Catalog: Dolls (266)

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

This most unusual black doll is built around a strong wireframe that is bendable to any position you want. She has a fine embroidered face, pinched nose and astrakhan hair. She is wearing age-appropriate clothes are really wonderful. She is in very good condition, is all hand sewn. These one of a kind black dolls are tokens of love, made for a child to play with. She is 15" tall and is circa 1890

This doll is has a very nice painted face with contrast that is white, but I think the color might have been pink and faded. She has it on her cheeks, forehead, nose and chin. She has a pretty red mouth and dark blue eyes. She has real hair sewn to her head. She has on a full length camisole and a dress with bonnet to match. Her body is very heavy and stuffed or packed with sand. I have only had dolls with sand a few times. She has leather hands and long narrow feet...

A black stockinette doll with a great face and gray astrakhan hair. She is a single layer stockinette (stocking) doll when most often they are doubled layer as the maker realizes the white cotton showing through the one layer is not really black anymore but gray. This was cleverly handled by making her hair gray also. She is big and has a chunky body firmly stuffed. Her arms and legs are jointed so she sits easily...

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...

Painted cloth face that has the look of leather. She has a pinched nose and pinched mouth and embroidered with red floss. She has boton eyes and great twisted brown string hair. She is an early doll and night have two other faces under this one. Her body is very firmly stuffed with cotton. She is all hand sewn, sits nicely, and sewn on two layers of socks and great early hand sewn leather boots. The dress is age appropriate but not original. She came from Maine and is circa 1880 and is 20" tall

This is an early heavy rag stuffed cloth doll with ink drawn features and sew through the cloth yarn hair. The yarn is the early homespun single twist and is very nice. She is all hand sewn, jointed shoulders, elbows, hips and knees. She has several layers of socks, the top layer is a wonderful blue linen pair. She came with her under clothes and I added her skirt. She is 20 " tall and is C. 1880

This pencil face antique cloth doll has on a blue calico dress that is hand sewn and is made over to fit her at sometime. It is sewn on her but isn't hiding anything. Her body is all original and is mostly rag stuffed and some cotton stuffing in her arms and legs. Her head doesn't flop, she sits easily and her arms are wide open for a hug. She is 20" tall but is one of those dolls that doesn't seem like a large doll...

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...

Not all black dolls have black bodies. Some of the best dolls I have had were dolls that the maker took an old rag doll and gave the doll a black head. In the Jim Crow era, it became common in the north for mothers to teach their children about the plight of African Americans, by making a black doll for them. So mothers even ones that were not really skilled at sewing were making black dolls. Putting a black covering over a rag doll was one of the easiest ways...

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 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...

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 ...

This lovely late 19th C. black cloth doll is made with fine polished cotton material, all hand sewn and hand painted. The white band at her neck is part of her clothing and is not a neck stabilizer. The doll and the clothes appear to be hand sewn by the same seamstress/mother/Grammy. The astrakhan hair is the best I have every seen and makes her hairdo look very fashionable. There is a little give to the cotton stuffed hourglass shaped body. This doll is so nice, all original and is in excellent...

This is a big old fashion linen homespun rag doll with a great pencil face. She has wear and recovering on her arms and legs. Her face is a very old recover that is also real homespun linen. The back of her head is amazing, see picture to appreciate this great old doll. She is rag stuffed and very heavy. She has funny replaced feet. She is not jointed at her hips but from years of forced sitting she will sit. She is as found and is wearing a period two piece blue polka dot dress. She is a big sw...

Big bold painted face doll with sewn on original dress, (apron is old but probably not original.) She is soft and floppy even her head, but with a wall behind her the head stays upright. She sits really easily, and is the perfect weight and feel to be carted around. She is 23" tall and circa 1900-1920. Mid-west origin.

Lovely old cloth doll stuffed with rags, really solid and heavy in possibly an original dress. She is completely jointed, nicely constructed, old petticoat and pantaloons. She has dainty pointed feet, stitched defined thumb and fingers and the back of her head is covered with brown fabric that also looks original. Her face is embroiderer nicely with brown floss and you can tell she was made by a happy person. 23" tall and C.1890

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....