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The beautiful, rich bisque color of this Simon Halbig 949 girl is the backdrop for her wonderful, original island costume.  She has brown glass sleep eyes, an open mouth (teeth missing), smooth bisque, original black, long mohair wig, and a fully jointed, composition and wood body, matching the ethnic bisque color.  She says “Aloha” while she dances in her original Hawaiian costume of a two-piece cotton print sun suit, lei hanging from her neck, and her long and flowing grass skirt. (The joint ball of her left arm is large than that on the right.)

Perfect as a Winter Holiday decoration is this joyful, German bisque shoulder head candy container with blue glass eyes, an open mouth with teeth, original blond, tightly curled mohair wig, and composition arms with highly detailed hands.  Her torso is cardboard as is it part of the long, cylindrical candy container that hides under her costume. It slides open easily and is in great condition.

Her costume of ivory, textured cotton is a floor length coat, decorated with snowy, bundled cotton, around the hem, up the front, around her collar and crowning the front edge of her matching bonnet.  The cotton has stained due to moisture over the years.  Perched on her bonnet and in her right hand are some tiny, faux red berries.

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For those looking for an unusual hairstyle, this blond parian shoulder head lady offers a multi-faceted example. She sports a rear chignon that folds upward to a braided bun on top.  From there falls a full cascade of curly bangs that continue down on each side of her temples.  Her ears are pierced, she has blue painted eyes and light blushing to her cheeks.

Her body is antique, of old cloth and the lower arms and legs of parian bisque with the feet being molded black boots.  A vey well presented doll she is, as her aqua, light wool, one piece dress has appealing trim of darker velvet on her collar and cuffs. The colore detail is continued with two rows of blue fabric covered buttons down the entire front.  Undergarments are all antique and this girl has that all original feel!

Called the “Globe Baby” by the Karl Hartman doll company, this small package lacks no importance, as she is totally complete and original from head to toe.  She has a bisque head with blue sleep eyes, an open mouth with teeth, original, curly blond mohair wig, and a five-piece, slim composition child body.  Her cheerful, original outfit is a tailored, linen like cotton shirt-dress with red button and bow accents, topped off by her matching felt top hat.  Her tiny original shoes are a cream leatherette.

“Two dolls in one” is the main feature of this unusual Topsy Turvy doll from Germany, circa 1875.  Mounted at opposite ends of a cloth body, one head is a molded blond hair caucasian girl with painted blue eyes and a closed mouth, while the other head is a rare black child doll with molded black hair, painted eyes and a closed mouth as well.  

Possible maker could be Kling. Both dolls have arms, one with bisque hands and the other with china and the doll that happens to be displaying  has her very own attractive, long “dress” that hangs beyond the head below, each doll having a varying fabric.  These dolls are usually found in cloth or compo variations, and it is nice to find one of this bisque and china combination.

The Kestner Gibson Girl represented a shift in women’s roles in society, which can be easily seen by her upturned, confident look and stance. It was the early 1900s, and in addition to the importance of being able to vote in elections, a woman could wear fashion that didn’t painfully cinch in the waist or crowd the elevator with a cumbersome bustle. The celebration of this new attitude was captured by the Kestner firm by this bisque mold, the 172, with her brown glass sleep eyes, original blond mohair Gibson styled wig, pensive brows, elongated, slim nose, pursed lips, and raised chin on a finely molded shoulder plate.

Additionally, her lower arms are bisque and femininely posed, with one hand featuring a restoration to the index finger, and the other hand having a repaired thumb. The high-quality, stuffed leather body has the fine Kestner engineering with riveted joints and ease of articulation. She wears a seaside costume made of vintage fabrics, consisting of capri-type pants and a front-button jacket top with short sleeves, accompanied by a sash around the waist. In addition, she has a white cotton swimming cap to keep her hair dry in the morning surf and a hooded beach cape to wear after swimming. So darling are her Summertime espadrilles to wear on the sand and onto the boardwalk, and a basket of real seashells to show off to her lunchtime friends.