Hidden Treasures

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Pleasant Surprises These are charming dolls meant to hide gifts and special surprises. They are similar to the surprise intent of Faberge Eggs. The hiding place is opened and then some special, very welcomed item or scene is discovered. Russian nesting dolls are a common form of Hidden Surprise Dolls. Does anyone have any other examples of wooden Hidden Surprise Dolls to share? Please contact me if you do.

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Dark Secrets These are unusual dolls where a void is located in a hard to get to place and /or with a complex or difficult method used to open it up. They are clearly meant to hide something very secretively. What was the cargo they were made to hide - contraband, secret papers, or valuables? Since there were no federal banks with vaults to safeguard family treasures, antique furniture makers often made complex secret compartments that were disguised in very ingenious ways. These well hidden compartments were meant to provide safe hiding places for valuables - spices, money, jewels, etc. Were some of these dolls used in a similar way - as mobile safes?

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Satirical French Court Doll with an Empty Head One of Marie Antoinette and Princess Lamballe's "court dolls" portrayed a young pageboy with a very vacant expression on his face. In addition to his simpleton appearance, he had a massive empty cavity in his head. His head could be opened up to retrieve or view the contents. John Darcy Noble suggested that a cabbage might have been hidden in the void to reinforce the intended insult.  But if John's hypothesis is correct that these dolls served as "lap puppets" to communicate impolite suggestions between court members and between classes, then the void could have been used as a safe. Again the doll would be a silly, and cruel joke - using a dumb looking pageboy as an intermediary to deliver messages, gifts and secret letters.  These were cruel and frivolous times reflected in some very unusual wooden dolls. More about Satirical French Court Dolls

Naughty Secrets
I'm not going to dwell on this type of doll. I am only going to site VERY FEW, notable examples just to let you know that this kind of doll has been made.
 

photo coming  Photo thanks to  Rosalie Whyel Museum of Doll Art

Satirical French Court Dolls Marie Antoinette had many wood dolls that were perhaps used as lap puppets. Doll Reader highlighted these naughty dolls in a January 1996 article in which John Darcy Noble explored this possible purpose for these dolls. John's hypothesis is that these dolls served as "lap puppets" to communicate impolite suggestions between court members. John also believes that they also served as intermediaries between social classes who were forbidden by French court society to talk to each other much less do what these dolls communicated to each other! They were well carved one-of-a-kind wooden dolls that were very unflattering, caricatures of court members and often very sexually confused. They hid the secrets about this confusion under their clothes - women dolls with male parts or both male and female attributes, multiple male parts and even more unusual surprises. These were obviously NOT created to be "fashion dolls" - simply to showcase the court fashions. But they were richly dressed and fit for a queen (with odd taste). No details were left out of the costumes of these clever court dolls. As a result, they provide a very detailed, accurate account of actual court dress during the time of Marie Antoinette.

Japanese Anatomically Correct Dolls and Puppets

Since many of the Japanese puppets were used for fertility and fruitful harvest rituals, it should not be surprising that there are many examples of Japanese puppets with anatomical details. Some have grossly exaggerated details!

Not all of these puppets are used as parts of serious rituals. For example: as a male puppet walks out onto the stage during an intermission in a very serious Japanese puppet performance, the locals know what is coming. Young brides sitting up front know what is coming. After cracking a few lewd jokes, this jester opens his coat to bare himself to the crowd! Through this grossly large wooden part he sprays the crowd with water! Old Japanese superstition says that those wet young brides will now be able to bare young. But most of the crowd aren't interested in superstition and are just there to enjoy the comedy.

