Most were manufactured in England. Many do not have any maker marks, that is the case with this one. This doll is 24" tall, which is taller than most wax head dolls.
Purchased for $5, sold for $158 on ebay.
Monday, April 17, 2017
Victorian Wax Doll
I had actually heard of antique wax dolls before. Last weekend I had a chance to purchase one. Which gave me the opportunity to learn quite a bit more about them.
They fall into three different types -- this one is the most common type, the head being wax over composition.
Why use wax at all? This kind of doll was less breakable than porcelain. The wax gave a life-like translucent quality, And the wax could be subtly tinted to further replicate skin.
The "heyday" of these dolls was the 1800s, mine probably dates from about 1880.
Most were manufactured in England. Many do not have any maker marks, that is the case with this one. This doll is 24" tall, which is taller than most wax head dolls.
Not surprisingly, these dolls did not adjust well to extremes in temperature. So if they lived in Grandma's attic, they would have looked worse than this. If you look them up on ebay, you'll notice many that time has not been kind to.
She will be listed on ebay soon. I hope she finds someone who will cherish her, cracks and all.
Purchased for $5, sold for $158 on ebay.
Most were manufactured in England. Many do not have any maker marks, that is the case with this one. This doll is 24" tall, which is taller than most wax head dolls.
Purchased for $5, sold for $158 on ebay.
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I'm not familiar with wax dolls. I can see that they would be beat up given how old they are.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fabulous find! Thank you for the info!
ReplyDeleteI don't know much about antique dolls at all so this was quite an interesting read :) Thanks so much for linking up your posts with us at Vintage Charm!
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