Catalog: Dolls: Antique Dolls: Cloth (231)

This antique straw stuffed doll had an embroidered nose, just traces left, ink painted eyes and eyebrows and stitched and painted mouth, both a mere shadow of itself. Her body is all original and as I tried taking off her clothes they had been on and not disrupted for a long time I decided not to pull them all off. I took pictures so I think you can see she is really okay and nice. She is stuffed with straw so she is crunchy sounding and not stuffed really firmly...

This nice little girl from next door would always play nice, share her dolls and offer you cookies and milk. She has watercolor hair, ink draw drawn face, cute little curvy body. She has been played with a lot and it shows on her feet and her hands. One side of her face is a little faded. Her great calico dress has fading on the front but still looks and fits her well. She is 14" tall and circa 1890-1910.

This big doll no nonsense painted face doll with kind eyes was made with a body and face that match. They are both strong looking, will withstand a lot and be a good companion for a little girl. She is the kindly auntie that can't be there all the time. She is stuffed firmly with rags with cotton stuffed arms and legs. The paint is more a water color than an oil paint. It is flat color and sinks into the fabric. Her lips are the only exception, they are painted with a bittersweet oil paint...

This is a 23 " cloth doll that looks more like she is 17". It is funny with dolls, some look really big and large and aren't and then some like this one that just feel and look smaller than they are. She is nicely shaped body, she is shy and doesn't like to show her face. I finally got one picture that shows the pencil features, you can see her face much better in real life...

Just when I think I have seen it all along comes something different. This doll has a bottle for a body that has the shape of a flask. The bottle and her arms are a heavy twill with the arms having lots of mends. She has sock legs and a sewn on bonnet and embroidered face. She has been through a lot but she is very dear. I have had bottle doll doorstops but never a doll with a bottle body! She is 16" tall and is a real hoot. Circa 1900

This very dear pensive blue ink drawn face doll is the quiet one. She is comforting and soft, her dress is a soft gray blue, her apron is old windowpane fabric with a touch of lace. She has a nice old onesie on underneath. There is nothing spectacular about her she is just nice. Sometimes we could all use a little bit of nice. She is cotton stuffed has a hole in the toe of one foot other than that there is not much to know. She is hand sewn and even though she is not jointed she sits nicely...

This interesting cloth doll has a pencil face fashioned after a "Babyland" rag doll. The little girl receiving this doll must have been thrilled to have a doll looking like and expensive bought one. This face is a second face that has been there a long time. She has a sewn on bonnet that fringes her face. Her arms have been recovered at the same time her face was done, same material. She is cotton stuffed and sits nicely. Clothes old but not original. She is 19"tall and circa 1890-1900.

This is a most unusual very appealing small doll very much the young lady, with a center seam face, applied ears and sewn on pelt hair. (Please look at the picture of the hair, I think it is deer pelt and is fashioned to look like arranged hair.) She has a drawn face with bead eyes. She is wearing a brown printed dress all hand sewn with a pocket on one side. She has on pantaloons, a slip, a petticoat, black socks and very worn leather doll shoes that are as early as she is...

Well I am not sure Mother Congress would recognize this doll unless she took off her dress. This doll has to have had many hundreds of hours of play. The dress is obviously not original but I am sure it is nicer than a lot of dresses she has worn. She is 18" tall, cotton stuffed, many stitches replaces but surprisingly no holes just a worn area at the tip of her right hand. She sure isn't a Sunday doll but she could use a few understanding friends! Circa 1900...

This early pencil face doll is what I call plain and simple. It is the type or doll I would see for sale in the 1970-80's. Somehow the fancier antique cloth dolls didn't appear until the 1990's and later. She has a simple drawn pencil face, no hair, a mitten hand with just the thumb separate and the little turned up foot. She sits easily and fits in with anything on a shelf or with a collection...

This really pretty painted face doll has a unique palate off white, gray and black with big brown eyes. She has painted black hair. She has the center seam face that I like so much and ears. I love dolls with ears I think it gives them so much character. She has a nicely shaped body, she is firmly cotton stuffed...

I can't believe it, this is Miss Grant my first grade teacher. It has been a lot of years but I think this is her. She has great black fabric hair that feels sort of like mohair? It is sewn on really nicely and dented in to make it look like a part in her hair. Her face is pencil drawn with big circles for her eyes. She has a great pinched nose, and a bit of a raised chin. No real mouth but I can tell it is pursed lips, she always did! Her body was made by a real seamstress. The fabric used for ...

A most unusual black doll that has her name and owners initials written in brown ink on her bloomers. R.W. is on her right leg and DINA is on her left leg. Her face is nicely embroidered with lover's knots for pupils. She has brown floss hair that is just across her forehead, something I don't recall seeing before on any other doll. She is jointed at the shoulders and hips so she sits easily. I do feel her clothes are original. (Her cap is pinned on and is an addition.) She has on a ruby red bea...

Antique little black doll all hand sewn with a really nicely embroidered face. Her little eyebrows are almost up to the top of her head and her mouth is in a little warped O. She has a sewn on bonnet, a funny big armed dress that is sewn on. She has carefully sewn turned feet and her hands have long thumbs, no fingers just very long thumbs... Hey this mother did the best she could, she was better at faces than at hands. This is a very dear all original black doll. She is 8" tall and is circa 19...

This doll holds her head up high, has a hint of a smile, has a great body, sits nicely, doesn't cause any trouble and hasn't complained that her dress doesn't have any buttons or quite meet at the neck. She is 21" tall, stuffed firmly with cotton, has no rips or tears. She has embroidered face with shoe button eyes. Her hair is wool and so nicely done. She has pantaloons, petticoat and dress that are all nice and are antique. The dress is actually red not orange and the bottom in polished cott...

This is an amazing home made black boy doll with the sweetest face, the best posture and corn cob legs. He feels like he has a solid wood inner core. I bet the maker of this boy was pleased as punch to find a good use for a couple of old corn cobs. His face is finely embroidered and has a contoured brow and cheeks, a raised nose, jet bead eyes, embroidered eyebrows, whites of eyes, nose and mouth with teeth. He has raveled yarn hair that is wonderful and it really suits him. His hands are stit...

It is always fun to find something I haven't seen before, this is a black man oilcloth doll. Oilcloth was a heavy duty cotton or linen cloth that was in the old days soaked in linseed oil until it became saturated. The cloth was then hung to dry to produce an almost waterproof fabric. It often was used to cover kitchen tables, line shelves AND was used to make children's soft toys that were durable and waterproof. This toy soldier dates to the late 1800's early 1900's. He is tall and wonderful a...

No mistaking this boy doll as a girl. Again great ears and behold the eyes. Did the mother making this doll know and want this look or did it just happen in the making. He is precious. His face is sepia ink on fine linen. His face is a second face but really old. It would be easy enough to take it off but I would never touch it, he is too good to mess with. He is hand sewn, is stuffed fairly firmly with cotton, he is jointed at elbows, shoulders, hips and knees. He has a big face and head for hi...