Edwin M. Knowles Doll: Polly
Name/Title
Edwin M. Knowles Doll: PollyEntry/Object ID
2026.130.01Tags
Doll, Edwin M Knowles, North America, Popular CultureDescription
Edwin M. Knowles doll, "Polly." The doll is part of the "Polly's Tea Party" collection. The doll is in an all white dress. The skirt of the dress has several tiers, two of which are trimmed in white lace. At her waist, she has a pink ribbon tied around her. The top of her dress also features the lace detailing around her chest, collar, shoulders, and cuffs. Under, she wears white bloomers, black stockings, and black shoes. She also wears two black bows in her hair and carries a white teapot with red flowers on it. The doll has red hair and green eyes. She has a China head, arms, and legs and a fabric body.Use
Collectable itemContext
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