April 1, 2019, Meeting

In honor of the month a cadre of cuties in spring finery or Easter outfits greeted members at the refreshment table.

Festive centerpieces adorned the tables.

This endearing toddler with her basket full of springtime blooms is by the German company of Armand Marseille and belongs to member Myrna Loesch.

Member Sharon Weintraub did a program on half-bisque and all-bisque dollhouse dolls by Hertwig and Company, which was located in the German town of Katzhutte.

In 1910, Hertwig received a patent for a dollhouse doll with a torso and head of bisque.  Slots in the shoulders allowed the insertion of fabric arms ending in bisque hands and the dolls had cloth legs with bisque feet.  In 1914, these half-bisque dolls were featured in the company's anniversary catalog.  One set represented a peasant family, including the grandparents, the mother, a young son and daughter, a teenage maidservant, and a mustachioed father (who is missing from this group).  The grandfather in his fez is 6.5 inches tall and all the dolls are incised "Germany" on the back of their waists.  Hertwig was very clever when it came to cutting costs, so the dolls' cloth arms doubled as their sleeves and the fabric lower bodies as the men's pants (the girls and women came in simple cloth skirts and aprons).  Over the years, collectors have often updated the dolls' rather drab outfits by adding sleeves and fancier outer garments, as with the little girl in this picture.

This modeling on the dolls is realistic and detailed.  The adults were only available in sets, but the children could be purchased separately and in a variety of sizes.  For this reason, the adults dolls are much harder to find. 

Known to collectors as the city boy and girl, these child half-bisque dolls did not come with any corresponding adults.  They can be found in a variety of sizes and even as doll heads. 

Hertwig produced a variety of little all-bisque dollhouse dolls in precolored bisque.  Beginning around WWI, German companies began experimenting with a bisque that already had a pink tone, eliminating the need to pad on a complexion.  Hertwig made extensive use of precolored bisque for its small dolls and figures.  The dolls could be purchased nude or simply, but effectively, dressed in inexpensive materials such as felt and rayon ribbon. The black and white picture is a copy of a page from the Hertwig 1938 catalog.

These little dolls in their original box represent an entire dollhouse community, from the grandparents to the children, including a maid in her white cap.

Also in their original box, as well as their original outfits, are this bride and groom.

This pair of Hertwig dollhouse girls in their original dresses belongs to member Bette Birdsong.

Sallie Howard brought adorable Addy Joy by artist Judy Porter for show and tell.