Continuing on with items passed down from Aunt Minnie...
This is Amelia...a china doll that has lived with us for 30+ years. Aunt Minnie received her for Christmas in the late 1880's. Her sister Mae had one similar. Amelia never had a name that I heard about, so about 10 years ago I decided it was time, and chose Amelia. Now I have a granddaughter Amelia, so someday she will have this pretty doll with the same name.
Amelia is in her original clothing. I have the box that Aunt Minnie kept her in, along with a different dress that her mother must have made. However, this dress is pretty well sewn right on the doll, so it would be a trick to change it. I 'googled' china dolls this morning and found that Amelia is known as a 'low-brow' china doll (due to the hair molded over her forehead and ears). There were hundreds of these made in Germany in the late 1880's and 1890's. However, there are many fewer blonde dolls, as most had black hair. Doesn't she have a sweet pretty face with her blonde hair?
One year we discovered that Amelia's right hand did not belong to her. It is sewn on backwards...although it's hard to see in the picture, the thumb is actually on the bottom of the hand. So...she has two left hands. I imagine that a hurried Mother repaired the doll and sewed on the wrong hand. I imagine that sister Mae's doll had two right hands? It will forever be a mystery as that doll disappeared long ago. The sewn on left hand does prove that Amelia was played with, although her dress looks almost as good as the day she came to live with our family.
This is Amelia...a china doll that has lived with us for 30+ years. Aunt Minnie received her for Christmas in the late 1880's. Her sister Mae had one similar. Amelia never had a name that I heard about, so about 10 years ago I decided it was time, and chose Amelia. Now I have a granddaughter Amelia, so someday she will have this pretty doll with the same name.
Amelia is in her original clothing. I have the box that Aunt Minnie kept her in, along with a different dress that her mother must have made. However, this dress is pretty well sewn right on the doll, so it would be a trick to change it. I 'googled' china dolls this morning and found that Amelia is known as a 'low-brow' china doll (due to the hair molded over her forehead and ears). There were hundreds of these made in Germany in the late 1880's and 1890's. However, there are many fewer blonde dolls, as most had black hair. Doesn't she have a sweet pretty face with her blonde hair?
One year we discovered that Amelia's right hand did not belong to her. It is sewn on backwards...although it's hard to see in the picture, the thumb is actually on the bottom of the hand. So...she has two left hands. I imagine that a hurried Mother repaired the doll and sewed on the wrong hand. I imagine that sister Mae's doll had two right hands? It will forever be a mystery as that doll disappeared long ago. The sewn on left hand does prove that Amelia was played with, although her dress looks almost as good as the day she came to live with our family.
3 comments:
Such a beautiful doll. I can just see the smile on beautiful Amelia's face when she receives this gift.
Kathy
What a sweet Amelia! I didn't realize you had named her. She was considered one of the most prized possessions in the house when we were growing up. "The China Doll" was "very valuable." Maybe we thought that because she wasn't a play-with doll. She sure looks different to me now. I never thought she was very pretty before. :) She seemed old and plain. She looks just lovely on your guest bed now!
Julie
I love this doll. I love dolls in general. But there is something very special about antique dolls. :)
Post a Comment