Cindy Weir
Special to the Tribune-Star
TERRE HAUTE —
This pretty 4-inch blond china head with molded and painted blue ribbon and bow was probably imported from Germany and sold in a local store between 1880 and 1920. This style head with molded ribbon is usually referred to by collectors as a Dolly Madison style.
Doll heads were often sold to economy-minded mothers who made their bodies and clothes at home. The heads were obviously cheaper to purchase than a whole dressed doll would have been. But sometimes the heads were purchased to replace a head that had been broken. That is one reason that dolls we find today often don’t have their original heads.
Early dolls were made of very breakable materials like china and bisque, similar to china dishes; those same materials today would probably be banned as toys because of potential harm to a child if it should be broken.
It amazes me that any of the dolls survived the rough play of children. And often because of lack of money or remoteness of stores, several children or even several generations played with the same doll and yet they survived. Come visit the doll collection at the museum.
