Edwin M. Knowles Doll: Cinderella
Name/Title
Edwin M. Knowles Doll: CinderellaEntry/Object ID
2026.123.01Tags
Edwin M Knowles, Doll, North America, Popular Culture, Heroines from the Fairy Tale ForestsDescription
Edwin M. Knowles branded doll, "Cinderella." The doll depicts the popular character, Cinderella in her cleaning attire, before she is given her gown. The doll wears a torn brown skirt, over top she wears a white apron with a pocket, and two colourful fabric patches sewn onto it. On top she wears a long sleeved white shirt. Over her shirt, she wears a blue vest with a brown lace piping trim. In her hair, she has a scarf tied, it is white with purple and pink flowers. She wears no shoes but carries a straw broom. The doll is blonde with blue eyes. She has a China face, arms, and legs, and a fabric body.Use
Collectable item.Context
Edwin M. Knowles was born in 1869, the son of Isaac Watt Knowles, founder of Knowles, Taylor & Knowles Co. (one of the largest American pottery companies at the turn of the 20th century). A graduate of Harvard, Edwin took control of Potters Supply Company in East Liverpool, Ohio in 1890. Ten years later, Knowles founded Knowles China Company, which became Edwin M. Knowles China Co; the manufacturing was centered in Chester, West Virginia, but expanded to Newell, WV a decade later. In 1931, the company would consolidate to a single plant in Newell. These two plants, operating at once, helped cement West Virginia’s place as the third-largest state producing pottery in the United States, behind Ohio and New Jersey. Though the pottery was made in West Virginia, the company advertised its location as East Liverpool, Ohio, as exhibited in the 1910 advertisement below. Edwin died in 1943, and the company folded in 1962. In the 1980s and ‘90s, the Edwin M. Knowles name resurfaced, copyrighted by a group with no connection to the original company; this new iteration of Edwin M. Knowles created and sold collectible plates, often depicting scenes from famous films like Gone With the Wind or The Sound of Music. Edwin M. Knowles produced a popular line of collectible porcelain dolls primarily between the mid-1980s and early 1990s, with most identified, limited-edition, and Ashton-Drake Galleries-distributed pieces dating from 1986 to 1992.Collection
Edwin M. KnowlesCataloged By
Kat BezaireCategory
Doll