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Porcelain Dolls

	They’re elegant, and refined. They’re porcelain dolls and come with a fascinating history. As dolls evolved over the centuries, makers sought more and better ways to make them lifelike. Carved wooden heads, or faces embroidered on cloth, weren’t quite realistic, although many a child played with them happily enough.

Porcelain Fairy Doll

Victorian Design
Made of Porcelain
16 Inches Tall

Victorian Porcelain Doll

Beautifully Detailed
Victorian Themed Outfit
18 Inches Tall

Porcelain Doll - Celeste

Victorian Bride Porcelain Doll

Lavender Porcelain Doll

Rose Maiden Porcelain Doll

Little Miss Ballerina Porcelain Doll

Home > Collectible Figurines > Porcelain Dolls

Porcelain Dolls

Then along came the 17th century, when it occurred to someone to use a more malleable material, namely wax. These were more easily shaped to human features, but also damaged much faster. Still, they remained a popular way of making dolls’ heads, even after the advent of the porcelain doll in the early 1800s.

Porcelain is a “catch all” term encompassing both china and bisque. China is painted with colored glazes and then fired to create the features, whereas bisque is fired without glaze, and then hand-painted, which gave artisans much greater scope to create the natural coloring, and features such as eyebrows and eyelashes.

The first porcelain dolls to hit the market in Europe, had china heads, with “set” or fixed eyes. Manufacturers refined their techniques, and their dolls soon had porcelain hands and legs as well, with bodies made of various materials, including stuffed, kid leather.

In the latter part of the century, the dolls went on to acquire movable heads, “sleep” eyes that opened and closed, mohair wigs instead of molded hair, and a younger appearance, having been generally manufactured in adult images up until the 1880s.

The collectible porcelain dolls manufactured today, hark back to the golden days of the first dolls, while still carrying a hint of childhood joy. Dolls may range from 10-28”, and are most often dressed in “adult” costumes, although the facial features generally have a childish appearance. Among the more popular characters in porcelain dolls are the Southern Belle, Victorian girl, Wedding, Chinese, African American Native American and Patriotic girl.