Papier Mache
Papier Mache Dolls
Papier mache dolls were the first commercially made dolls for the newly developing industrial or middle class-the mass market.
Previously made dolls were designed for the aristocrats while common children had homemade playthings. But at the beginning
of the 19th Century, the Industrial Revolution was expanding wealth to an increasing number of people while at the same time
distribution systems opened markets makers had previously been unable to access.
Just as man has stages he passes through over time, so do products. John Darcy Noble describes these product “careers” in
four stages:
1. initial or “pioneer” stage which expresses new ideas or new processes
2. successful and efficient models of the product survive
3. products are classics from which new products are judged
4. “decadence” products are cheapened to compete or decline completely
In the initial stage, the products are new and exciting-a must have for the wealthy, knowledgeable etc. In the second stage, the
business expands, based on the most successful and cost efficient products, to the mass market. Thirdly the product is the
standard by which new products or ideas are judged. Finally, the item is over produced for the available market, cheapened to
the point the market is no longer interested or cannot adapt to the new ideas or processes and, ultimately, the product is
discontinued. Businessmen would use the word product, collectors can substitute doll and have an understanding of the rise
and fall in popularity of their favorite collectible.
Europe’s first paper mills appeared before 1400, with playing cards a popular product in 1388. When Johannes Gutenberg
made the moveable type printing press in 1455, paper mills boomed to supply the newly expanding printing industry. As with
any industry, waste is inevitable. Paper waste is used to create papier mache.
As the paper industry grew so did the waste product. In the 16th century carnival trinkets were made from papier mache. By the
17th century toy makers adapted the papier mache to their needs. Lacquer added a protective finish to the papier mache object
so that by the 18th century, all sorts of small decorative items were made of papier mache. Papier mache was so popular that
the royal houses of Germany established factories of their own.
In 1540, papier mache dolls were known as carton Pierre. Few are known to exist today. The process of making the heads
was labor intensive and time consuming. By 1810, papier mache dolls had evolved to the second stage of the product cycle
whereby the process was successful and efficient to create large numbers of dolls and there were plenty of workers, either in
factories or home makers, to create large numbers of dolls. The distribution system was in place as Sonneberg, near the edge
of the Thuringia Forrest, was near the trade route to Nuremberg, which had existed since the Middle Ages. Progress in
communication (advertising) and travel over long distances, combined with the expanding populace wealth, and the papier
mache doll was the “must have” of any stylish child.
The popularity of the papier mache doll extended over 70 years from the papier mache dolls of the early 19th Century produced
by Muller, Voit and Kestner, among others, in Germany, to the American versions in the later part of the 19th Century produced
by Greiner. The style of the dolls reflected the changing taste of the times.
Europe in the beginning of the 19th Century transitioned from a primarily two-class system of aristocracy and others to a three-
class system of failing aristocracy, rising middle class and the others. This transition is reflected in the politics, the social
expectations as expressed in the literature and the dolls. War, from the American Revolution, cracking the English colonial
system, to the French Revolution, with the overthrow of the aristocracy at home, ravaged the economies and the social
structure of the Western world. Power was no longer concentrated in the few. For the few to retain what power they could,
expansion of trade was critical to maintain cash flow, prestige and control. However, the expansion of trade required including
non-aristocrats who could build the products, industries, distribution systems and markets. And, as markets became more
powerful, those who could work them, the industrialists, became more powerful, while those who could not work them, the
former aristocracy, became figureheads or were replaced altogether.
As political power shifted, social power did too. The rising middle class established their own rules of behavior, shifting from
courtly manners and secret baudiness to gentility and refinement. Often emulating the aristocracy, the middle class still envied
the riches. Consequently, the social requirements of gentility and refinement were expressed in the new focus on the role of
children found in the art and literature of the day and the material accumulations-especially in the dolls.
History and Characteristics of the key manufacturers
From the earliest creation of papier mache dolls, the masse was pressed into a wooden mold. While the molds made the basic
shape of the doll, it was the skill of the “bossierer” or presser who created the unique doll. Thus two aspects of the doll making
process were standardized to allow mass production: one was the mold, the other was the papier mache.
The molds were originally wood. They were affected by the water in the masse and the pressure form the pressing of the
masse, and would not stand up to repeated moldings. Muller was the first to gain the right to make toys of papier-mache in
1805. Muller, is credited in the literature with using a sulphur based mold in 1818, that allowed more efficient production of the
heads.
