Postcard Image

Postcard Image
As the Victorian era passed into the Edwardian and Roaring Twenties, a market developed for bisque and china bawdy novelties and figurines of women in revealing outfits. Although now most of these figurines seem more coy and cute than ribald and risque, in their time they symbolized the casting off of the perceived restraints of the Victorian era.

These little lovelies included bathing beauties, who came clad in swimsuits of real lace or in stylish painted beach wear, as well as mermaids, harem ladies, and nudies, who were meant to wear nothing more than an engaging smile. Also produced were flippers, innocent appearing figurines who reveal a bawdy secret when flipped over, and squirters, figurines that were meant to squirt water out of an appropriate orifice.

Most were manufactured in Germany from the late 1800s through the 1930s, often showing remarkable artistry and imagination, with Japan entering the market during World War I.

Thursday, November 20, 2025

Striking a pose. . . .

And she most certainly is striking! At 17 inches tall, this lovely lady was no doubt intended to be a countertop display mannequin. Jointed only at the shoulders, she is of a heavier celluloid material, with rods in the soles of her feet that fit into holes in her marbleized base. There are no marks, not even on her domed pate under the blond mohair wig. I have seen this and similar mannequins represented as German from the 1920s, but I know that somewhere years ago I saw this same mannequin identified as by the French company Petitcollin from the 1930s-40s.


Her facial painting resembles that of earlier and larger Petitcollin dolls, with beautifully painted eyes with a white highlight to the left of the pupil, shading on the upper eyelids, and heart-shaped red lips.



UPDATE: The "Les Poupées de Mariline," a French website dedicated to dolls and doll restoration, identifies this beautiful belle as by Petitcollin: https://www.restauration-de-poupees.fr/en-gb/reconnaitre-les-baigneurs-celluloid#Petitcollin

UPDATE II: I heard from Les Poupées de Mariline, who confirmed that this fine figure "is a rare decoration figure from Petitcollin around 1930. The base is generally made of plaster and celluloid on. It is not a toy. This production was destined to be dressed. Decoration dolls were very current between 1925 and 1935. I found information in the Elisabeth Chauveau book about French production of celluloid." I will now have to locate a copy of that book!
 

Tags: , , ,

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)