Early 20” Rag Doll, Vermont Origin
When it comes to collecting rag dolls, most collectors put a premium on the doll’s features and expression. Some are partial to colorful oil-painted faces; others look for sweet expressions; some limit their collecting to dolls with embroidered features; others prefer a more primitive look as with ink-drawn or graphite faces; and so it goes.
I chose this particular doll because her expression is so real. As the photos show, her features are embroidered, and there is something about the eyes that makes me think she’s looking straight at me. And I like that. I also like the early form: wide hips, large side-pointing feet, and individually stitched fingers.
Hard stuffed with rags, she wears lace-trimmed bloomers that appear to be original and a tartan plaid dress that, while early, wasn’t made especially for her. She’s in very good condition for her age despite a tattered right hand and some staining above her left eye. She comes from a private collection and dates from the late 1880s to early 1900s. For anyone serious about interesting rags, this serious looking old girl may be for you.
SOLD