Happy New Year! Out with the old, and in with the new. As father time slumps away, 2012 is welcomed in by a bouncing baby boy.
These symbols, which are recognized worldwide, personify the changing of the annual guard. Babies represent a fresh, new start and bring renewed hope — they appeal to our nurturing senses. Perhaps this is one of the reasons baby dolls are so collectible.
During the Victorian era, Germany and France dominated the world's doll-making industries. Lots of substances had been used to make dolls (wood, wax, papier-mâché, composition and porcelain), but the material of choice was bisque — a form of unglazed china with a soft, smooth-matte finish.
Most European doll manufacturers employed the assembly-line technique in their factories. Hollow bisque heads and other doll parts were molded and fired in one area, then sent on to be painted, assembled and dressed in others. Great care was taken in assuring the dolls looked as realistic as possible; if the mouth of the doll were open, tiny porcelain teeth were attached to the back of the lips through the inside of the head. Next came the setting of glass eyes that were affixed to a holder and plastered into place. If the eyes were to open and close, flesh-tone wax lids were applied to the eyeballs, which were then set into a special weighted rocker mechanism that moved back and forth as the doll was tilted.
The majority of dolls had heads made from bisque and bodies made from other materials such as stuffed cloth, kid leather or a durable material made from sawdust and glue called composition. Some bodies were hollow and had limbs that were fastened together with elastic cord through an internal network of metal hooks. Other bodies were fashioned from soft cloth or leather and stuffed with sawdust, cotton or excelsior — a type of wood shaving that looked like straw. Once the head was attached to the body it was ready for the pate, a domed cardboard skull cap that closed the opening at the top of the head. The crowning touch was a real hair wig.
Great care was taken to create dolls with lifelike features and exquisite details. Stunning high-fashion dolls were often molded with pierced ears so they could wear jewelry to accentuate their elaborate costumes. Child and toddler dolls were dressed just as beautifully, in velvet, silk and lace with frilly bonnets and other accessories. These dolls were lovely works of art and very costly. More often than not they were showpieces rather than playthings.
As the turn of the 20th century dawned, a new material made its doll-making debut. It was celluloid — the first man-made plastic. While celluloid had been around for years, it had not enjoyed widespread use in dolls until Robert Zeller, an employee of the Rhenish Gummi und Celluloidfabrik Company of Neckarau, Germany, successfully developed a method of using it to mold dolls. In 1899, the firm registered their now-famous turtle trademark and named their doll-making division Schildkrot, the German word for "turtle."
At first, parents were skeptical about buying celluloid dolls for their children because it had a reputation for being dangerously flammable. Furthermore, celluloid was no less expensive than bisque, so consumers were hesitant to pay for something they knew little about. Eventually, however, its lightweight durability and realistic appearance was accepted.
Within a year, several well-known German doll makers began to hire Schildkrot to mold heads of celluloid. By the early part of the 1900s, J.D. Kestner, Buschow & Beck and Kammer & Reinhardt were all purchasing molded, undecorated doll heads, arms and legs from Schildkrot and finishing them in their own factories.
Eventually prices dropped, and affordable, lightweight all-celluloid dolls began to infiltrate the market. Fancy high-end costumed dolls fell out of favor with the younger set because little girls wanted dollies they could bathe, and if accidentally dropped, would bounce rather than break. Baby and infant dolls with molded hair and painted eyes became widely popular.
The outbreak of war in 1914 put an abrupt end to trade with the European doll industry, however the Viscoloid Company of Leminster, Mass., seized the opportunity to hire a German toy designer named Paul Kramme to create dolls and toys of celluloid with old-world appeal. Today, doll collectors especially prize antique dolls from Europe, as well as those made of celluloid during the 20th century in America, Germany, France, Italy, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Denmark and Japan.
Julie Robards is an antiques journalist and dealer living in Upper Jay. She is the author of two published books on celluloid, an advisor to several antique price guides and a writer for AntiqueWeek Newspaper since 1995. She may be reached through her websites www.redbarnantiques.org or www.celluloidforever.co.
