German Cloth Kathe Kruse Dolls
Kathe Kruse, the person:
This is taken directly from the Kathe Kruse website at www.kaethekrusepuppe.de
Kathe Kruse dolls:
From the official website:
Our Philosophy
What Makes Käthe Kruse Special?
“The hand follows the heart” Continuing the motto of our founder, the Käthe Kruse Company has been focused on children for
more than 100 years. The Käthe Kruse brand has a responsibility to stand
- for faith - quality and safety,
- for tradition and culture - a doll to love, an attendant of childhood for generations,
- for attitude of life - soft, warm, in good hands, love and trust,
- for orientation and values - complex and loving handwork and originality,
- for healthy, age-appropriate development - creativity, imagination, speech and feelings and
- for good design - happy, stimulating curiosity, colorful, innovative.
The original doll, a potato wrapped in a towel, was definitely not the artistic dolls associated with Kruse today but it still had all
of the above attributes. When Kathe's first daughter Maria, nicknamed Mimerle-a name associated with one of the later Kruse
dolls, was three, Kathe had her second child Fifi. Maria, imitating her mother, wanted a doll to play the part of Fifi. Popular
German dolls of the time (early 1900s) were porcelain and easily broken by a three year old. The artistic Kathe with
encouragement from her partner Max, determined that a play doll should be warm, cuddly, nonbreakable and simulate a baby.
Kathe wrapped a potato in a towel, tied the corners for arms and legs and made the first Kathe Kruse doll much loved by her
daughter Mimerle. As the family grew and the dolls wore out, many experiments were used to refine the dolls of her children.
She used plaster casts, sawdust stuffing and wax to reinforce the heads.
Being a part of the artistic community, Kathe had access to many ideas. She acquired a bust by the artist Flamingo to use as a
model for the heads. These heads eventually were known as the heads of the Doll 1. Upon moving from Switzerland to Berlin
in 1910, the Herman Tietz Department store asked Kathe for items to include in their exhibition called "Homemade Toys". The
dolls were a huge hit praised by many for their attributes: washability, unbreakable, natural proportion and wonderful
appearance. This contrasted greatly with the glass eyed, human haired bisque dolls with their heavy jointed bodies. While all
of the attributes of the traditional doll showed great progress in making dolls appear more realisitic, the end result missed the
point Kathe and her children loved about the Kruse dolls. It also missed the point of what many mothers wanted for their
children's dolls. Consequently, the Kruse vision found followers and has persisted beyond the technologically sophisticated
bisque dolls with their human hair wigs, glass eyes and heavy ball jointed bodies.
Seeing that her enterprise had great potential as a business and as a source for copying, Kathe Kruse copyrighted her
designs. To address the larger scale production needs, she entered into an agreement with a contemporary large
manufacturer Kammer and Reinhardt (K*R). K*R bought the rights to produce the Kruse dolls but the arrangement met with
artistic difficulties. Kathe did not like the ball jointed bodies used but the dolls produced by K*R as they were "unnatural". The
arrangement only lasted three months before Kathe returned the advanced money and K*R returned the copyrights.
After receiving a large order for dolls from America, Kathe Kruse began her own commercial production. She hired 5 women
and the artist Beyer to make and paint the dolls. The "factory" was her apartment. Kathe noted in an interview with the Ladies
Home Journal:
old school in Bad Kosen (a city in the area later known as East Germany, Russian Zone), By the beginning of World War II
(1939), Kathe had 120 employees making 12,000 dolls per year. After World War II, two sons moved to Donauworth in what
was known as West Germany (marked US Zone on the tags). The company operated from both locations until 1950 when
Kathe moved to West Germany.
There are five basic heads from 1910 to 1956:
Head Type Description of Dolls Picture
The heads are made of fabric soaked in glue and stucco and then pressed into a mold. Heads were then oil painted. The very
early dolls were stuffed with sawdust but that quickly gave way to reindeer hair--which is still used today on some dolls. Max
and Kathe patented a wire armature used in some of the dolls in 1915. Clothes were made in styles contemporary to the time.
