Composition Dolls

This term is collective term used to describe a variety of pulped-wood or paper-based mixtures from which doll heads and bodies are made. Composition was originally produced because it was a less expensive alternative to wooden dolls. It also allowed for more creativity because it was much easier to work with than wood. It was discovered in the 1800 that the paper-based mixtures could be pressed into molds. This allowed for mass production by machine, and greatly changed the doll making industry. Many different formulas for composition were used, although not many were successful. Some of the formulas included edible ingredients such as eggshells and bread. Dolls made from these types of composition were often gnawed on by rodents and insects. Other types of composition were susceptible to changes in temperature and humidity. The composition would shrink or swell, depending on conditions, and this would result in the cracking or crazing of the paint. Another problem with composition dolls is the coat of varnish used to seal the final product. This varnish often became discolored, giving the dolls a yellow tint. Therefore, it is very difficult to find a composition doll in mint condition, without cracking or peeling of the heavy paint.

Storage conditions of composition dolls have to be controlled. Dolls stored in closets on lived in levels fair much better than dolls stored in basements or upstairs closets that are closed off from the rest of the house.

Bisque Doll

Bisque refers to a type of doll that has been fired twice, with color added before the second firing. This color includes the overall tint as well as the facial features. Bisque heads were expensive to produce, but if done on a large scale, they could be made cost-effective. These dolls were also produced from molds like the poured wax dolls and later composition dolls. The porcelain was either poured or pressed into the molds and then the greenware (unfired porcelain) was removed from the mold after the form was set. Casting lines were cleaned off and the piece was fired. Then the tint and details were added and the piece was fired again. Earlier bisque heads had molded hair and eyes. Later heads possessed glass inset, sleep eyes, or flirty eyes. Some bisque dolls had inset tongues and teeth. More bisque dolls were produced in Germany near Thurgingia than anywhere else due to large nearby deposits of the clay needed to make the porcelain.

Bisque dolls had various types of bodies. Some of the types included leather, cloth, wooden, paper mache, composition, and bisque. Because bisque doll bodies are heavier than other types of bodies, they are less common, usually only seen on smaller dolls.

French Bisque Doll

The French started creating dolls in the 1840's and produced them until the 1950's. There are a few characteristics that are for the most part unique to French dolls. They normally have large almond shaped eyes, long painted lashes, and large brows with numerous strokes. They also have paperweight eyes, mohair wigs and either jointed composition bodies or kid leather bodies. Their clothing was more detailed and fancier than their German counterparts.

Some of the best known French manufacturers are Jumeau, Bru, Steiner and SFBJ.SFBJ is a society of French doll makers that was formed in 1899 and lasted until 1958. This society of French doll makers was formed when the Jumeau, Bru and eight other doll companies joined together to better compete with the growing German doll industry.

Identification of French bisque dolls is aided by the markings on both the heads and bodies. Although many markings are still unidentified, there are a number of markings that are distinctive of to either Jumeau, Bru, Steiner or other French doll makers. These markings also help distinguish French dolls from German dolls. For more information on identifying markings, see the books listed in Doll Books.

Adding a good French doll to your collection is a major accomplishment. French dolls are, as a rule, more valuable and harder to find than their German counterparts.

German Bisque Doll

German dolls have a number of distinguishing characteristics. They were created to look like the artist's children and to emulate the fashions of the time. This resulted is full cheeks, giving the dolls a pouty almost stern look. As a rule, they were also dressed simply, although there are acceptions to every rule. Their bodies were usually ball jointed composition or leather.

Some of the most well known German doll makers are Kestner, Simon and Halbig, Kammer and Rienhart, Armand Marseille, Heubach. Some of the companies made only heads, some made only bodies.

JD Kestner is considered King of the German Doll Makers. The company produced dolls from 1820 to 1938. The early Kestners are marked with X, XI or with a mold or size number. Later dolls are marked with "Made in Germany." Kestner's dolls were put on leather, composition or wooden bodies. They produced a wide range of dolls including shoulder heads, turned heads, socket heads. Kestner eyes varied as much as the head styles. The eyes were either painted, set glass, glass sleep eyes, or googly eyes. Mouths were either open, open closed, or closed. Kestner is well known for his Hilda, character babies and Googlies.

Armand Marseille is another well known German doll-maker, but this company made only doll heads and then sent them to other companies for completion. The Armand Marseille company did not make any bodies. This adds to the confusion of trying to date and identify AMs because their bodies were produced by a number of different companies.

Heubach was known for their character babies, which were introduced in 1908. Because the Heubach company made character babies, they have a wide variety of dolls including dolls having tantrums, smiling dolls, crying dolls and screaming dolls. Many of their dolls have intaglio eyes and molded hair.

These are just a very few of the German doll makers that produced fine bisque dolls in the late 1800's and early 1900's. For more information on these wonderful creations, see Doll Books

Glazed China Head Doll

Glazed China Heads are one of three types of porcelain dolls. The other two are untinted bisque, and tinted bisque. The Glazed China Heads were produced from 1830 to 1880. They are called glazed china heads because the painted featured and coloring of the cheeks were painted using china paints which were fired to fix them to the surface. Heavy coats of glaze were then fired onto the surface of the head, over the painted features. This gave the heads their glossy appearance, and allowed the white porcelain underneath to show. The glazed china heads are rarely seen with all over tinting. Because of the fine texture of porcelain, it could be used to produce detailed doll heads. The hairstyles were molded in the styles of the period with intricate bows, curls and jewels. The dolls were also dressed to duplicate the fine dresses worn by fashionable ladies of the period.

