Pretend Like You Know What's Going On!

What is the baby made of?

ALL-BISQUE - usually a small little guy (or gal) under 8 inches that is completely made up of bisque parts. Most commonly made in France, Germany and Japan. These babies were born between the late 1800's to the early 1900's.

BISQUE - unglazed porcelain molded into correct shape and baked at high temperatures in a kiln to form the body parts. Most dolls from the late 1800's to early 1900's had bisque heads.

COMPOSITION (COMPO) - a mix of wood pulp, sawdust and glues to make bodies, heads or both during this time period before hard plastic was introduced.

CELLULOID - flammable and thin plastic. The first plastic to make these dolls ranging between 1920 and 1940.

CHINA - glazed porcelain used for making dolls heads in the mid 1800's.

HARD PLASTIC - very hard plastic used for dolls in the late 1940's and 1950's.

KID - term for soft leather bodies used for French and German fashion dolls.

PARIAN - unglazed bisque that is finished without color so it usually appears to be white.

VINYL - plastic developed in the late 1940's that is used to make dolls since the 1960's. hard or soft plastic.

Now you may have a clue what the baby is made from! But what about the rest of the baby?

APPLIED EARS - ears that have been molded seperately from the molded head then baked in the kiln as one piece.

BALL JOINTED - jointing composition bodies using wood balls as joints for movement.

CLOSED MOUTH - sculpted so that the mouth is closed with no teeth showing.

DOMED HEAD (BELTON HEAD) - head made with a closed top.

FLANGE NECK - a doll head where the edge of the neck flares out for attachment to a cloth doll body.

FLIRTY EYES - eyes that move from side to side.

GOOGLY EYES - big, round, side-glancing eyes. Popular on dolls from the 1910's through the 1920's.

GUSSETED JOINT - joint sewn into leather and cloth bodies that allows the joint to bend.

INTAGLIO EYES - eyes that are molded into the head that are meant to be painted. 

INSET EYES - eyes set into the head that do not move. Popular in dolls from the 1800's and earlier.

MOHAIR - Hair of the angora goat, used for antique doll wigs. Very desirable; very soft and natural looking wigs are made of mohair. 

MOLDED EARS - Ears that are molded right in with the doll's head, as opposed to "Applied Ears"

OPEN MOUTH - Mouth molded open to, generally, reveal teeth inside.  Can also reveal tongues on bisque baby dolls.

OPEN HEAD - Doll head with the crown cut out so that eyes can be inserted; crown opening is usually covered with a "pate" so that the wig can be put on the doll.

PATE - Covers the crown hole in an open-head doll; can be made of cardboard, cork, or other materials. 

SHOULDER HEAD - Doll's head and shoulders molded together in one piece; usually attached to a kid or cloth body. 

SHOULDER PLATE - The shoulder portion of a shoulder head, OR the bisque shoulders used with a swivel head. 

SOCKET HEAD - Doll's head is molded with a neck that is placed into the doll's body with a cup and saucer like arrangement. 

SWIVEL HEAD - A socket head using separate shoulder plates. 

VOICE BOX - Mechanism in a dolls body that allows the doll to make some sound such as "mama."

Other doll descriptions..........

BEBE - Term commonly used to describe French dolls representing small children.

CHARACTER DOLL - Doll made to look like a living child or adult.

FASHION DOLL - A French or German lady doll made, generally, with a bisque head, and dressed in fashions of the day (much like our modern Fashion Dolls).  Doll's body can be made of kid, cloth, wood, or other materials.

PORTRAIT DOLL - Term used for dolls late 1800s and early 1900s bisque dolls representing a person. 

********** more to come**********