SHORT HISTORY OF ENGLISH DOLLS
English Cloth Dolls | History | Internet Doll Research | Chad Valley | Dean's Rag Book Co. | Farnell | Harwin |
Liberty of London | Norah Wellings | More Information | Works Cited
Liberty of London | Norah Wellings | More Information | Works Cited
The vast majority of antique doll history is taken up with the study of French and German dolls of all eras, construction, and materials. England tends to be briefly mentioned in the overall study of dolls. However, English dolls are fun to study, and in some cases such as wax dolls, wooden dolls, and rag/cloth dolls, the contribution of British doll makers is quite significant.
WAX DOLLS
To quote Olive Thorne in an article titled "Playthings" for Saint Nicholas, 1879:
England is scarcely behind Japan in a variety of playthings. To begin with the best known
and widest spread of all toys- the doll. England makes the most beautiful wax dolls in the
world….they have real hair, set in the scalp, and not a paltry wig; they have glass eyes,
each of which is made separately, and is a work of art. There are sixteen manufacturers
of dolls in London alone.
Many wonderful wax dolls in elaborate costume can be seen at the Victoria and Albert museum. They are national treasures and give us much insight into the fashions, hair styles and society of the day.
In "The British Toy Business: A History since 1700", Kenneth Brown lists 56 wax modellers existing in Britain in 1851. By 1871 there are none listed. These figures must be incomplete, as the London based Mononari’s received an award for their wax dolls in 1878.
WOODEN DOLLS
There is an engraving in the Library of Congress of the first wooden doll brought to this country . Settlers with the Sir Walter Raleigh Expedition brought these dolls for Native American children ca. 1607. A doll reputed to have been brought by William Penn is of a type known as Queen Anne.
Many beautiful wooden “babies” were sold at fairs, where there were stalls filled with toys, sweets and dolls…..worse than the candy rack at Wegmans’ checkout booths!
Peg wooden dolls were popular starting in the late 18th century & into the 19th century. The dolls were made in Germany but very popular with English children. These dolls were popular in the 19th century and several charming books by English authors are available featuring peg-wooden dolls. For example:
The adventures of Two Dutch Dolls & a Golliwog by Bertha Upton
Racketty-Packetty House by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Kate Greenaway has also written about her enchantment with these dolls as a child. She owned a family of pegwoodens. Princess Victoria was also very fond of her little family, and ultimately donated them to the Bristish museum.
Wooden dolls were popular exports to the colonies. During the 1760's, Walter Shee advertised in the PA Gazetteer, “Dutch and Manchester [England] Pretties”. (Brown)
CLOTH DOLLS
The Playthings article mentioned above also says:
London doll special is the rag baby , and a very pretty thing it is, just beginning to come
over to our babies. The head is wax, covered with very thin muslin, which gives it
a particularly soft and babyish look, and makes it strong enough for a live baby to play with.
Factory conditions were not the best during this period, and legislation passed to protect some factory workers does not appear to have extended to workers in doll manufacturers, based on the claim of one unhappy customer that a four-foot doll in the Lowther Arcade had its intestines half eaten, the doll being more alive than dead. (Brown, citing The Times 23 November 1901
Cloth dolls came into their own at the beginning of WWI, when England was cut off from German exports. Sometimes deprivation is the mother of invention, and several English manufacturers flourished.
LINKS TO ENGLISH CLOTH DOLLS
WAX DOLLS
To quote Olive Thorne in an article titled "Playthings" for Saint Nicholas, 1879:
England is scarcely behind Japan in a variety of playthings. To begin with the best known
and widest spread of all toys- the doll. England makes the most beautiful wax dolls in the
world….they have real hair, set in the scalp, and not a paltry wig; they have glass eyes,
each of which is made separately, and is a work of art. There are sixteen manufacturers
of dolls in London alone.
Many wonderful wax dolls in elaborate costume can be seen at the Victoria and Albert museum. They are national treasures and give us much insight into the fashions, hair styles and society of the day.
In "The British Toy Business: A History since 1700", Kenneth Brown lists 56 wax modellers existing in Britain in 1851. By 1871 there are none listed. These figures must be incomplete, as the London based Mononari’s received an award for their wax dolls in 1878.
WOODEN DOLLS
There is an engraving in the Library of Congress of the first wooden doll brought to this country . Settlers with the Sir Walter Raleigh Expedition brought these dolls for Native American children ca. 1607. A doll reputed to have been brought by William Penn is of a type known as Queen Anne.
Many beautiful wooden “babies” were sold at fairs, where there were stalls filled with toys, sweets and dolls…..worse than the candy rack at Wegmans’ checkout booths!
Peg wooden dolls were popular starting in the late 18th century & into the 19th century. The dolls were made in Germany but very popular with English children. These dolls were popular in the 19th century and several charming books by English authors are available featuring peg-wooden dolls. For example:
The adventures of Two Dutch Dolls & a Golliwog by Bertha Upton
Racketty-Packetty House by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Kate Greenaway has also written about her enchantment with these dolls as a child. She owned a family of pegwoodens. Princess Victoria was also very fond of her little family, and ultimately donated them to the Bristish museum.
Wooden dolls were popular exports to the colonies. During the 1760's, Walter Shee advertised in the PA Gazetteer, “Dutch and Manchester [England] Pretties”. (Brown)
CLOTH DOLLS
The Playthings article mentioned above also says:
London doll special is the rag baby , and a very pretty thing it is, just beginning to come
over to our babies. The head is wax, covered with very thin muslin, which gives it
a particularly soft and babyish look, and makes it strong enough for a live baby to play with.
Factory conditions were not the best during this period, and legislation passed to protect some factory workers does not appear to have extended to workers in doll manufacturers, based on the claim of one unhappy customer that a four-foot doll in the Lowther Arcade had its intestines half eaten, the doll being more alive than dead. (Brown, citing The Times 23 November 1901
Cloth dolls came into their own at the beginning of WWI, when England was cut off from German exports. Sometimes deprivation is the mother of invention, and several English manufacturers flourished.
LINKS TO ENGLISH CLOTH DOLLS
- Internet Doll Research
- Chad Valley
- Dean’s Rag Book Company
- Farnell (Alpha)
- Harwin
- Liberty of London
- Norah Wellings
- More Information