Historical review

Excavations and research claim that dolls were made as early as 4,000 years ago. Wood, clay, wax and bone dolls from Greece remained to the posterity.

The toy industry began to thrive in Nürnberg in the 15th century. The history of porcelain dolls dates back to the 16th and 17th century. In the 19th century, the so-called “French dolls” appeared, which were made in Paris and Nürnberg. At the beginning, the dolls were modeled on adult women and then dolls with the face of little girls gradually appeared.

The porcelain doll is a fragile, sensitive and beautiful toy made of porcelain. Making them is a long process starting with shaping followed by drying, firing and painting. Making them is art, therefore their prices can vary greatly. Prices can also be affected by the condition of the dolls and how rare they are. Porcelain dolls can be found as decorative elements or as in a collection.

Porcelain dolls were/are made in different styles, including

  • classic (they follow the style of the 19th century),
  • modern (they follow the contemporary fashion),
  • antique (they were made in the early 1800s) and
  • fantasy (for example fairies, angels or fairy-tale characters).

We distinguish between two types of porcelain:

  • biscuit porcelain which is fired but not covered with glaze and
  • glazed porcelain

Dolls were/are made from both types.

Most of the dolls between the 1680s and 1990s were almost certainly made as children’s toys. Many were designed for a certain age group.

In the 17th and 18th century, wonderfully furnished doll houses were made which weren’t used for playing but were decorations of the house. The so-called “Sunday dolls” appeared with which their little owners could play for 1-2 hours under adult supervision. The dolls always wore elegant outfit.

Playing with dolls helped to develop and shape the emotional world of children.

The children experienced different life situations and life events with the help of the dolls. The dolls not only provided entertainment for their little owners but also socialized them.

As we can see, not only children but also adults play with dolls, no matter how strange it is. It is also a serious pastime as a lot of knowledge has to be acquired in order to have enough information about one’s dolls.

And so, finally a very true saying:

Dolls have two souls, but maybe three!

  1. when the designer makes them,
  2. when the child plays with them and
  3. when someone revives, collects and organizes them.

These three souls meet perfectly in Julia’s Doll House.