It is very difficult to identify the makers and periods of the glazed china heads. Many dolls were not marked, while others have their markings inside the heads. Markings inside of the heads poses a problem because in order to see the marking, the head must be removed from the body, which alters the original condition, thus decreasing the value of the doll.

The majority of the glazed china heads are shoulder heads, although a few ball and socket type heads were created. Not all glazed china heads were ornate and representative of the high fashions of the time. Many dolls were produced with simple hairstyles and clothing and usually portrayed boys, children, or babies.

Untinted Bisque

In 1860, untinted bisque began to replace the glazed china heads. Another name for these unglazed heads is "parian". These untinted bisque heads resemble the glazed china heads in most respects, other than the fact that the untinted bisque lacks the coat of glaze. The distinguishing characteristics of the pairan heads are that they possess a matte finish and a marlbelike whiteness. The painted facial features are still the only coloring on the head. The dolls were made to represent men, women, and children, depending on their hairstyle. Hairstyles ranged from the very ornate styles of the fashion ladies to the rather plain styles of the men and children. Their clothing was also styled after the fashions of the period. Bodies were made from calico, and stuffed with animal hair and other woolen type fibers. Molded hand and feet were common, with most feet molded to have painted fasionable boots.

Paper Mache

Paper Mache dolls are some of the earliest dolls made. They can be dated as far back as 1540. They are composed of many different things, but mainly consist of sheets of paper pressed together with wood or rag fibers added to give strength. The earliest form of Paper Mache dolls were produced by laying sheets of paper over the form to be duplicated and binding them with paste and firm pressure. The process of making Paper Mache dolls evolved into the composition doll industry. Composition is one type of Paper Mache. It was in 1807 that the process of mass producing paper mache dolls using molds and a pressure process to form a paper pulp into the doll part desired. The new pressure process is given credit for laying the foundation for the German Doll industry. The types of paper mache dolls produced covers a wide range. This type of doll had either glass inset eyes or painted, and some had molded hair and some had wigs.

Wax dolls

Wax dolls come in two main types. Wax over composition dolls were made by applying a thin coat of wax over composition heads and limbs. They were easier and less expensive to produce than the poured wax dolls. The wax over composition dolls had a more natural appearance than the ones made of only composition. They were made from the 1830's to the 1900's, mostly by German doll makers. In the 1870's, the English started producing some wax over composition dolls. These dolls by the English are usually well marked with body stamps, therefore, wax over composition dolls with no marking are assumed to be German.

Unfortunately, these dolls were subject to the changes in climate, much like their all composition counterparts. Changes in temperature and humidity caused the composition bases to shrink and expand, resulting in cracking and crazing of the wax covering.

Poured wax dolls originated from the widespread Roman Catholic practice of creating religious effigies and votive offerings from wax. The craftsmen expanded their art into wax doll-making. This was developed in London and between 1850 and 1930, most of the fine wax dolls were created. Wax dolls were much more realistic looking than any other type of doll. The wax was translucent, luminous and warm to the touch. The properties of wax allowed the artists to create portrait dolls which accurately depicted the facial features and expressions of their subjects.

Poured wax doll modelers all used basically the same process to create their dolls. First, a doll was sculpted from either wax or clay, which was then used to create a plaster mold. The molds were then used to cast the doll pieces. The techniques used to finish the dolls are what made them unique. Some wax dolls have inset hair where strands of clumps of hair were inserted into the scalp. This made for a more realistic head of hair than wigs produced. Blown glass or molded eyes were set into the cut-out eye sockets, and eyelashes were also inserted with a technique similar to that used to insert hair in the scalp. Most of the poured wax dolls have bodies made out of calico stuffed with animal hair or other wooly fibers. The arms and legs were cast at the same time as the head to ensure color match.

Modern Doll

Modern Dolls come in as many different shapes and sizes as antique dolls do. Many are sculpted to depict a particular child, and others are modeled after the antique dolls. With the large variety of materials available to dollmakers today, modern dolls have become very easy to mass produce. Many modern dolls were made to look like famous people such as the Dionne Quintuplets, Princess Diana and the many characters depicted by Madame Alexander. Modern dolls are made of many different types of materials including porcelain, compo, plastic, and rubber. Because of the number of dolls produced today, it takes great care to find a modern doll that will be worth collecting years from now. When selecting a modern doll to buy a number of things should be considered such as quality, number produced, and artist. If you are collecting modern dolls, the most valuable ones will be found at a reputable doll shop. By going to your local doll shop, you may have the chance to meet the artist, and any time you can get to know the person creating the doll, the piece becomes more meaningful and valuable. Dolls sold at department stores are not going to be ones that increase in value over the years. These dolls are fine if you are not buying for an investment, but when you want your collection to increase in value, buying limited editions and artist dolls are your best bets. Quality is a big factor in the value of a modern doll. The clothing should be made from quality fabrics, and should be sewn, not glued onto the doll. Painting should be soft and life like without harsh lines and colors. Look for dolls that are handmade by a single artist or dolls that are signed and numbered limited editions. An artist that is proud of his or her work will always sign it! Good luck with your collecting.