Dolls and the love of and for

Dolls were born long before they were given the french name of «poupée» (doll), which probably comes from the latin words «puppa» or «pupa» that mean «tétines, sein» (nipples, breast). Although it is difficult to define the doll's origin, a few ancient objects coming of Antiquity tell us that dolls were part of Greeks and Romans lives .

For centuries, rag dolls were made by mothers for their children. Rag dolls refer generically to dolls made of any fabric. Cloth dolls refer to a subset of rag dolls made of linen or cotton. Commercially produced rag dolls were first introduced in the 1850s by English and American manufacturers.

Although not as sophisticated(Primitive) as dolls made from other materials, rag dolls were well-loved, often as a child's first toy. Those that have made it down through the centuries are much cherish today. Antique collectors often tended to neglect the rag type dolls they were not very pretty and did not survive very well.

America dolls are based on rag dolls. If we could just hear the stories these dolls have to tell about crossing the Rockies going out West the secrets of their owners that was shared with them these dolls would be able to tell us a lot of history.


A stick, a clump of straw, a branch shaped with a knife, a stuffed ball of fabric or a roughly hand painted ball of paper... All a little girl needs is a bit of imagination to find the companion she dreams of.
From primitive to more elaborate forms, depending on the society from which they came, dolls have left behind them traces of a quiet happiness typical of childhood play. We invariably find them associated to the everyday life of little girls or collected by rich heirs, princes and other nobility.

The above doll was created by Nancy Gerber of Atticbabys, Please go check out her awsome creations at her blog and picture album, You will be so glad you did, Nancy really creates magnificent heirlooms

http://atticbabys.blogspot.com

http://www.picturetrail.com/atticbabys
For the little girl, the everyday actions of dressing, feeding or do the hair of her doll is the perfect occasion to prepare for her role as a mother. During Renaissance, girls of royal blood learned with their dolls the strict codes of court etiquette.


Germany, France, and Denmark started creating china heads for dolls in the 1840s. China heads were replaced by heads made of bisque in the 1860s. German bisque dolls became quite popular because they were not as expensive.


Kammer & Reinhardt introduced a bisque character doll in the 1900s, starting a trend of creating realistic dolls.