27" Effanbee ROSEMARY Composition Doll

A couple of weeks ago, I decided to check out shopgoodwill online.  Have any of you shopped there? I've won a couple of doll auctions there in the past.  I only look for the dolls, and if you just put "doll" into the search bar, usually over 4000 items will pop up!  So I generally refine my search to certain brands, like "Effanbee", "Gotz", "Vogue", "Horsman", etc.  Sometimes I just push in "vintage doll".  That is what I did this particular time, and look what popped up!  Effanbee Rosemary.  Her beautiful little face stared back at me, just begging me to bring her home.

There was not much description given for this doll, other than she was "vintage" and had some wear.  But even though Goodwill didn't mention her name,  I could tell right away that it was a Rosemary.  They didn't even come out and say how large she was, although I could tell she looked like a bigger size.  Goodwill is not very good at taking pictures, and close-ups are out of the question.  But I just had a good feeling about her.

From what I could tell, her composition seemed really nice, and her hair looked original.  So I decided to take a chance and place a bid.  She was only at $4 when I first saw her.  I placed my max bid of $101.00 and waited.  And waited.  It felt like the longest five days that I ever had to wait!

I kept hoping that nobody else would notice her.  Somebody did.  But they didn't bid high enough, and I ended up getting her for a mere $57 plus shipping!  I was so excited!  I have always loved Rosemary, and used to have a smaller version.  She was pretty banged up, though, and I never got around to fixing her up, so I sold her.  So when I saw this one, in what looked like near perfect condition, I jumped on the chance to own one again.

I paid immediately upon winning the auction, and then had to wait again.  Goodwill takes their time in shipping their items.  Four days later, she was finally on her way to me.  And three days after that, the FedEx man ran up to my doorway and dropped off a very long, rectangular package.  This got me excited again, because now I strongly suspected that this was going to be a large doll.  And she was!  I had hoped she might be the largest size that was made (30"), but she actually measures 27", which is the second largest size.  I was happy with that.  I love big dolls!  Yes, they take up much more space, but boy, do they have a presence!  As I removed this pretty girl from the confines of her box, I noticed just how wonderful she is.  Her composition is nearly perfect, with no cracking or crazing. Her greenish, tin eyes open and close perfectly and have all of their lashes.  Her hair is human hair, and original.  It will need a little gentle combing and restyling, as all of her pretty curls have become a bit messy.

 Her head is on a shoulder plate, and clearly marked on the back.

She does have a "mama" cry box in her back that no longer works.  I have seen a youtube video that walks you through on fixing these old cry boxes with bellows, so I may try it in the future.

The only thing I didn't like about this girl were the modern, satin baby shoes that her previous owner had dressed her in, so I removed them.  They were just not the right era for her.  As luck would have it, I happened to have a vintage pair of black shoes in my stash that fit her just perfectly!  It was obviously meant to be.

Her clothes are not original, but they are era appropriate.  I like the drop-waist style.  I may look through my vintage clothing stash and see if I have something else that fits her, but in the meanwhile, she will continue to wear this dress.

Effanbee manufactured ROSEMARY from 1925-1930.  She ranged in size from 14"-30".  Her composition head is on a shoulder plate which is connected to a firmly-stuffed, cloth body.  Her arms and legs are composition.  Tin sleep eyes.  I've read that the final year they were made, some had flirty eyes!

I really love this doll.  When I first started actively collecting dolls some 30 plus years ago, I focused on compositions, since they were plentiful and more in my price range than the earlier bisques.  In the past few years, I have focused more on early cloth and papier maches, and many modern vinyl dolls.  But lately, my heart is being drawn back to these pretty composition girls.  I wonder who donated her to Goodwill?  She was obviously well-cared for, and most likely proudly displayed.  Makes me a little sad that she was discarded to a thrift store, but ultimately, I'm glad she was!  Because now she sits proudly in my doll room, and I smile at her every time I see her happy, little face.