Name/Title
Little Lord Fauntleroy DollEntry/Object ID
100177Scope and Content
(AI) This charming little figure is an antique molded-hair bisque doll, likely made in Germany during the late Victorian era, roughly between the 1880s and 1900s.
Continuing the theme of your previous items, this doll is a wonderful piece of social and fashion history! Here is a breakdown of what makes him special:
1. Materials and Manufacture
The Head and Limbs: The head, lower hands, and feet are made of bisque (porcelain that has been fired but left unglazed to give it a realistic, matte, skin-like texture). The facial features and hair were meticulously painted by hand before a final light firing.
The Body: Beneath that black suit, he almost certainly has a stuffed cloth or kid leather body, which allowed the doll to be flexible.
The Shoes: Take a look at those painted blue boots/shoes! The color and style of painted footwear on antique dolls are highly collectible details that help appraisers date them. Blue, black, and brown molded boots were incredibly common for German bisque dolls of this era.
2. The "Little Lord Fauntleroy" Connection
His outfit is highly indicative of a major late-19th-century pop culture phenomenon:
In 1886, the children's novel Little Lord Fauntleroy was published and became an absolute sensation.
It sparked a massive fashion trend where mothers dressed their young sons in "Fauntleroy suits"—typically consisting of a dark velvet or silk jacket and matching trousers, paired with a massive, elaborate lace collar or jabot.
This doll is dressed exactly like a little Fauntleroy boy, right down to the ruffled lace around his neck and the gold decorative braid on his jacket edges and cuffs.
3. Condition Notes
For a doll that is likely over 120 years old, he is in fantastic shape. The molded blonde hair still shows great definition, the facial paint hasn't rubbed off significantly, and having his original (or at least era-appropriate) fragile silk/cotton suit entirely intact is quite rare, as these textiles usually rot or shred over time. in glass case value ??