The dolls were stamped on the left foot with a number and Kathe Kruse's signature which has often faded to the point of being
unreadable. The dolls are very distinctive and a recognizable even without the signature. Paper hang tags were also used and
are frequently missing.
From the 1950s on the dolls were made with synthetic materials. The company is still in operation and the dolls can be found in
many retail locations.
From the Kathe Kruse Company website:
Repairing and Restoration of Dolls
From the beginning, Käthe Kruse attached great importance to the repair and restoration of her dolls.
If you would like your doll to be repaired, simply send it to the address below, via insured, registered mail. Please send your doll
without clothing to avoid loss. Also, please send a letter in English or German with your doll explaining exactly what needs
repair.
One of our associates will contact you about the cost. Upon your affirmation, your doll repair will commence.
For more information please contact us at:
Käthe Kruse Doll Company
Doll Doctor
Alte Augsburger Str. 9
86609 Donauwörth, Germany
E-Mail: mhohmann@kaethe-kruse.de
I have personally sent three dolls for repair to the Kruse Company. Estimates were very professional and in keeping with
conservation principles. One doll was returned to me saying that it was in too good condition for them to really add to the doll.
The other two were conservatively cleaned and stabilized from further damage. They did not advocate "redoing" or "repainting"
a doll. They do not rush the work and the results show this care and professionalism. Clothing appropriate to the early dolls is
also available by contacting the company.
While imitation may be a form of flattery, it is devilish in business. Many imitators competed with Kathe Kruse for her business
including Bing and her early distributor Strobel and Wilken. Strobel and Wilken had been her sole distributor to the U.S. in
1913. However by 1916, Butler Brothers distributed Kathe Kruse dolls in the U.S. In the meantime, Strobel and Wilkensold
dolls under the name American Art dolls which clearly imitated the Kathe Kruse dolls. No end date for the company could be
found. For that matter, very few of the dolls could be founds either!
Edwards, Linda. Cloth dolls, Ancient to Modern. Atglen Pa.: Schiffer Publishing. 1997
....... Interview with Kathe Kruse. Ladies Home Journal. November 1912.
Richter, Lydia, The Beloved Kathe Kruse Dolls. Cumberland: Hobby House Press. 1983.
www.kaethekrusepuppe.de
This is taken directly from the Kathe Kruse website at www.kaethekrusepuppe.de
- The successful doll maker Käthe Kruse was born in Breslau on September 17, 1883 as Katharina Simon. Her childhood
was full of struggles but also full of motherly love.
Her love for literature as well as exciting visits to the theatre with her aunt belong to her most precious memories of youth
and awaken her wish to become an actress. After taking acting classes, at 17-years-old, she has her first appearance on
stage in Berlin. She establishes herself under the pseudonym Hedda Somin. Traveling to Warsaw and Moscow with her
company, the young actress soon gains status in the theatre world and financial independence.
While moving around in Berlin`s inner circle of artista and literates, she met the famous sculptor Max Kruse and fell in
love. Soon, the young woman becomes a mother and dedicates her time to raising her seven children. The commercial
dolls that are selling in local shops are not options for either parent. In contrast to the breakable porcelain dolls, Max and
Käthe agree that their children should grow up with dolls they can love, cuddle and carry around.
Thus, in 1905 Käthe Kruse starts to make dolls for her children and five years later exhibits them in Berlin. With two big
orders from the United States, Käthe Kruse founds her own doll company in Bad Kösen.
At that time, the title "saleswoman" had not yet been coined so Käthe Kruse calls herself a `female salesman´ and leads
her company with skill, creativity and the right amount of authority to a woldwide success. Already in her beginning years
she places countless newspaper articles and advertisements in national and international magazines, publishes catalogs
and sends out mailings of postcards.
