Introduction
China-head dolls were popular as children’s toys in the nineteenth century when plastic and vinyl were not invented. The name china-head derived from the material used for making some parts of these toys, namely china. The torso of these toys was made up of fabric or wood and the head, neck and upper portion of shoulders were made from china. The portions made of china had holes in them so that they could be sewn into the torso. In our times, china-head dolls are valuable collectibles.
The Making
Porcelain was the material used for the making of china-head dolls. The porcelain was painted, glazed and fired to give it a shiny look. Thus the appearance of the porcelain bore some resemblance to real color of flesh. Hair and eyes of the dolls were painted in black and blue respectively and the cheeks were given the look of blush. This color combination made the dolls look strikingly aristocratic.
Common Features
China-head dolls often represented figurines of grown-up women, unlike other child-look dolls of their time. There was no attached hair- the hair was painted onto the doll’s head. The hair was painted in such a way that it represented the fashionable styles of the time of making the dolls. This aspect became useful later when china-head dolls became antiques, as the hairstyle of the doll could be used to evaluate the period in which the doll was made.
The dress styles of the dolls also reflected the era in which they were made. A lot of attention was paid to the details of the costumes, which often were miniature replicas of the fashionable garments of the time. Footwear was either painted on the doll or made of fabric or kid. However a lot of the fabric of the clothing and the torso withered with time. As a result, china-head dolls with original clothing are at a premium.
One drawback with the making of china-head dolls is that many of them were left unmarked. Even where the dolls were marked, these markings were made inside the head. You may need to remove the head from the body to identify the doll’s era. This is not an advisable thing to do as this spoils the originality of the doll and consequently its value. However the hairstyles and attires of the dolls are often tell-tale signs of their origin and background.
Know Your Doll
As we saw earlier, the older and the more original a china-head doll, the higher its value goes. There are also reproductions available. These are not really old, but made to look old so that they could be sold for a high price. It is difficult to tell the original from the fake unless you have done your research. Therefore make sure to do your homework on china-head dolls especially if you are particular to get an original at any cost.
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