Posted 7 years ago
rfeldt
(1 item)
My Mother's doll is 20" with a cloth body, blond hair, brown eyes. She has a pink ruffled bonnet, white dress under a pink dress/coat, white socks and cream colored shoes. The doll was given to me by distant relatives after my Mother's death. There are no identifying marks I can find. Any information about it is appreciated. I am considering restoration to bring the doll back to its near original state. Any thoughts about restoration or whether I should leave it in its current condition. Thank you.
1930's-1940's composition doll. She looks like she was barely played with her hair and clothes and shoes seem to have never been off . She would be a major undertaking to restore her and I have restored more composition dolls than I count and I would not attempt to do her . It is so sad she was apparently stored in hot attic or a basement for her to have such a large amount of damage . She will continue to deteriorate unfortunately and I wish I had the right answer as what a wonderful heirloom from your Mother . Hard to say who made her without marks but she is USA made and called a "Mama doll" as she once had a crier in stomach which you may feel as a box inside her and when squeezed it kind of sounded like doll said Ma ma . I would put her in a climate controlled room in glass cabinet and not touch her as every time she is touch she will have more damage . Good luck with her . Welcome to CW
I have no idea why this double posted so will you delete the 2nd one please . I did have a idea and that you could look for a replacement body and just have face restored to stabilize it ?
Thank you, Manikin. You have answered my questions and my concerns. She is a pretty doll and had suffered heat damage before I received her. She is now in a glass case and in a climate friendly home. Your assessment is correct as I was told my mother was not allowed to play with her. I do not feel a box within her abdomen. Do you have any recommendations for cleaning the clothing or is it best to leave it as is? Thank you so much!
I wash old doll clothes carefully in a little Oxi-Clean powder and swish them around allow to soak a few minutes ,check to see how they are doing . Do not wring them . Rinse well and lay flat on a towel and roll up towel to get water out . Lay them flat to dry . I only wash clothes that are at risk of being damaged because they have dried out and the dirt is harming them .
Oh and do not take off shoes and socks as shoes are brittle now and can easily be damaged .
Thank you, again. I would like to consider replacement of the doll's body or legs (as it seems the most damage and flaking is confined to the legs as the arms/hands do not reflect any damage) if the face could be restored somehow to stabilize it and minimize the current damage.
I would buy that size doll with a damaged head but good body . Not to hard to change it out . Not sure where your located email me at Manikin1234@aol.com
I might be able to refer you to someone who restores composition , Her face will not be perfect but hopefully not lose any more paint .