Antique China Head Dolls 1836-1940s
![China Head Antique Dolls 1 1892 China head doll low brow Hertwig Bertha](https://www.dollreference.com/wp-content/uploads/china-head-1895-hertwig-pet-name-bertha-shoulder-head-doll.jpg)
Antique porcelain China head dolls were made mostly by German companies from 1836 to the 1940s, dolls are usually found on wood, cloth or kid leather bodies, some dolls have partial China or porcelain limbs. Most China dolls have molded, painted hair, some dolls have a wig over a solid bald porcelain dome head. The most common China head doll is the Low Brow hairstyle. Black hair, blue eyes are most common, yes many blondes were made too and some very rare brown eyed dolls can be found. Unglazed porcelain China dolls are referred to as Parian dolls.
China head dolls range in size from a tiny 3 inches to a big and heavy 40 inches tall. China head dolls are usually unmarked, some dolls may have a mold number or doll makers mark on the back of the neck or on the shoulder plate, thus it can be impossible to pinpoint the doll maker. So China head dolls are identified by the type of hairstyle they have. Over the long history of China head doll making, as hairstyles changed, dolls changed too, which gives us a clue to date them.
So how well do you know your Hairstyles?
(click the images to enlarge to see full sized details on this page)
related; China head dolls, Antique dolls versus Reproduction dolls and how to tell the difference
Additional China Head dolls not shown; 1905s China head doll low brow hairstyle with a jeweled neckline, 1920-1930s China head doll Low brow hairstyle, 1920s made in Japan China dolls, 1940s China head dolls.
The Meissen KPM factories are the oldest and most desirable of China head dolls. The Thüringia area in Germany had many other small porcelain factories that produced China head dolls as well. During and after World War I, China dolls were also made in Japan.
related; China Head Dolls, Antique dolls versus Reproduction dolls and how to tell the difference
The China head doll page was made possible by China doll expert, author and collector Kathy Turner.