Antique Bisque Doll Head

My sister is a minimalist, and doesn't share my appreciation for antiques, which she disdainfully refers to as "a bunch of old junk." For my recent birthday, I took myself on an antiquing shopping spree, and my sister later asked me what I found. "Ooooh: an absolutely fantastic broken old doll head," I replied, beaming over the beautifully sculpted and painted bisque head, circa the 1880s. My sister looked at me scornfully, and said, "You bought a broken doll head?" Yes. I did. But just look at her: she's beautiful! And technically speaking, it's only her shoulderplate that's broken...

Antique Dollhouse Grocery Store

If you've followed my blog for awhile, you'll know that I love antique dollhouse grocery shops. I found a fabulous one last week, just in time for my birthday, which gave me an excuse to splurge on it. Made in Denmark in the 1920s, it has a glass display window, removeable counter, all of its drawers with their original pulls, and lots of accessories, most of which are original to the shop. The store measures 16 inches wide by 7 inches tall, and the largest product bottle is 2 inches high.

My 5 inch Steiff bear makes a perfect shopkeeper:

Here are some closeups of the products:

 

 

The outside of the shop features colorful signs 

advertising wine and tobacco. 

I'm not sure what "Kobmand" means: any Danish speakers out there?

Schoenhut Dollhouse

One of my birthday gifts this year was a 1930s Schoenhut dollhouse, made of wood and fibreboard with teeny tiny green shutters and printed "wooden" floor coverings. It's a very petite little house, only 10 1/2 inches tall. The roof is a bit crumbly and saggy, but it's still there, along with the often-missing original door.

I've fitted it out with 1/2 inch scale 1920s - 1930s Tootsie Toy furniture and the tiniest dollhouse food I've ever seen, made in England by Dol-Toi. Each plate is just 1/2 an inch wide, and the food, obviously, is even smaller.

Inhabiting the house are a 1920s German dollhouse couple, only 3 1/2 inches tall. They look ready for an evening on the town (or my birthday party).

I think the Mrs. doll was actually meant to be a maid, and that's a maid's cap on her head. But she arrived sans clothes, so I can't be sure. I'm pretending she's wearing a chic 1920s head wrap, instead. Either that, or we pretend she was the maid, but she ran off with the man of the house, seen below, and this is their secret rendevous country cottage.

Antique Wax Doll with Provenance

One of my birthday gifts this year was another lot with provenance, similar to my teddy bear find from a few months ago. I love receiving toys like this, those that come with pieces of their associated history. Handling such a toy is a very moving experience, as you actually see the now long-gone child who first held the toy so many years ago.

This lot is comprised of a baby doll who came with many pieces of clothing made just for her, and a photo of her original owner and their house. The doll dates from the late 1800s, and is a 14 inch cloth doll with a very worn wax face. She was clearly much beloved by her original owner's family, who patched and repatched  her, and kept her things together for so long.

The doll was, I am told, chosen for her original owner because of the resemblance she had to the little girl. Even in its worn condition, the similarity is still eerily apparent:

If you look closely at the picture of the owner's house, you'll see a lady in Victorian dress on the porch. Maybe she's the one who bought and dressed the doll, so long ago...

Antique Miniature Steiff Bear

I got my first antique miniature Steiff bear for my birthday this week. He's 5 inches tall, circa 1910, and has a great face.

For a sense of scale, he here is tucked inside a thermos mug: