe, these portrait dolls are called collectible dolls.
It's best if you keep dolls that are in very good condition and that are not damaged.
Save all your boxes, labels and tags. You can display dolls in many ways, in curio cabinets, shadow boxes, etc. They should be kept out of direct light and protect them from dust. Even if you have inexpensive dolls that you bought at the dime store or an
expensive doll, you should treat both of them with the same care.