The oldest recipe for papier mache dates to 1510 by the convent in Nurenburg. Papier mache can be made from strips of
layered and glued paper formed around a positive mold (think piñata) or from a “masse” composed of paper pulp, plant fibre,
glue, filler and additives which are pressed into negative molds.
Additives to the papier mache made each makers recipe unique. Additives included linseed oil varnish, powdered kiln brick,
whiting (chalk), finally ground sand, potters clay, pumice stone, resin and soot. The last four items produced common writing
slates. Names for papier mache were as varied as the recipes: stone pasteboard (slates), carton Pierre (used as early as 1540
for doll making according to Fournier in Histoire des Joets et Jeux d’Enfants), carton moule or carton pate.
Muller
According to Christiane Grafnitz, Muller, a skilled bossierer, probably designed most of the models of his doll heads himself. In
a newspaper article of the time, Muller was noted to have fifty-eight different doll heads in his shop. She goes on to describe
characteristics of the Muller heads as:
1. Round face
2. wide mouth
3. downward sloping breastplate
4. the addition of hemp weaving to the hair (distinguishes Grafnitz type A from type B doll)
5. bright points in the painted eyes
6. from the 1820s-1830s lady doll breastplates come to a more narrow point then other square cut breastplates
7. often there are deep grooves around the edges of the breastplate
8. grey or ochre colored laugh lines painted above and below the eye
9. big well, modeled ears
10. wide nose with no holes
An early head by Muller After his death, Muller's company was
carried on by his son-in-law as MS Superior
Muller had to get the rest of the doll parts, such as wigs and bodies, from other supplies because of the limits to his “right” as
bossierer and the laws protecting other guilds and craftsmen. Wigs were often made of silk and hair in addition to the papier
mache modeling. Leather or cloth bodies came from individual home production as well as the C. F. Kopp and I. E. Selzen
factories. The cloth may be jointed (gangelkorper) or there may be leather or wood arms and legs.
Voit
Voit, in 1806, was the second German manufacturer to be granted the privilege to produce and sell papier mache goods
including dolls..
Voit used wax models to make his dolls heads. These heads can be found in Heimatmuseum in Hildburghausen. There are
three types of heads. The Kinderkopf or child’s head, the closed mouth Pauline or classic so-called French papier-mache head
and the open mouthed Pauline type head. Characteristics of these dolls include:
1. round faces
2. black painted circle over which the wig was attached
3. often brush marks at the temples
4. unique ear modeling
5. nostrils
6. closed mouths from the 1820-1830s or open mouths with bamboo teeth after 1840
7. brown fixed glass eyes or blue painted eyes
8. occasionally flirting eyes (a Voit speciality)
9. smooth round heads with front curl section often made of silk, mohair or hemp, later woven hairstyles of real hair.
10. Early doll heads often had modeled hair with short windblown type curls. These tend to be the Kinderkopf heads It
should be noted that while Voit made Kinderkopf heads, others also made child’s heads.
11. bodies of the dolls for the French market were of leather or cloth with molded papier mache lower arms and lower legs or
were the pink or white leather. Dolls from Germany may have the bodies found above on the Mueller dolls.
Samples of heads attributed to Voigt
Kestner
Kestner bagan making papier mache ladies and boys doll heads in 1815 “from his own production as he did not have the right
to make papier mache goods. He also produced his own leather doll bodies, some with papier mache arms. ”. This conflict with
the guilds was resolved in 1822 when there is documentation that he was granted the right to make papier mache items “out of
natural fibres stray, moss, hay, thistles, bark etc-fully lacking in rags and paper”
Samples of papier mache heads attributed to Kestner
Kestner’s dolls were simply modeled but not marked. Bodies were of leather, sometimes with wooden arms and legs.
Dating Dolls
There is much confusion over terminology for dolls. Many of these early dolls are referred to as milliner’s models. John Darcy
Noble suggests that the dolls could never have been used for the purpose of a dressmaker’s model for several reasons:
1. they were too small to use as patterns
2. the clothes were not in fact effectively removable for making patterns
3. the dolls themselves are difficult to dress and undress due to the stiff bodies and odd hairstyles
4. there is no record of these dolls being used for this purpose.
Noble suggests the term Biedermeier, referring to the time of the dolls manufacture in the early 1800s. He contrasts this use of
the term with the misnomer of Biedermeier china referring to a bald doll with wig made significantly after the Biedermeier period
of style in the early 1800s. This site will use the term Biedermeier papier mache in referring to these early dolls.
Grafnitz also uses the term Biedermeier to place the dolls in time perspective. She suggests papier mache dolls can be
grouped by their clothes and hairstyles into 3 major periods:
1. From the Empire to the early Biedermeier Period 1800-1820
2. The Biedermeier Period 1820-1836
3. The late Biedermeier and Crinoline Period 1836-1860
These three periods describe the German production of papier mache dolls. I would add the fourth period or American papier
mache doll as the Greiner Period 1850-1880.
Empire to early Biedermeier Period 1800-1820
The simple dress of the Empire period was imported from England. It fit well with the new liberal way of thinking, freeing one of
the crinolines, corsets and laced bodices seen on the English wooden dolls of the 1700s. The reemergence of Greek and
Roman themes influenced dress and hairstyle as well. Dress was simple light colored chemise of muslin or calico with a stole
for warmth. Shoes were flat heeled or sandals. By 1805 warmer materials such as taffeta, silk or velvet were used. Lace was
added at necklines and hemlines. Hats were turbans with feathers, flat straw or tulle caps. Replacing the Rococo period’s
plaits and powdered wigs, were short curly hairstyles with curls combed forward on the face (called Titus). The Greek hairstyle
of braid wound at the top of the head with curls painted to the side was also popular.
Titus hairstyle Coiled braid and comb
By 1814, after the Congress of Vienna redrew Europe, style was redrawn as well. The dresses raised the neckline but retained
the high waist. Sleeve were puffed and often laced into sections.
Hair was worn with a middle part, the high braid and a comb. Side curls were still common. Hair on the dolls was generally
painted brown. Bonnets were taller with wider brims and more decoration to accommodate the new hairstyles. The classic
Poke bonnet remained a fashion statement for two decades.
Classic Poke Bonnet
Biedermeier Period 1820-1836
Fashion of this time gradually changed to lowered waistlines, wide sleeves such as leg-o-mutton sleeves, ruffled collars or wide
collars covering the upper arms. As the waistline descended, the corset reappeared. Skirts were gathered at the natural
waistline and supported with petticoats or crinolines. Pantaloons were worn and often showed beneath little girls dresses.
The hairstyle changed dramatically. Now large bundles of side curls and braided knots were seen. This is the time of the
classic Apollo Knot hairstyle. Papier mache doll hair color was generally black.
Late Biedermeier and Crinoline Period 1836-1850
Sleeves noticeable changed as the large supports to the wide sleeves were removed for comfort sake. Sleeves were sectioned
with lacing or over lays. In the 1840s Pagoda sleeves became popular with a lace undersleeve. The waistline became pointed
instead of horizontal. Hems were no longer lace edged but had additional flounces. At least one of the petticoats was a
crinoline supported with horse hair. In 1850 the crinolines were replaced by the much lighter hoop skirt. Fabric was silk,
brocade or cotton.
Hair was much simpler, often with a middle or V part. Hair came around the ears, either simply or in a braid, as Queen Victoria
wore, to join a braided bun now located to the back of the head. By 1850s the braided bun was replaced with a simple
chignon. While ladies wore the bun, children were depicted with the long curls hanging to their shoulders.
Queen Victoria hairstyle on papier mache and china dolls of the time
American Papier Mache of Greiner 1850-1880
Ludwig Greiner emigrated to America in the mid 1800s. Coming from a family of doll makers, it is reasonable that he brought his
skills to the New World and participated in the establishment a new industry of doll making. America had a burgeoning middle
class but wars in Europe, and soon the United States, interrupted transport of goods overseas. America was ripe for the
production of dolls. Bringing the papier mache knowledge from Europe, Greiner received a patent in 1857 for the first American
papier mache doll.
The patent was extended in 1873 with a new Greiner doll. In contrast to the earlier doll, this later doll often had blonde hair.
Fashion mirrored the fashions of America at the time. Gathered waists with puffed or wide short sleeves and low necklines
were the order of the day. Hairstyles were simple shoulder length curls or later updos.
Greiner 1858 Greiner 1873
Note: The term Biedermeier was coined by Ludwig Wichrodt in the 1850s when he created the character Gottlieb Biedermeier
in Fliegende Blatter in 1855. Biedermeier was searching back to the “good old days” of 1820 to 1848.
Papier mache dolls were the first commercially made dolls for the newly developing industrial or middle class-the mass market.
Previously made dolls were designed for the aristocrats while common children had homemade playthings. But at the beginning
of the 19th Century, the Industrial Revolution was expanding wealth to an increasing number of people while at the same time
distribution systems opened markets makers had previously been unable to access.
Just as man has stages he passes through over time, so do products. John Darcy Noble describes these product “careers” in
four stages:
1. initial or “pioneer” stage which expresses new ideas or new processes
2. successful and efficient models of the product survive
3. products are classics from which new products are judged
4. “decadence” products are cheapened to compete or decline completely
In the initial stage, the products are new and exciting-a must have for the wealthy, knowledgeable etc. In the second stage, the
business expands, based on the most successful and cost efficient products, to the mass market. Thirdly the product is the
standard by which new products or ideas are judged. Finally, the item is over produced for the available market, cheapened to
the point the market is no longer interested or cannot adapt to the new ideas or processes and, ultimately, the product is
discontinued. Businessmen would use the word product, collectors can substitute doll and have an understanding of the rise
and fall in popularity of their favorite collectible.
Europe’s first paper mills appeared before 1400, with playing cards a popular product in 1388. When Johannes Gutenberg
made the moveable type printing press in 1455, paper mills boomed to supply the newly expanding printing industry. As with
any industry, waste is inevitable. Paper waste is used to create papier mache.
As the paper industry grew so did the waste product. In the 16th century carnival trinkets were made from papier mache. By the
17th century toy makers adapted the papier mache to their needs. Lacquer added a protective finish to the papier mache object
so that by the 18th century, all sorts of small decorative items were made of papier mache. Papier mache was so popular that
the royal houses of Germany established factories of their own.
In 1540, papier mache dolls were known as carton Pierre. Few are known to exist today. The process of making the heads
was labor intensive and time consuming. By 1810, papier mache dolls had evolved to the second stage of the product cycle
whereby the process was successful and efficient to create large numbers of dolls and there were plenty of workers, either in
factories or home makers, to create large numbers of dolls. The distribution system was in place as Sonneberg, near the edge
of the Thuringia Forrest, was near the trade route to Nuremberg, which had existed since the Middle Ages. Progress in
communication (advertising) and travel over long distances, combined with the expanding populace wealth, and the papier
mache doll was the “must have” of any stylish child.
The popularity of the papier mache doll extended over 70 years from the papier mache dolls of the early 19th Century produced
by Muller, Voit and Kestner, among others, in Germany, to the American versions in the later part of the 19th Century produced
by Greiner. The style of the dolls reflected the changing taste of the times.
Europe in the beginning of the 19th Century transitioned from a primarily two-class system of aristocracy and others to a three-
class system of failing aristocracy, rising middle class and the others. This transition is reflected in the politics, the social
expectations as expressed in the literature and the dolls. War, from the American Revolution, cracking the English colonial
system, to the French Revolution, with the overthrow of the aristocracy at home, ravaged the economies and the social
structure of the Western world. Power was no longer concentrated in the few. For the few to retain what power they could,
expansion of trade was critical to maintain cash flow, prestige and control. However, the expansion of trade required including
non-aristocrats who could build the products, industries, distribution systems and markets. And, as markets became more
powerful, those who could work them, the industrialists, became more powerful, while those who could not work them, the
former aristocracy, became figureheads or were replaced altogether.
As political power shifted, social power did too. The rising middle class established their own rules of behavior, shifting from
courtly manners and secret baudiness to gentility and refinement. Often emulating the aristocracy, the middle class still envied
the riches. Consequently, the social requirements of gentility and refinement were expressed in the new focus on the role of
children found in the art and literature of the day and the material accumulations-especially in the dolls.
History and Characteristics of the key manufacturers
From the earliest creation of papier mache dolls, the masse was pressed into a wooden mold. While the molds made the basic
shape of the doll, it was the skill of the “bossierer” or presser who created the unique doll. Thus two aspects of the doll making
process were standardized to allow mass production: one was the mold, the other was the papier mache.
The molds were originally wood. They were affected by the water in the masse and the pressure form the pressing of the
masse, and would not stand up to repeated moldings. Muller was the first to gain the right to make toys of papier-mache in
1805. Muller, is credited in the literature with using a sulphur based mold in 1818, that allowed more efficient production of the
heads.
The oldest recipe for papier mache dates to 1510 by the convent in Nurenburg. Papier mache can be made from strips of
layered and glued paper formed around a positive mold (think piñata) or from a “masse” composed of paper pulp, plant fibre,
glue, filler and additives which are pressed into negative molds.
Additives to the papier mache made each makers recipe unique. Additives included linseed oil varnish, powdered kiln brick,
whiting (chalk), finally ground sand, potters clay, pumice stone, resin and soot. The last four items produced common writing
slates. Names for papier mache were as varied as the recipes: stone pasteboard (slates), carton Pierre (used as early as 1540
for doll making according to Fournier in Histoire des Joets et Jeux d’Enfants), carton moule or carton pate.
Muller
According to Christiane Grafnitz, Muller, a skilled bossierer, probably designed most of the models of his doll heads himself. In
a newspaper article of the time, Muller was noted to have fifty-eight different doll heads in his shop. She goes on to describe
characteristics of the Muller heads as:
1. Round face
2. wide mouth
3. downward sloping breastplate
4. the addition of hemp weaving to the hair (distinguishes Grafnitz type A from type B doll)
5. bright points in the painted eyes
6. from the 1820s-1830s lady doll breastplates come to a more narrow point then other square cut breastplates
7. often there are deep grooves around the edges of the breastplate
8. grey or ochre colored laugh lines painted above and below the eye
9. big well, modeled ears
10. wide nose with no holes
An early head by Muller After his death, Muller's company was
carried on by his son-in-law as MS Superior
Muller had to get the rest of the doll parts, such as wigs and bodies, from other supplies because of the limits to his “right” as
bossierer and the laws protecting other guilds and craftsmen. Wigs were often made of silk and hair in addition to the papier
mache modeling. Leather or cloth bodies came from individual home production as well as the C. F. Kopp and I. E. Selzen
factories. The cloth may be jointed (gangelkorper) or there may be leather or wood arms and legs.
Voit
Voit, in 1806, was the second German manufacturer to be granted the privilege to produce and sell papier mache goods
including dolls..
Voit used wax models to make his dolls heads. These heads can be found in Heimatmuseum in Hildburghausen. There are
three types of heads. The Kinderkopf or child’s head, the closed mouth Pauline or classic so-called French papier-mache head
and the open mouthed Pauline type head. Characteristics of these dolls include:
1. round faces
2. black painted circle over which the wig was attached
3. often brush marks at the temples
4. unique ear modeling
5. nostrils
6. closed mouths from the 1820-1830s or open mouths with bamboo teeth after 1840
7. brown fixed glass eyes or blue painted eyes
8. occasionally flirting eyes (a Voit speciality)
9. smooth round heads with front curl section often made of silk, mohair or hemp, later woven hairstyles of real hair.
10. Early doll heads often had modeled hair with short windblown type curls. These tend to be the Kinderkopf heads It
should be noted that while Voit made Kinderkopf heads, others also made child’s heads.
11. bodies of the dolls for the French market were of leather or cloth with molded papier mache lower arms and lower legs or
were the pink or white leather. Dolls from Germany may have the bodies found above on the Mueller dolls.
Samples of heads attributed to Voigt
Kestner
Kestner bagan making papier mache ladies and boys doll heads in 1815 “from his own production as he did not have the right
to make papier mache goods. He also produced his own leather doll bodies, some with papier mache arms. ”. This conflict with
the guilds was resolved in 1822 when there is documentation that he was granted the right to make papier mache items “out of
natural fibres stray, moss, hay, thistles, bark etc-fully lacking in rags and paper”
Samples of papier mache heads attributed to Kestner
Kestner’s dolls were simply modeled but not marked. Bodies were of leather, sometimes with wooden arms and legs.
Dating Dolls
There is much confusion over terminology for dolls. Many of these early dolls are referred to as milliner’s models. John Darcy
Noble suggests that the dolls could never have been used for the purpose of a dressmaker’s model for several reasons:
1. they were too small to use as patterns
2. the clothes were not in fact effectively removable for making patterns
3. the dolls themselves are difficult to dress and undress due to the stiff bodies and odd hairstyles
4. there is no record of these dolls being used for this purpose.
Noble suggests the term Biedermeier, referring to the time of the dolls manufacture in the early 1800s. He contrasts this use of
the term with the misnomer of Biedermeier china referring to a bald doll with wig made significantly after the Biedermeier period
of style in the early 1800s. This site will use the term Biedermeier papier mache in referring to these early dolls.
Grafnitz also uses the term Biedermeier to place the dolls in time perspective. She suggests papier mache dolls can be
grouped by their clothes and hairstyles into 3 major periods:
1. From the Empire to the early Biedermeier Period 1800-1820
2. The Biedermeier Period 1820-1836
3. The late Biedermeier and Crinoline Period 1836-1860
These three periods describe the German production of papier mache dolls. I would add the fourth period or American papier
mache doll as the Greiner Period 1850-1880.
Empire to early Biedermeier Period 1800-1820
The simple dress of the Empire period was imported from England. It fit well with the new liberal way of thinking, freeing one of
the crinolines, corsets and laced bodices seen on the English wooden dolls of the 1700s. The reemergence of Greek and
Roman themes influenced dress and hairstyle as well. Dress was simple light colored chemise of muslin or calico with a stole
for warmth. Shoes were flat heeled or sandals. By 1805 warmer materials such as taffeta, silk or velvet were used. Lace was
added at necklines and hemlines. Hats were turbans with feathers, flat straw or tulle caps. Replacing the Rococo period’s
plaits and powdered wigs, were short curly hairstyles with curls combed forward on the face (called Titus). The Greek hairstyle
of braid wound at the top of the head with curls painted to the side was also popular.
Titus hairstyle Coiled braid and comb
By 1814, after the Congress of Vienna redrew Europe, style was redrawn as well. The dresses raised the neckline but retained
the high waist. Sleeve were puffed and often laced into sections.
Hair was worn with a middle part, the high braid and a comb. Side curls were still common. Hair on the dolls was generally
painted brown. Bonnets were taller with wider brims and more decoration to accommodate the new hairstyles. The classic
Poke bonnet remained a fashion statement for two decades.
Classic Poke Bonnet
Biedermeier Period 1820-1836
Fashion of this time gradually changed to lowered waistlines, wide sleeves such as leg-o-mutton sleeves, ruffled collars or wide
collars covering the upper arms. As the waistline descended, the corset reappeared. Skirts were gathered at the natural
waistline and supported with petticoats or crinolines. Pantaloons were worn and often showed beneath little girls dresses.
The hairstyle changed dramatically. Now large bundles of side curls and braided knots were seen. This is the time of the
classic Apollo Knot hairstyle. Papier mache doll hair color was generally black.
Late Biedermeier and Crinoline Period 1836-1850
Sleeves noticeable changed as the large supports to the wide sleeves were removed for comfort sake. Sleeves were sectioned
with lacing or over lays. In the 1840s Pagoda sleeves became popular with a lace undersleeve. The waistline became pointed
instead of horizontal. Hems were no longer lace edged but had additional flounces. At least one of the petticoats was a
crinoline supported with horse hair. In 1850 the crinolines were replaced by the much lighter hoop skirt. Fabric was silk,
brocade or cotton.
Hair was much simpler, often with a middle or V part. Hair came around the ears, either simply or in a braid, as Queen Victoria
wore, to join a braided bun now located to the back of the head. By 1850s the braided bun was replaced with a simple
chignon. While ladies wore the bun, children were depicted with the long curls hanging to their shoulders.
Queen Victoria hairstyle on papier mache and china dolls of the time
American Papier Mache of Greiner 1850-1880
Ludwig Greiner emigrated to America in the mid 1800s. Coming from a family of doll makers, it is reasonable that he brought his
skills to the New World and participated in the establishment a new industry of doll making. America had a burgeoning middle
class but wars in Europe, and soon the United States, interrupted transport of goods overseas. America was ripe for the
production of dolls. Bringing the papier mache knowledge from Europe, Greiner received a patent in 1857 for the first American
papier mache doll.
The patent was extended in 1873 with a new Greiner doll. In contrast to the earlier doll, this later doll often had blonde hair.
Fashion mirrored the fashions of America at the time. Gathered waists with puffed or wide short sleeves and low necklines
were the order of the day. Hairstyles were simple shoulder length curls or later updos.
Greiner 1858 Greiner 1873
Note: The term Biedermeier was coined by Ludwig Wichrodt in the 1850s when he created the character Gottlieb Biedermeier
in Fliegende Blatter in 1855. Biedermeier was searching back to the “good old days” of 1820 to 1848.
Courtesy Theriaults
Courtesy Theriaults
