The History of China Dolls
Believe it or not, china dolls do not come from China. Collectors use the term china doll to describe usually antique dolls with a porcelain head, although the term has been used to describe any doll that has a porcelain, clay or bisque head. Once you know the history of the china doll, you will have a better understanding of what collectors look for when they are classifying a china doll.
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Characteristics
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China dolls are noted for being made with heads of glazed porcelain. This gives their complexion a shiny look. Dolls with unglazed porcelain heads are classified as parian or bisque dolls. China doll heads could be left bare and glazed, though most were painted before being glazed. Most German china dolls have black hair and blue eyes. Some have a red line painted above the eyes to give the impression of an eyelid.
Porcelain
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Prior to using porcelain for doll heads, doll makers used wood, papier-mache and wax to create realistic-looking fashion dolls. Doll makers later selected porcelain for doll heads because it was a more durable medium. Porcelain is made by firing clay in a kiln at over 2372 degrees. This hardens the clay and makes it able to stand up to heavy use, which is why porcelain is used to make cookware and dishes.
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First Dolls
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The first china dolls were made in Germany in the 1840s by porcelain makers such as KPM Berlin, Meissen, and Royal Copenhagen Denmark. The doll heads were attached to leather or cloth bodies, and the hair was molded to the head and cast in porcelain as well. These dolls looked like adult women, and they were dressed in fashions that were typical of the time.
Later Doll Making
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As dollmaking progressed, china dolls were made with bald heads. Hair was later made for these dolls out of mohair or real hair, and attached to a dark spot or hole in the top of the doll's head. These dolls' hairpieces were arranged in up-to-date, fashionable hair styles. Collectors appraise china dolls based on the hairstyle that the doll is wearing. Dolls with more elaborate hairstyles fetch a higher price. Examples of hair styles included ringlets, sausage curls, ribbon headbands and the "covered wagon" hairstyle.
Doll Heads
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Eventually, china doll manufacturers began to sell just the doll heads. These doll makers expected that the person purchasing the dolls would create their own bodies and clothing for the doll. These later dolls had even fancier features, including glass eyes. Some dolls were made in the likeness of famous people, including Alice from "Alice in Wonderland," Mary Todd Lincoln, Dolly Madison and Jenny Lind. These types of dolls were known as portrait dolls. As the popularity of China dolls began to decline in favor of bisque dolls, the later styles of doll heads were made to resemble children rather than ladies.
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