Catalog: Dolls: Antique Dolls: Cloth (231)

Boy dolls are just hard to find, fewer were made but when found they are more likely to have good clothes. Boys liked policeman, soldiers, construction workers and sailors. This great sailor is 21" tall, has a nicely embroidered face, is all hand sewn, has the four seam head and has really nice hands with fingers and thumbs. He is very firmly stuffed with cotton. His clothes fit him perfectly...

This 13" needle sculpture painted black doll is so much nicer than most. Someone spent a lot of time hand sewing and painting her features. She has ears and yarn hair sewn on but spotty at this point. She has a curvy little stockinette body. Her homespun, (really homespun) butterscotch checked dress even has a pocket in it. She is cotton stuffed pretty firmly. Her hands have long thumbs and stitched defined fingers. She sits easily. I think it is possible that her dress is original...

This is a very special black doll. She is 16" tall, is rag stuffed and heavy. She has woeful stitched face with small pearl button eyes. Her arms are jointed but her legs are not but she sits really easily. She is wearing an old red wool dress with lace at the bodice and trim around the neck and hem. She is sewn in but you can see she is wearing a fine knit onesie underneath. She has little recovered hands, someone cared enough to cover them. She has holes, the dress has holes, she is amazing...

Not everyone loves their black cloth dolls showing lots of age and wear and tear. I do like some dolls as found and in a state of lots of love and use so because of that I did put the red antique cloth skirt on her to make her a little more respectable. Also someone could cut the ragged sleeves off but I just can't do it. She is firmly and I mean firmly stuffed with cotton. She sits, see picture but it is a little forced...

This wonderful black cloth doll woman stands 24" tall, has layers of antique clothes that I feel could really be original. She is made with black cotton and her face is black sateen that is embroidered with tiny stitches. She is stuffed with cotton but not firmly so she has a soft comfy feel especially with all the layers of clothing. The softness suits her. She is 24" tall and is circa 1880-90. She is just lovely.

This sweet little all hand sewn cloth doll is wearing an antique red cotton dress. Her nice little chunky body has shaped legs and feet. Her arms also a shaped and end in a well defined mitten hand. Her embroidered face is done in a brown floss and her hair is very bold over lapping stitches giving it a very folky look. She is jointed shoulders and hip. She is very firmly packed with rags...

The nice center seam antique cloth doll has a very nice painted face and raveled yarn hair. She has stitched defined fingers and thumbs. She is made with black sateen and her body is very nicely constructed. She has ears and I like it when dolls have ears. Her ears are not that noticeable because her hair covers them somewhat. She has on a maroon polka dot dress a cotton window pane apron pantaloons all are antique and have been on her a long time. She straw stuffed, I don't see that very often...

This is another example of a make-do doll. She has a very early body that probably had a china or papier mache head. It was sure easier to just make a cloth head and put it on a doll body that had a broken head than to make the whole doll. She is 24" tall and is firmly stuffed with cotton. The body is 1860 and the head is 1890, pretty cool. She is wearing a early soft red dress and a full slip and a flannel blue and white striped petticoat. She is a real character and her name is Lizzy.

This is a very nice 19th C. black cloth doll with strong embroidered face...

This dear little doll has big pencil drawn eyes and triangle nose and an oval mouth. Her arms stand out to her sides making her look like she is spinning and twirling. She is cotton stuffed medium firm, her legs are covered with the same material as her bloomers that are sewn on. They feel like they are original. She has big feet and all I can say is my feet are big and my mother would console me with, just think of it this way you won't tip over easily. (It seemed to be the truth!) Her pink/red...

Nice homemade linen boy doll with embroidered face, cute ears, black curly hair wearing a red one piece outfit with a sweater over it. The red wool suit is sewn on with I think was a good idea by this mother. He wouldn't still have it on right now if she hadn't. It is brimmed with velvet ribbon and the neck and on the homemade belt around his waist. He has woolen shoes on his feet that are also attached. Over this he has a charcoal wool sweater that keeps him warm. It has a hole in one sleeve bu...

This wonderful topsy turvey is in almost original condition. I don't think she was played with or handled that much but is definitely old and right. Both faces are done by the same hand. The are very nicely done in a very direct manner by an unskilled hand that really was good. The white doll has a bonnet and a blouse and a soft pink cotton skirt. The black doll has on a blouse and a red checked skirt. The two heads are 14" from head to head and the skirts are just a 1/2" longer. This is a very ...

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...

This is a nice antique cloth doll with a sweet embroidered face. She has blue eyes with eyelashes all the way around and pink floss mouth. It is a surprise that her face does not show any anger or humiliation from the extreme hairdo. I can just see the little girl with her mother's pointy scissors clipping all her hair with great satisfaction. She was a blond and there is a small fringe that frames her face and then rows of stitches on the back of her head that at one time was securing yarn hair...

This old antique rag doll has the simplest drawn face. Two round dots for eyes with one line eyebrows a U shaped nose and a little round mouth with the tiniest 1/4" line in the middle. It shows the meaning of pursed lips. This doll is made with muslin and stuffed with sort of lumpy cotton. She has been used and abused and has lived to tell, or not. She has on a blue calico dress and a white apron that perks her up. She is 19" tall and is circa 1890.She needs a good home so she can rest.

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...

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...

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...