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Thursday, February 20, 2014

Kister Sisters



This lovely lithe lady, who is literally having a ball, is by my favorite German manufacturer, A. W. Fr. Kister.  A sizable 7.25 inches long, she wears the remains of her original mohair wig.   Although unmarked. . .  


she is clearly the sister of this pretty miss and her playful pup, who appeared earlier on this blog.  This nubile nude carries the cross-hatched "S" of A.W. Fr. Kister.  She also appears in the Kister catalogue.  




A side by side comparison of this pair of Kister sisters.

Thursday, February 6, 2014

She's My Cup of Tea!

As dainty and delicate as her tiny teacup and saucer, this extraordinarily lovely lady is a fashion figurine from Galluba and Hofmann.   


A close up of her elegant and exquisite face and hands.  She retains her original lush mohair wig.


This marvelous maiden is eight inches tall.  She has long lost her outfit to time, but still sits in her original wooden chair with its velvet upholstery and ormolu decoration.  Although she is unmarked, her chair is stamped underneath with the Galluba mark.


If this bisque belle looks familiar, it may be because I previously posted this 1983 advertisement for Nina Ricci. . . .


which features this trio of terrific Galluba and Hofmann fashion figures.  


Here are my three ladies.  All have long lost their original gowns, but have managed to preserve their mohair wigs.  I wonder what sort of elaborate outfit the literary lady reading the newspaper once wore to match her magnificent millinery!


Here's how they appeared in the Galluba catalogue.  Note the ormolu decorations on the Empire-style furniture.  Galluba clearly lavished as much care in costuming its bisque belles as it did in creating them!


And, thanks to the extraordinary generosity of an English collector, the following are photographs of the famous three from the Ricci advertisement.  Her husband had purchased them from the estate of the fashion photographer who photographed the ad.