Catalog: Dolls: Antique Dolls (258)

At least that is what I would think at first look. But, this doll is so cute from the back I felt like it should be shown as important. The front of her is adorable and funny. The face is very unique and done by someone that clearly didn't want to embroider fancy features. She used celluloid rings for hanging curtains to outline the eyes and the black centers are shoe buttons. They sort of float in position so sometimes her eyes are looking in two different directions...

This big lollipop head black cloth doll with her sweet hand made dress and two buttons for eyes still manages to have a persona. She has a stuffed cotton body, jointed arms and legs, stitch defined fingers and large feet pointing left. (When I see that my mind thinks, she is signaling for a left turn.) Her red dress has little red trim around the bottom and around her neck. She is 19" tall but doesn't feel like a big doll. She is a funny little character, as found. Circa 1890-1900

Big, heavy rag stuffed cloth doll has big old hands with fingers and thumbs, a great old blue and tan striped ticking body and is just all American through and through. Her big wide open face has button eyes, a couple of stitches for a nose and a straight floss sewn mouth that goes up at the corners for a hint of a smile. I am bet she has had many dresses in her day, but this nice old white and blue calico dress fits her nicely...

She is 16" tall, dressed for the coldest of weather, her Mommy made sure she would be warm and now she looks lost. She is almost as wide as she is tall. The clothes are all original, the coat is nicely made and completely lined. Under the coat is a brown dress with a woven in pattern and undies to match. Her eyes are shoe buttons and her nose and mouth are one stitch each that are pulled in...

Very nice Beecher doll by a cottage industry in Elmira NY missionary group from 1893 to 1910. They followed a pattern but each doll is just a little different as the sewing was a group project.. This one has been recovered with black fabric over the original brown fabric. The brown fabric was not that sturdy and is often in fragile condition. She is wearing a red calico dress but probably not original. She is 20" tall

This is a big blue/green heavy Amish doll, cotton and rag stuffed, solid doll with a "no no" face that I am sure came later. It is a naïve pencil or ink drawn face and has a nice look but her face was originally blank. Her body, head, and legs are all the same blue/green fabric but her arms are off white linen. They may or may not be original. Her dress is brown with a gray coverall apron and on her head is the traditional black bonnet. All the clothing is from the same era as she is 1890/1900...

This sweet little antique cloth doll is wearing black calico dress that might be original it fits her so well. She has embroidered eyes and a hint that she had an embroidered nose and probably a mouth. She has the great astrakhan hair that says she was made around 1890 and the dress is that era too. She has jointed arms and legs, is stuffed with cotton sort of medium firm. She is a very nice old but nicely cared for antique cloth doll. 10" tall.

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...

This little girl, 15", is all hand sewn, with a chunky cotton stuffed body, jointed arms and legs, embroidered face and button eyes, set a bit askew. She is wearing a little later homemade red and black polka dot dress. There is no evidence that she ever had hair. She has mitten shaped hands with nice thumbs. Over her dress she has a a white hand knit sweater. She has a few holes here and there but nothing that is causing a problem...

This doll looks like one a Grammy made. She has a straight none committing mouth, a V shaped nose and blue outlined eyes with black eyebrows. She had some reddish brown hair but all that is left is a thin line around her head on the seam. She has firm but not too firm cotton stuffed body that has a broad chest, and indented waist with just a bit of a flare to her hips. Jointed arms and legs but strangely doesn't have hands at the end of her arms but she has great feet, take a look...

Not often do I get a doll that has documentation of the maker, this doll does. She is all original with a red calico dress and bandana, white apron, petticoat and bloomers. Her body and legs are made of wood and she has big flat shoes that probably allowed her to stand alone but she is old now and doesn't do that well. I am trying not to relate to that! On the bottom of her shoe, written in nice script is, Mrs...

This is a large Gertrude Rollinson in really good condition with wonderful clothes. She probably has been repainted at some point. She has on a long white cotton dress with a slip that is the same length as the dress, well below her feet. She has on white socks and white shoes and a crocheted bonnet. She is in very good condition, is 26" tall and is circa 1907-1916.

This is a wonderful doll cloak or a small child's cloak, in very good condition with no moth holes, no tears. The bonnet is lined with a red and white silk fabric. The original hook and eye is still at the neck. It was one slight stain on the bottom front left edge. It looks like someone with a little powder put their thumb down. It is a great Shaker cloak in a small size. circa 1890

This darling stump doll dressed in a brown calico dress and a velvet mop hat is very put together, everything fits just right. Her stump is tied in the middle for a waist but she never had attached legs. Her body bends at the middle so she can sit and be held easily by a little hand. She is 14" to the bottom of her dress and is 11" to the bottom of her firmly stuffed stump. Circa 1900

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. She is made with grain sack material.(The late 1800's and first quarter of the 1900's grain was sold with the advertising ...

Not all dolls have a time line built into them but this one says to me, she is 6 or 7 years old and is dressed for the first day of school. She has on a great dress that fits her perfectly. Under her dress is a one piece coverall,(I think they are called onesies) that has to have been made for her. She has a great embroidered face with big eyes, a pinched nose and little round O mouth and all of this is framed with a full head of yarn hair. Her body is long and thin, legs and arms are jointed, t...

The construction and the hand sewing on this doll is amazing. The hands and feet have stitch defined fingers and toes. The features are drawn with watercolor paint. Her nose is a raised pinched nose and for that type of nose this is the best one I have seen. Her hair maybe be real or horse hair but it is lovely and hand sewn in place and then a someone has saved it with a very fine hair net around the bottom. She has got a little sweet turned down mouth that is a more set look and sad. I think s...

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. ...