June 7, 2026, Meeting

Elaine Jackson explained that her program was about two dolls in our collections; one that we wonder why we still have it and the other we would keep even if we had to give all our other dolls away. Her two examples were this Peruvian llama herder (Elaine gave him his little llama) and the wooden cowboy. She said that the llama herder has a ceramic head and a cloth body. Another club member, Jenell Howell, had acquired him when she purchased a doll collection and despite his traveling to several doll shows with Jenell, no one purchased him. Elaine was helping Jenell pack up her booth after one such show and Jenell gifted him to Elaine. Somehow, he is still in her doll cabinet. 

This cowboy however is the one doll she would always keep. Carved by Austin artist Nancy Grobe, he is all wood, even to his cowboy boots. Her husband had ordered him from Nancy some 40 years ago as a Christmas gift to Elaine. He even commissioned Nancy to dress the doll.

Sharon Weintraub told the club that this fashion doll by Francois Gaultier was her first French doll when she was a beginning collector. The doll has a repaired shoulderplate and was dressed by Ann Campbell, who was an early member of the club. Sharon said that she had traded her childhood Chatty Cathy and Madame Alexander Wendy dolls for it (both dolls and their wardrobes were in excellent condition because Sharon did not care much for dolls as a child). However, as Sharon became a more knowledgable and advanced collector, the doll is no longer one of the highlights of her collection but, for some reason, she is still there.    

On the other hand, Sharon said that this French type all-bisque doll is one she would always keep. Sharon told the club that her mother had always wanted to do to a doll auction and in 2013, when Theriaults held one in Dallas, Sharon and her mother made plans to go. Sharon had reserved a hotel room in Dallas and she and her mother would drive there and stay the weekend. However, on her way to pick up Sharon, her mother had a car accident. Although she was unhurt, the car was totaled. Sharon rushed to the scene and told her mother she would cancel the hotel reservation. Instead her mother insisted they were going and would take Sharon's car. So they went and her mother had a wonderful time. When Sharon was reluctant to bid higher on this doll, she told the club that her mother grabbed the bidding paddle out of her hand and held it up, resulting in the winning bid. 

Jenell told the club that actually she really likes this all-original 10.5-inch Toni doll by American Character, but that the doll just does not fit with the rest of her collection and Jenell has never found the right place for her in the doll cabinets.

This all-original Number 1 Barbie by Mattel is however the one doll she can always find a space for. She purchased the doll from her original owner. The owner's father was in the military and had brought it to her from Japan when she was a little girl.

Bette Birdsong told the club that she had always wanted a bebe from the French firm of Schmitt et Fils. To purchase this dog, Bette said that she traveled two days and nights by train. She loves the doll's fat, funny cheeks.

On the other hand, she found this black ramp walker doll at a doll show, It is missing its arms and she bought it with the idea that her husband would carve her new ones, but that never happened. 

Myrna Loesch would always keep her childhood Cissy by Madame Alexander. The clothes were made by her mother. Myrna told the club that her mother would bribe Myrna to take a nap by offering to make her new outfits for her dolls while Myrna slept.

However, she is not as enamored with this French S.F.B.J. 60, which has a cracked face, an oddly-made  body, and painted footwear. 

Sylvia McDonald said that this Käthe Kruse represents all the dolls she loves. This example dates from 2004.

Sylvia told the club that this little infant doll with a hard plastic head is far less special, although it has a sweet face.

Nancy Countryman brought her two childhood dolls, which were hand-me-downs from older cousins. She made the dress for the smaller doll.

David Craig brought this lovely lady. He told the club that after Mel Odom, the creator of the Gene doll line, retired, the dolls were re-introduced by JAMIEshow in 2013 as resin ball-jointed fashion figures. This is Madra and she has a magnetic pate, allowing her wig to be easily changed. David said that he loves the JAMIEshow clothing and accessories, which recall his favorite fashion era of the 1950s-60s.

David was not even sure how he ended up with this doll, Gigi by Ashton-Drake Galleries. He says that the doll just doesn't "speak" to him.

