All Dolled Up

As I have mentioned previously on this blog, I collect antique dolls as well as bathing beauties and sometimes my two interests intersect. This antique German bisque head doll wears a homemade and contemporary outfit. If her original mohair wig was a more masculine cut,  she might be said to represent an Edwardian boy dressed in a shorts set, but the coiled braids leave no doubt she is intended to be a girl. In the early 1900s, such an ensemble for even a young girl would be appropriate only in the gymnasium or on the beach. There is an overlap between late Victorian/early Edwardian girls' bathing suit and exercise outfit, but I think her cute costume could well quality as swimwear. Of course trying to interpret a costume over a century after it was sewn is really just educated guesswork, as we have no way of knowing the creator's intent or the extent of his/her sewing skills.

She is 11 inches tall and is on a kid body with cloth legs. The shoulder plate is incised on the back only "Germany 16/0." I would attribute her to Ernst Heubach Koppelsdorf as I have seem similar heads by this company, including with a black upper eye line in place of painted eyelashes.

Her outfit certainly resembles this "Girl's Beach Frock" in a 1912 image from the New York Public Library digital collection. A shorter tunic and longer bloomers would transform the seaside frock into swimwear.

 

You Spin Me Right 'Round

You spin me right 'round, baby

Right 'round like a record, baby

Right 'round, 'round, 'round

You spin me right 'round, baby

Right 'round like a record, baby

Right 'round, 'round, 'round

David Burns, 1984

Another example of naughty novelty jewelry is this frisky fob. A fob was a short chain, ribbon, or charm that attached to a man's pocket watch and hung outside of the vest or pants pocket where the watch was tucked, making it easier for a man to extract his watch to check the time. Such fobs were a fashionable accessory for men through the early 1900s, when timepieces moved from the pocket to the wrist.  Dating from the Edwardian period this fob is termed a spinner, as it features a disk that spins freely in its frame.  One side of the disk features an engraving of a male bather wading out into the waves.

The other side portrays a bathing belle who has just emerged from the changing hut in the background and is about to dive into the surf.  Clearly these two swimming enthusiasts were meant for each other, but how will they ever meet?  Well, just spin the disk. . .

and they quickly strike up a very intimate friendship. 

The human eye and brain can only process 10 to 12 separate images per second. When viewing a sequence of still images in quicker succession, the viewer sees what appears to be a continuous moving image. Swiftly spinning the disk tricks the eye into melding the two quickly flickering images into one. Cartoon animation is achieved through this same optical illusion. Unfortunately, this illusion does not trick my camera as well as it does my eyes, so I had to engage in a little photo manipulation to achieve the image that I, but not my camera, perceived.

Of silver-toned metal, the fob is 2 inches long and is unmarked.

Rarity by Riera?

This elegant Edwardian is all original, from the top of her jaunty chapeau to the bottom of her velvet-covered box base (except for the antique paper rose I added to hide some damage to her left fingertips).  Twelve inches tall, she has a bisque head and limbs on an armature body.  

Although there are no visible marks, the modeling and decoration of her face (especially the feathered eyebrows) recalls the lovely ladies made by Dressel, Kister, and Company.  The large expressive hands are also typical of Dressel.

Her feet are tacked to the box lid with little nails, which are cleverly disguised as shoe buckles.

Her base is actually a box, that may have once held some sweet treats or treasured trinket.

Her outfit would be the epitome of fashion in the late 1910s, with the unusual mushroom-shaped hat fitted low over the eyebrows, short jacket with a wide collar, high waist, and a full skirt, such as pictured in this fashion plate from 1917.

She may be a rare fashion doll dressed by Mademoiselle E. Victoria Riera, who created exquisitely costumed dolls in France in the early 1900s.  Riera is first mentioned in the French magazine Femina in 1908 as the winner of a doll dressing contest for three little ladies she garbed in detailed historical costumes.  Her dolls had bisque heads and limbs, which Riera bought from other manufacturers, and wore beautifully tailored hand-sewn costumes representing historical eras, regional folk dress, or contemporary fashion.  Her dolls were posed on velvet bases, often, but not always, with a label carrying Riera's name and the year.  These dolls were luxury items, exhibited at museums and high-end fashionable stores. Riera continued to dress dolls through the 1910s, including taking part in exhibitions to help raise funds for the French war effort.  This 12-inch fashion lady auctioned by Theriault's has an identical bisque head to my belle on a box, the same unusual feet with the nail buckles, and a similar velvet-covered base. Theriault's attributed her to Riera.  

The Mystery Deepens

Earlier in this blog I posted about a mujer de misterio, a señorita from Spain who at first glance appeared to be a fashion figure from Galluba and Hofmann, but in fact was a replica made of plaster.  She now has a sister, also from Spain.  This lovely lass also has a mohair wig, which in this case appears to be original, arms jointed at the shoulders, and molded off-white combination underwear ending just above knees.  Standing on her base, she is 16 inches tall.

She has all the charming characteristics of a Galluba gal, including the perfect oval face, large intaglio eyes, the long slim neck, and surprisingly wide shoulders.  

Her elegant outfit of velvet and lace appears to be all original and is beautifully made.

Underneath are several petticoats trimmed in fine lace and lace knickers with delightful ribbon garters (one could argue this is superfluous as she has molded underwear underneath, but I am glad that her mysterious maker made this extra effort!).  The right or left foot slightly forward is common to Galluba's fashion ladies, but the dainty little feet with multi-strap pumps are not typical footwear for Galluba ladies, who tend to have footwear with elongated toes so that the tips of their shoes are often visible under the hems of their long Edwardian skirts.  Perhaps a little artistic license by her unknown creator?

Her base, trimmed in lavish red velvet and gold braid, is the top of a round box (the bottom is lost to time).  The only mark is “2270/60” in pencil written inside the lid.  One wonders if the box held sweet treats or perfumed power.  Whatever its contents, this must have been some gargantuan  gorgeous gift!  This lady and her lacy outfit are in wonderful condition considering time and the fragility of the materials.  Clearly someone treasured this beautiful box-lid belle for many, many years. 

Spanish craftsmen for centuries have created religious figures and icons out of wood and plaster.  It appears now that sometime in the early 1900s a Spanish artisan decided to branch out into more modern mannequins to adorn shop windows and gift boxes and used the bisque belles of Galluba as a model.  Perhaps someday a catalogue, advertisement, or business card will come to light to help solve the mystery of these lovely ladies of Spain. 

A Dancing Shape, an Image Gay. . .

She was a phantom of delight 

When first she gleam’d upon my sight; 

A lovely apparition, sent 

To be a moment’s ornament; 

Her eyes as stars of twilight fair; 

Like Twilight’s, too, her dusky hair; 

But all things else about her drawn 

From May-time and the cheerful dawn; 

A dancing shape, an image gay, 

To haunt, to startle, and waylay.

William Wordsworth (1770–1850)

Any collector would be haunted, startled, and waylaid by this most beauteous bisque belle.  Although her original form-fitting silk dress covers any marks (while caressing every supple curve of her graceful swaying figure), this  6.75 inch tall lovely lady (not including her wood base) is no doubt by the German firm of Galluba and Hofmann.  She is clearly related to another waltzing woman pictured earlier on this blog, and they are gowned in clinging Edwardian gowns of the same color of silk.  One wonders if she too once had a tuxedoed beau.  There are holes in the soles of her molded white pumps for supporting rods.  The wood base is a replacement and she may have once had a base of bisque or decorated an elaborate candy box or pincushion.

A close up of her exquisite features.  She wears her original mohair wig.