Germany was the most important and traditional country for making dolls and toys in the years from 1820 to 1930.The region Sonneberg (Thueringia) and Waltershausen provided work in this industry to most of the people living in this area.The German doll makers quickly achieved a world leadership position in this industry , also as the leading doll head producers.Doll-bodies and doll-heads were made from different materials , for example wood, wax , papier- mache and later from porcelain. German Doll Maker : the most successful doll makers are very well know among collectors and include : Simon & Halbig , Johann Daniel Kestner , Armand Marseille. Other well know manufacturers include : Gebrueder Heubach , located in Lichte and the famous Kaemmer & Reinhardt ( see picture on bottom ), the producers of the famous character doll heads in 1909.These character doll heads looks like children because they were made after children portraits.Kestner produced a very good Porcelain quality,his bisque porcelain had a very light and creamy bisque color.90% of the production was sold and sent to the United States of America.In the years of World War1 the United States couldn't import merchandise from Europe, and many smaller doll factories in Thueringia had to close their business. French Doll Maker : France also started very early in the 1840 , to make dolls from porcelain.The French created the Fashion doll , also know as: "POUPEE DE MODE " . These dolls were designed for adults to be dressed and displayed in the cabinets and on the Piano of their homes as decorations.The most successful makers were Emile Jumeau and Casimir Bru ( see picture on top )Their merchandise is still extremely sought after by today's doll collector.The French doll makers were very famous and they won several silver and gold medal's for their designs.These famous dolls were dressed like real lady's , in silk or other expensive materials combined with handcrafted in-house workmanship that ensured the highest quality dolls.American Doll Maker : World War 1 drastically restricted imports to the United States from Europe.To meet domestic demand the US was obligated to make it own toys and dolls, or to find a alternate market and provide substitute dolls.The US deemend the Japanese market to be attractive.Japan has produced porcelain dolls since 1921, however the quality was not comparable to German dolls ,although the doll heads were comparatively inexpensive.Subsequently, many small doll business started in small US town's and dolls were" homemade" from cloth,painted over with an oil-mixture.At this time,these cottage-industry doll makers never considered that one day their dolls would become very famous and sought after by collectors in the late 20th century.Many of these dolls now often appraise for several thousand dollars at auctions

Annelies Nohrudi  , Doll-Expert