 

January 12, 2025, Meeting

Member Sharon Weintraub did a program on German male bathing beauty figurines, whom she called "beach beaus." She told the club that German companies did make male bathing beauties, but in far fewer numbers than their female counterparts.

Sharon said that many beach beaus appeared as comic figurines. Posing proudly by a small vase or match holder, this male bather stands over the caption “Gaze on me Girls.” He is from the firm of Schäfer and Vater, founded in 1890. Underneath he is incised underneath with Schäfer's crowned sunburst mark and "9593," as well as stamped "Made in Germany.”

 

Also by Schäfer is this pair of real swingers. Sharon told the club that  their legs are hinged with wire, so that they can swing back and forth. 

Sharon called these two mature beach beaus nodding acquaintances, as their bisque heads bob up and down. The man in blue stripes is incised on the back edge of both his head and robe “9273," while his companion is similarly marked “9274."

Sharon noted that not all beach beaus were comic characters. This pair of bisque vases feature a man and a woman dressed in matching red and white bathing attire. She had the bathing beauty preparing to dive in her collection for many years, but later came across the male mate at a local estate sale.

Sharon told the club that in 1879, Italian artist Odoardo Tabbachi created a marble sculpture entitled "La Tuffolina" (the diver), featuring a voluptuous bathing beauty in a graceful diving pose. The statue was so popular that many German porcelain companies produced their own adaptations of Tuffolina in both bisque and china and in a wide variety of sizes. The metal stature is a bronze copy of the original Tuffolina. Next to her is a very scarce male version of La Tuffolina (Sharon suggested that he could be called "Il Tuffolino"). He is 22 inches tall and incised under his base "No. 302" and “3."

Sharon told the club that these two handsome beach beaus are by the German firm of Hertwig and Company. The company, founded in 1864, produced a wide variety of products in "portzellan und feinsteingut" (porcelain and earthenware), from utilitarian household wares to artistic figurines, dolls, and novelties. The beau in black and red is of china  and is stamped "Germany" and incised "544, " while his brother is of light-weight earthenware, and, in addition to the "544" mark, is incised underneath "16." 

This standing beach beau is of precolored bisque with loop jointed arms. There are holes in the soles of his feet for the supporting rods of a stand and "Foreign" is stamped in black on the sole of his left foot.  Sharon explained that in 1890, the United States Congress enacted the McKinley Tariff Act, which required that items imported to the United States be marked with their country of origin. The use of "Foreign" was initiated as a way to comply with the Act, as well as subsequent laws enacted by other countries. The "Foreign" mark not only indicated that an item was manufactured for export, it could be used to avoid marking the originating country's name on a product when there might be some tension between it and receiving country. Sharon attributed the figure to the German firm of Hertwig and Company, which made extensive use of precolored bisque. She said that she suspected that with the jointed arms and the holes in the feet for a supporting stand, he was intended to be dressed and displayed, most likely as a groom. However, she has dressed him in swim attire created from a scrap from an antique wool bathing suit.

Sharon said that this beach beau was created by the German company of Galluba and Hofmann, founded by Hugo Galluba and Georg Hofmann in 1891. She noted that while this firm is renown among collectors for its beautiful bathing beauty ladies, Galluba made at least one male counterpart. He is superbly sculpted with detailed musculature and has a golden tan. Under his left thigh he is incised with "80423 P.P." 

Member Myrna Loesch shared this mustached man doll with a bisque head and articulated wooden body. He appears to be stamped "SS" on his back and resembles dolls made by artist Sherman Smith.

Member Jan Irsfeld brought a bowling beauty instead of a bathing beauty. This felt and cloth character doll may be by either Klumpe or Roldan, two Spanish doll makers who produced a wide variety of souvenir and comic caricature dolls beginning in the 1950s.

Guest David Craig shared this ball-jointed doll by the Phoenix, Arizona company of D.A.E. Originals.  David told the club that he really likes the fashions of the 1950s and 60s. 

Member Pam Hardy brought this French S.F.B.J. doll. In 1899, French doll makers, including Jumeau,  formed an alliance named Société Française de Fabrication de Bébé and Jouets, using the mark "S.F.B.J." SFBJ used Jumeau molds for some of its dolls.