As traveling saleswoman, she contacts her clients personally and succeeds in raising seven children. Her participation at
the Gent World Fair in 1913 and the Paris World Fair in 1937 are highlights in the company´s history.
After the Second World War, Käthe Kruse secures purchase and export possibilities by opening workshops in the West as
additions to the main facility in Bad Kösen in the Soviet Zone. She holds on to Bad Kösen until 1950.
The eventual dispossession and conversion to a VEB (nationally owned business) results in a operation in the Bavarian
town of Donauwörth, where Käthe Kruse dolls are still produced today.
In 1951, Kruse published her biography and looked back on many years of success and struggle. In 1956, Käthe Kruse
was honored with the First Class Federal Cross of Merit Award and handed over her business to her children - she was
over 70 years old. On July 9, 1968 Käthe Kruse died shortly before her 85th birthday.
Kathe Kruse dolls:
From the official website:
Our Philosophy
What Makes Käthe Kruse Special?
“The hand follows the heart” Continuing the motto of our founder, the Käthe Kruse Company has been focused on children for
more than 100 years. The Käthe Kruse brand has a responsibility to stand
- for faith - quality and safety,
- for tradition and culture - a doll to love, an attendant of childhood for generations,
- for attitude of life - soft, warm, in good hands, love and trust,
- for orientation and values - complex and loving handwork and originality,
- for healthy, age-appropriate development - creativity, imagination, speech and feelings and
- for good design - happy, stimulating curiosity, colorful, innovative.
The original doll, a potato wrapped in a towel, was definitely not the artistic dolls associated with Kruse today but it still had all
of the above attributes. When Kathe's first daughter Maria, nicknamed Mimerle-a name associated with one of the later Kruse
dolls, was three, Kathe had her second child Fifi. Maria, imitating her mother, wanted a doll to play the part of Fifi. Popular
German dolls of the time (early 1900s) were porcelain and easily broken by a three year old. The artistic Kathe with
encouragement from her partner Max, determined that a play doll should be warm, cuddly, nonbreakable and simulate a baby.
Kathe wrapped a potato in a towel, tied the corners for arms and legs and made the first Kathe Kruse doll much loved by her
daughter Mimerle. As the family grew and the dolls wore out, many experiments were used to refine the dolls of her children.
She used plaster casts, sawdust stuffing and wax to reinforce the heads.
Being a part of the artistic community, Kathe had access to many ideas. She acquired a bust by the artist Flamingo to use as a
model for the heads. These heads eventually were known as the heads of the Doll 1. Upon moving from Switzerland to Berlin
in 1910, the Herman Tietz Department store asked Kathe for items to include in their exhibition called "Homemade Toys". The
dolls were a huge hit praised by many for their attributes: washability, unbreakable, natural proportion and wonderful
appearance. This contrasted greatly with the glass eyed, human haired bisque dolls with their heavy jointed bodies. While all
of the attributes of the traditional doll showed great progress in making dolls appear more realisitic, the end result missed the
point Kathe and her children loved about the Kruse dolls. It also missed the point of what many mothers wanted for their
children's dolls. Consequently, the Kruse vision found followers and has persisted beyond the technologically sophisticated
bisque dolls with their human hair wigs, glass eyes and heavy ball jointed bodies.
Seeing that her enterprise had great potential as a business and as a source for copying, Kathe Kruse copyrighted her
designs. To address the larger scale production needs, she entered into an agreement with a contemporary large
manufacturer Kammer and Reinhardt (K*R). K*R bought the rights to produce the Kruse dolls but the arrangement met with
artistic difficulties. Kathe did not like the ball jointed bodies used but the dolls produced by K*R as they were "unnatural". The
arrangement only lasted three months before Kathe returned the advanced money and K*R returned the copyrights.
