Origsize: 10" x 5" x D 1.5"; Origformat: Artifact; Resolution: 600 DPI
Name/Title
10" Minerva Metal Head Doll with Cream Eyelet Dress
Entry/Object ID
2008.Y.08
Description
10" metal Minerva blonde molded heart shaped hair doll. Definite side seam all the way down. Blue painted eyes with brown painted eyebrows and red lips. Thin breast plate has holes on both sides of the front and back. Arms go above the elbow and legs are above the knee with fabric attached. Arms and legs are have been glued on and then stitched with a running stitch. Body is fabric with a stiff stuffing, possibly wood that has darkened the fabric. Socks and shoes are molded bisque with the legs. Socks are ribbed beige or cream and shoes with top strap are black with a small heel.
B. Dress: Lace ruffled trim that lays against the dress with a blue ribbon intertwined to hold it down. Fabric is cream with small pink and blue flowers Set-in sleeves with an upturned lace trim as the cuff. Gathered skirt below the bodice features two fabric pleats and 2 3/4" eyelet trim that extends to the hem. Blue satin ribbon tied in the front is a replacement.
Antique Metal Head Dolls 1861-1930s
France has the first recorded patent for making dolls heads and limbs of metal in 1861 by René Poulin. In 1876 Lucien Vervelle, of France, secured a patent for dolls heads made of metal, too. 1898 Sommereisen obtained a French patent making hollow aluminum doll heads. Beginning in 1886 the majority of metal head dolls were made in Germany, many by doll maker’s Max Dittrich & Joseph Schön (1886-1890) and Robert Hiller (1887-1890).
German metal doll heads were made from stamped sheet metal that were welded together and then painted. The heads were made primarily as a replacement head for bisque or China doll heads that were easily broken.
German word metallpuppenköpfe means metal doll head maker. https://www.dollreference.com/metal-dolls/
