June 9, 2024, Meeting

Member Sharon Weintraub did a program on Hertwig and Company half-bisque and all-bisque doll families. She said that Hertwig was founded in 1864 in the city of Katzhutte, Germany, producing porcelain and earthenware items, including dolls. By the 1880s, it was the main employer in Katzhutte. Hertwig was generous to its employees, providing them health insurance, banking services, and even a swimming pool. 

Sharon told the members that in 1910, Hertwig received a patent for a dollhouse doll with a bisque torso and head. 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. She displayed one set that represented a peasant family, including the grandfather and grandmother, the mother and father, a young son and daughter, and a maidservant. The adults were only available in sets, but the children could be purchased separately and came in a variety of sizes. For this reason, the adults dolls are much harder to find. 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). Sharon noted that collectors have often updated the dolls' outfits by adding sleeves and fancier outer garments, as with the little girl doll in this set.

She also displayed a pair of half-bisque dolls known to collectors as the “city children” because they have fancier molded clothing. There were no adults in this set. Like the country children, these dolls came in a variety of sizes and even as shoulder head dolls. 

Sharon displayed a doll with a city girl shoulder head that had belonged to friend. The friend's mother had found the doll in a trash bin in the 1930s and later gave it to her when she was a little girl. 

The doll is on the typical Hertwig cloth body with bisque lower arms and china lower legs. Both French and German makers sometimes placed heads on elongated bodies so that they could advertise the doll as a larger size and give buyers the impression that they were getting more doll for their money.

Sharon shared other family sets of dolls created by Hertwig. One consisted of eight tiny all-bisque dollhouse dolls in their original box, ranging from the grandparents to two children. An old note in the box dated the dolls to “circa 1926-1927.” She explained that these dolls were made of precolored bisque. Originally the slip used for bisque has white and the complexion coat had to be padded on and refired; around WWI, German companies began experimenting with a precolored bisque that already had a pink tint, saving the step of complexion coating. Hertwig extensively used precolored bisque for its all-bisque dolls and novelties, often going a penny-pinching step farther and cold painting the features, rather than firing them in, so that they may wear or wash off over time. 

She also displayed this all-bisque dollhouse family of a father, mother, and son in their original clothing and still attached to their display card; she noted that the set should have also included a little girl, but the card was torn and that doll was missing. 

Sharon said that Hertwig was very skilled at creating cute outfits from inexpensive materials to make its dolls more appealing to consumers. She passed around a pair of boy and girl all-bisque dolls dressed in their original matching outfits of felt and rayon ribbon as examples. 

Sharon told the club that Hertwig often created dolls in boy and girl pairs. She displayed a matching all-bisque boy and girl, jointed at the shoulders, in molded outfits from the 1910s. As is often typical of Hertwig pairs, their side glancing eyes are painted so that they are looking at each out. Sharon also shared two all-bisque girls, one in a molded cowboy costume and the other dressed in a Native American outfit; she told the club that there were matching boy dolls, but she had not yet been able to add examples to her collection.

This little precolored all-bisque boy and girl are dressed in their original net bathing suits. 

Also in their all-original outfits is this pair of tiny Black all-bisque dolls. 

Member Jan Irsfeld bought this Dollikin by Uneeda Doll Company. She told the club that when she was a child she wanted a Cissy fashion doll by Madame Alexander, but her parents bought her a less expensive Dollikin instead. Jan bought this doll to replace her childhood doll and restored and redressed it. 

Member Elaine Jackson shared her newest acquisition, a Sunny Sue Bendy doll designed by Joseph Kallus. She has the matching boy, Sunny Sam, already in her collection.

Member Kenneth Reeves shared this beautiful composition by Madame Alexander of the child movie star Margaret O'Brien. The doll is all original. 

Member Sylvia McDonald brought this boy and girl pair,  two ceramic choir singer figurines.

Member Kathy Tovo displayed these two charming primitive dolls. The larger one is wood and cloth and the smaller doll has a composition head. 

November 12, 2023, Meeting

Member Sharon Weintraub did a program on Black all-bisque dolls. She explained the French and German companies, and later Japanese makers, created Black all-bisque dolls, although in far smaller numbers than white dolls. While sometimes a Black all-bisque doll was made in same mold as a white doll and simply tinted brown, companies also created these dolls with ethnic features. In most cases the dolls were not made expressly for Black children. Many were garbed in ethnic costumes representing French or German colonies or were dressed as servants or entertainers. This example by Simon and Halbig is incised 836 and is a standard mold tinted with a brown complexion. She has bare feet and wears her original bathing costume. The diminutive doll she holds is a French doll known as a Liliputien. Just 2.75 inches high, she  has a swivel neck with a molded loop and has peg-jointed arms and legs. These Les Liliputiens came in a wide variety of costumes; although the white versions generally wore painted light blue boots, the Black dolls were barefoot.

Sharon next discussed the Black all-bisque dolls by the German company Gebruder Kuhnlenz. She said the these dolls have appealing ethnic features with full lips and prominent lower faces. The complexions vary from brown to deep black, the dolls do not have painted lashes, and are barefoot. This pair in their original box wear the costumes of cakewalk dancers.  Inside one of the sections in the box is written in pencil "From Grace to Sadie Newell Christmas 1889." 

Three more dolls by Kuhnlenz. The red and yellow outfit is a copy of an original costume worn by a Black Kuhnlenz doll.

Sharon displayed these examples of Black all-bisque dolls attributed to the German company J.D. Kestner.  The two girl dolls have swivel necks. The one in the red gingham dress has a closed mouth while the one in blue has an open mouth with tiny inset teeth. The standing boy in the molded rompers has loop-jointed arms. All of the dolls have bare feet.

This is a frozen version of the boy in the molded outfit. 

Sharon said that the firm of Hertwig and Company made a wide variety of Black all-bisque dolls. The tallest doll in the "grass" skirt is painted bisque. Next to her is a tiny immobile figure of a Black man in a yellow top hat; he is part of a family of miniature Black figures. Behind him are two cute character dolls in their original matching ribbon outfits. In the back row are two more examples of German Black all-bisque does by unknown German companies. The one in the molded outfit and "straw" hat is wire-jointed. The doll next to him in a molded turban wears his original Middle-Eastern outfit. 

Sharon then shared examples of French Black all-bisque dolls. The one in the red and white outfit is marked on the back of her swivel neck with the "F.G." in a scroll mark of Francois Gauthier. Her all-original outfit may represent one of France's Caribbean colonies. She was made using a typical all-bisque mignonnette doll mold and has molded boots. The two little dolls are more examples of Liliputiens  and wear their original clothing.

Sharon explained that when German goods were embargoed during WWI, Japanese companies entered the bisque doll market, often directly copying German dolls. This example of a Japanese Black all-bisque doll may be early, because the modeling and decoration are of higher quality than is typically found on these Japanese products. The doll has unusual "snow" hair created with bits of ground bisque. 

Member Bette Birdsong brought several examples of Black all-bisque dolls. This tiny bare-foot example is by Simon and Halbig.

These are more typical examples of Japanese dolls. They are often referred to as "Topsy" because of the tiny pigtails inserted into their scalps. Such dolls were often sold in five and dime stores in the United States. Copies of these dolls with extremely black shiny complexions began being produced in China in the 1980s.  

A variety of itty-bitty Black babies ride in a tiny tin car. The one in red is an all-bisque doll and the other two are seated figurines (the one in the back is eating a watermelon slice). These seated figurines are often found attached to miniature cotton bales and were sold as souvenirs throughout the South.

Member Pam Hardy shared this black cloth doll with an embroidered face. It appears to be a commercially produced doll from the 1940s.

Member Jenell Howell brought these two tiny Liliputiens.

She also shared this stunning wooden Schoenhut doll.

 

April 23, 2023, Meeting

The theme for the April meeting was Easter, spring, or April related dolls. 

Jan Irsfeld brought two of her Madame Alexander Cissy dolls in a trunk that she had created. The doll in white is entitled "The Promise of Spring" and the lovely lady in green is Spring for the Madame Pompadour four seasons series.

Sharon Weintraub brought out a bunch of itty bitty all-bisque bunny dolls. All are by the German firm of Hertwig and Company, except for the largest bunny boy in the brown felt jacket, who was created by Gebruder Heubach.

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These bunnies are all dressed in their original crocheted clothing. The tallest in only 2.5 inches tall.

Bette Birdsong shared her Gene doll in the "Suddenly Summer" ensemble. Although the title says "summer," the outfit is certainly appropriate for a spring stroll.

Bette also shared this vintage Ginny in a pineapple print dress.

Elaine Jackson brought several dolls, including this wistful wooden doll by Swiss artist Erika Catellani.

This reproduction all-bisque girl in a bunny hat is dressed in an outfit from a mini American Girl Elizabeth.

Elaine also shared a doll she had long wanted and finally found.  This is a composition Patsy-type made by the Averill Manufacturing Company.  Elaine told the club that the doll was sold by various companies under different names. This is "Boots" sold by Horsman and has a twisting waist. The vintage dress is "mommy made." 

Nancy Countryman brought this vintage McGuffey Ana doll by Madame Alexander,

 

as well as this antique German doll by Armand Marseille.

Jenell Howell shared this charming Crib Crowd doll by Madame Alexander.  She is all original, including her basket, and has a caracal wig. 

Jenell also made this pair of all-bisque bunny dolls, who are reproductions of models by Gebruder Heubach.

Another all-bisque doll shared by Jenell was this reproduction of an antique German "wrestler" made by doll artist Becca Hisle. The doll was the souvenir from the March 18, 2023, luncheon held by the Fort Worth Antique Doll Club to celebrate its 65th anniversary. 

Myrna Loesch brought the doll in the pink floral dress, which she had patiently assembled. She told the club that the head, Mold 1078 by Simon and Halbig, and body were found at a doll show, the dress came from Theriault's, and she made the wig. 

The little girl in the embroidered red dress belongs to Pam Hardy. Pam told the club that both her mother and aunt were doll collectors. The doll, made by Schoenau and Hoffmeister, was one of her mother's first dolls.  

Sylvia McDonald brought this girl in green by doll artist Heidi Plusczok, issued in 2004. 

 

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.