Catalog: Dolls: Antique Dolls (258)

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...

Here face is hard to read, her eyes are big round buttons, her nose is one with her eyebrows, her mouth is a V turned upside down, and two circles on either side of her head for ears. She is big and rag stuffed heavy, (I love that). On the top of her head is a braided top knot in the shape of a donut. She is 28" tall, all original except her her clothes that are old and look good on her. So many cloth dolls, all made with cloth and some imagination, can be so different and look so wonderful C...

This charming character painted face cloth doll looks so proper. She has a great face that has many coats of white paint. She has blue eyes, applied nose and a tiny black line for her mouth. From her elbow down her arms and painted white and her legs from the knees down are painted black. Her body is very nicely constructed and is stuffed just right for holding. I didn't try very hard to get off her pantaloons, someone worked very getting them over her painted legs but her body is all original...

Extremely early bedpost doll with carved features. She is 13" tall, with very nice turnings. She has attached cloth arms that are old but not original. At least one older tack remains from the earlier arms. She is solid, heavy, no worm holes, but there are a few nail holes near the base on one side. She is wearing a very early dress that is woven rather than printed. It is hand sewn and from the same time frame but my guess is that it is not original...

Sometimes a doll can be appreciated for the marvel of the maker and the caretakers of a doll. She has had loving hands restore her body more than once with really skilled hands. Her body is fashioned like a leather body but there is no leather under this doll's layers of jersey, cotton, linen and maybe a little wool. Her body is so interesting that she would look good exhibited without clothes. She is very firmly stuffed with rags...

This is a very nice painted face cloth doll with an all original body. The back of her head is painted brown and then a black painted strip around her face to suggest she has black hair. She is hand sewn except for her stitched defined fingers. She is 23" tall. I don't believe any of her clothes are original but are antique and they look like have been on her a while. She is stuffed with cotton and has a nice feel but is not a real heavy doll...

A fine embroidered face, bead eye, pelt hair black doll from the coast of Maine. Her face and body are made from a very nice black linen cloth that has lightened a little with age. She is stuffed with cotton, jointed at the shoulders, elbows, hips and knees allowing her to sit easily, her head is firmly on her shoulders...no wabble. She is wearing an beige and blue print early dress that is age appropriate but not original to her...

A wonderful fine homespun linen doll with watercolor/ink drawn features and blue eyes to die for. The drawing of her eyelashes is so tiny I needed a magnifying glass to see them. She is 14” tall, body is all original and firmly stuffed with cotton...

This doll is from a collection in Maine. She is stockinette that was originally early polished cotton and was recovered 50 t0 75 years ago. So she is all original just recovered. This is not that uncommon if the doll was valued it was repaired. Old black fabric dye had iron oxide that was corrosive and weaken fabric. It is why this face has some holes. Her face has beautiful embroidery, the nose has to be the fanciest I have ever seen. She has shoe button eyes and pieces of white linen tacked on...

This very nice painted face cloth doll has a lovely minimally painted face with dark eyes and a soft red nicely shaped lips. Her body is hard packed with a broad chest reflecting the period. She has long graceful arms that flare out from the elbow down, a touch I don't see very often. Her body is all original one arm has some weakness but not serious. She is dressed in antique clothes, the dress has some stains and one hole in the back under arm. She is wearing a petticoat, net stockings and ta...

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...

Under the great blue calico bonnet this doll has a worn and wrinkle face with a pencil dot for eyes and a pencil line for a mouth. Her nose has gone flat but the bonnet makes her look adorable. She is a homemade beauty, she sits like she has done yoga all her life. Her blue calico dress is voluminous and hides her rather average size body. She can almost do a split her legs go so far apart. She had a slip and undies under her dress and has black socks and brown shoes on. She looks so comfortable...

This bold stockinette black doll is very likely all original. She has a great face that is shaped by the pinched nose and a slightly pinched chin. I don't recall seeing a pinched chin like that before. She has astrakhan hair covered with matching scarves on her head and around her bodice. She has a petticoat and pantaloons and a soft red calico dress over them. Her apron has a pocket with a hanky of the same material as her head and shoulder scarfs. She is well endowed with a matronly body. She ...

This antique handsewn doll has the early sloped shoulders, with carefully pieced construction, finely embroidered face with pinched raised nose, detailed lips, eyes and eyebrows. Her body is the hourglass shape, her legs are continuous and even though she is not jointed, she sits easily. She has great astrakhan hair. She is cotton stuffed rather firmly, has sewn on socks and rounded off hands. She is wearing a skirt and blouse, petticoat and bloomers all antique but not original, just nice. The ...

And I believe her! She is a no nonsense doll, stern but not mean. At 27" she sits and stands tall, her body is strong and firm and her head is upright. She is fully jointed and has fingers and thumbs. Her hands are unique, the maker sewed the outline of the fingers with the two pieces of cloth face out and then cut around the outside so there is a raw cut that is a bit messy looking but it worked. Certainly much easier that sewing on the wrong side pushing the fingers out. She is wearing a brow...

This is a wonderful wooden Native American doll with original clothing. He is pretty much untouched. He may have had a jacket or vest but I don't see any signs of that. His head is removeable but looks completely original. He is hand sewn clothes, has bead work around his sleeves but nowhere else. His boots are sturdy leather with leather trim in colors of red and tan. The wooden torso is in two pieces allowing him to bend at the waist about 1/2" back and forth. He is heavy for his size. His le...

This boy doll has a proud stance and a great outfit. His hands and feet are big and terrific. His hat is made out of a tin can! His clothes I think are original. Most cloth dolls probably don't have original clothes but there is an exception and that is, Boy Dolls. Boy dolls were often made for a boy and the doll didn't get played with the way girl dolls did. So that said, I do feel this doll is pretty much all original. He is heavy and packed pretty tightly with cotton and wool stuffing. His fa...

This very nice center seam face doll with ears and naïve painted face and hair. She has a gracefulness about her. Her arms are created with a curve, she has nicely sloped shoulders that gives her a look of the proper Bostonian. She is cotton stuffed with a little give. She is jointed at the shoulders, hips and knees. Her undergarments are quite lovely. Her chemise has tape as garters that are holding up her stockings. She has pantaloons and a lovely petticoat, a cotton dress and a newly made, b...