Featured Galleries: China Dolls

China dolls, whose heads are made of glazed porcelain, were some of the most popular dolls of the mid 19th century. They were produced by the thousands in factories primarily in Germany and sewn onto soft bodies of stuffed cotton or leather. Many china dolls were equipped with wooden or china hands and feet. Heavily stylized, they resemble the pale skinned ladies which were the ideal of Victorian fashion illustration. The fact that so many have survived is a tribute to the good behaviour of the Victorian children who played with them. Though fragile, an unbroken china doll often looks as fine as it did when first made, being entirely unaffected by sun, water, heat, or distortion. In most cases china dolls can be dated only by their hairstyle, which evolved throughout the decades along with changing fashions. Most of the china dolls in the Museum's collection date to the 1880s and 1890s.