After receiving a large order for dolls from America, Kathe Kruse began her own commercial production. She hired 5 women
and the artist Beyer to make and paint the dolls. The "factory" was her apartment. Kathe noted in an interview with the Ladies
Home Journal:
- Each doll goes through my hands at least twenty times. I think this is the secret of their success: not the technical
solution--a man might have discovered that--but to create a baby, an innocent, sweet, foolish little thing!--this was only
possible for a woman, a mother who several times has held in her arms a loving, heavenly doll.
old school in Bad Kosen (a city in the area later known as East Germany, Russian Zone), By the beginning of World War II
(1939), Kathe had 120 employees making 12,000 dolls per year. After World War II, two sons moved to Donauworth in what
was known as West Germany (marked US Zone on the tags). The company operated from both locations until 1950 when
Kathe moved to West Germany.
There are five basic heads from 1910 to 1956:
Head Type Description of Dolls Picture
The heads are made of fabric soaked in glue and stucco and then pressed into a mold. Heads were then oil painted. The very
early dolls were stuffed with sawdust but that quickly gave way to reindeer hair--which is still used today on some dolls. Max
and Kathe patented a wire armature used in some of the dolls in 1915. Clothes were made in styles contemporary to the time.
The dolls were stamped on the left foot with a number and Kathe Kruse's signature which has often faded to the point of being
unreadable. The dolls are very distinctive and a recognizable even without the signature. Paper hang tags were also used and
are frequently missing.
From the 1950s on the dolls were made with synthetic materials. The company is still in operation and the dolls can be found in
many retail locations.
From the Kathe Kruse Company website:
Repairing and Restoration of Dolls
From the beginning, Käthe Kruse attached great importance to the repair and restoration of her dolls.
If you would like your doll to be repaired, simply send it to the address below, via insured, registered mail. Please send your doll
without clothing to avoid loss. Also, please send a letter in English or German with your doll explaining exactly what needs
repair.
One of our associates will contact you about the cost. Upon your affirmation, your doll repair will commence.
For more information please contact us at:
Käthe Kruse Doll Company
Doll Doctor
Alte Augsburger Str. 9
86609 Donauwörth, Germany
E-Mail: mhohmann@kaethe-kruse.de
I have personally sent three dolls for repair to the Kruse Company. Estimates were very professional and in keeping with
conservation principles. One doll was returned to me saying that it was in too good condition for them to really add to the doll.
The other two were conservatively cleaned and stabilized from further damage. They did not advocate "redoing" or "repainting"
a doll. They do not rush the work and the results show this care and professionalism. Clothing appropriate to the early dolls is
also available by contacting the company.
While imitation may be a form of flattery, it is devilish in business. Many imitators competed with Kathe Kruse for her business
including Bing and her early distributor Strobel and Wilken. Strobel and Wilken had been her sole distributor to the U.S. in
1913. However by 1916, Butler Brothers distributed Kathe Kruse dolls in the U.S. In the meantime, Strobel and Wilkensold
dolls under the name American Art dolls which clearly imitated the Kathe Kruse dolls. No end date for the company could be
found. For that matter, very few of the dolls could be founds either!
Edwards, Linda. Cloth dolls, Ancient to Modern. Atglen Pa.: Schiffer Publishing. 1997
....... Interview with Kathe Kruse. Ladies Home Journal. November 1912.
Richter, Lydia, The Beloved Kathe Kruse Dolls. Cumberland: Hobby House Press. 1983.
www.kaethekrusepuppe.de
The jointed body of the K*R Kathe Kruse doll was
out of proportion and "unnatural" to Kathe Kruse.
These dolls were produced for less than three
months.
out of proportion and "unnatural" to Kathe Kruse.
These dolls were produced for less than three
months.
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Example of very early Doll I known as frog hand as the
hand was made in one piece instead of using a
separately stitched thumb, This made stuffing the
hand very difficult and was changed to the separately
stitched thumb.
hand was made in one piece instead of using a
separately stitched thumb, This made stuffing the
hand very difficult and was changed to the separately
stitched thumb.
Courtesy Theriaults
Kathe Kruse expanded her
dolls into life sized mannikins
used extensively in stores.
dolls into life sized mannikins
used extensively in stores.