Two New (Old!) Dolls

This is Lucie. She is the prized possession in my doll collection at the moment. I was able to bring her home this weekend after finding her at a local doll show. It was love at first sight! She stands 16" tall and her head is made of reinforced wax. I have been desiring an old wax doll for awhile now, but finding one in good condition that I could afford was proving quite difficult. So when I spotted Lucie, my heart skipped a beat. When I discovered that I could actually afford her, my heart almost burst! Now, I know that not everybody appreciates an old, wax doll like Lucie, but to me, she is almost perfection. She is wearing her original outfit, socks and shoes. She has a hard, cloth body, stuffed with something crunchy--maybe straw? Her arms and legs are wax covered composition. Her hair is mohair, and looks to be glued onto her head. She has lovely, blown glass eyes.

Wax dolls should be kept in temperature controlled environments or they can melt or crack. I know that this doll might scare people who aren't antique doll lovers. My own daughter-in-law jokingly calls most of my dolls "creepy"! I keep telling her that I'm going to will all my dolls to her when I die, and in order to get any inheritance, she'll have to keep them on display! Ha ha! We joke good-naturedly about it all the time. I'm secretly hoping that at some point she'll learn to appreciate them for what they are...true works of art. Little Lucie was made in England, probably around 1860-1880. Think about it...doll makers didn't have all the tools and materials we have today, and yet they were able to create life-like human forms. Amazing, when you really think about it.

And this is Lottie. She is a simple, cloth doll, probably made around 1900, and stuffed with cotton or wool. Her face and hair are lithographed, as are her one-piece underwear (not visible in photos), boots and socks. She is not marked, but she looks very much like the cloth dolls made by Art Fabric Mills. I love this type of doll. I believe her dress and matching bloomers are original. So sweet.

I love this type of doll. So simple, yet unassuming. This is the type of doll that children played with everyday. They were dragged around and slept with, without fear of breaking. You just know that this little one probably experienced a lot of love from her original owner.

Two new dolls. Both very different. But I love and appreciate them both for what they are--works of art that were made to be loved by a child.