For more information about the ritualistic uses of Japanese puppets see the following book  (available via the Lotz/Amazon Bookstore): PUPPETS OF NOSTALGIA - Jane-Marie Law / Hardcover

Japanese Naughty Dolls

Many Japanese dolls have detailed anatomical details but they have NOT been created with these details for any lewd purpose. This is just an part of the overall human form represented and treated artistically. But some Japanese dolls are explicit, and meant to be naughty. On the outside, they appear to be wonderful fashion dolls, but under the clothing is a surprise - VERY detailed or sometimes VERY exaggerated anatomical details. Ukiyo Ningyo represented woman and young men of the pleasure quarters. These dolls were produced in great numbers during the Genoku Era (1688-1703) as dolls for adults.

Kitchen Dolls
These are unusual dolls where a cabinet hides under the skirt. A miniature kitchen scene is displayed as you open the cabinet doors. Please contact me if you know someone willing to share a photo of a wooden-headed kitchen doll.

Unlikely Wooden Multi-head types
Topsey-turvey
Topsey-turvey is a traditionally cloth doll with two totally different heads on each end of the doll. A long gown hides the opposite head. When the doll is flipped "topsey-turvey", the other character is revealed. Although it is possible that an antique wooden-headed version might be found since wood is strong enough to withstand active play - I doubt it since this is such a "traditional rag doll". But I am still looking for examples of antique, wooden-headed, "topsey-turvey" dolls. Please contact me if you know of any wooden-head examples.

Exchangeable Heads
I haven't seen any exchangeable wooden-headed dolls. These are primarily seen in and salesman's samples and boxed sets of fine bisque dolls. Please contact me if you know of any wooden-head examples.

Multiple Faces
Dolls with removable masks or rotating heads with multiple faces. Please contact me if you know of any other examples of multi-faced, wooden-head dolls.

Three faces on a Modern African Akua'ba (Artist Doll)

When I started looking for multiple heads/faces on wooden dolls, I really didn't expect to find many 2 faced dolls. This one was a complete surprise.

Akua'ba dolls are very traditional Ashanti figures with a cross shaped, simplistic body and a massive flattened disk for the head. Some modern African artists are exploring their creativity by greatly extending the basic design elements in these dolls. There is an illustration of an Akua'ba doll (Ashanti Fertility Doll) with 3 somewhat realistic faces on page 55 in the companion book to the UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History's exhibit of African Figures (1996) by the same name (available via the Lotz/Amazon Bookstore): Isn't S/He a Doll : Play and Ritual in African Sculpture by Elisabeth Lynn Cameron, Doran H. Ross. I would love to post some photos from this exhibit - please wish me a lot of luck here!

Two Faced Googly

Pat Robinson (NIADA) started her doll career by carving wood dolls. The "tearful" side of her "Getsya", a two faced Googly doll, is shown in the book "The American Doll Artist Volume II" by Helen Bullard. This is an exceptionally rare type of wooden doll - not only is it two-faced, but also a rare big-eyed "googly" wooden doll.

Asian Two-faced Dolls and Puppets

Some Asian puppets have multiple heads and faces - simply a stage trick to quickly transform one character into another. But some use this technique because they are attempting to express an important duality inherent in the characters they represent - one being that can take on multiple forms or multiple, contrasting personalities. This duality can most effectively be portrayed in a single puppet with 2 heads which can quickly transform while still on stage. Purely mechanical dolls and puppets can't compare with digital images being morphed before your eyes using modern special effects, but this type of morphing is what these dolls and puppets attempt to convey.
 

Indian 2 Faced  Puppet photos thanks to private collector

Two Faced Puppets from India The heads are positioned back to back and each head represents a contrasting personality. Very commonly they represent a male and a female. The owner of this puppet states: Unusual hand-carved doll with male head and hand holding sword on one side; female head and hand holding pot lid (as it was described to me) on the other.  Measures almost 3' long and has a long cord for hanging. Made in India and given as a gift approx. 15+ years ago (1984 or later). I have seen photos of two other examples of Indian two-faced puppets - one puppet seemed old and the other was fairly new.  Both puppets had a fancy head-dress on top of each head that looked like a crown (a separate crown for each head).  The entire puppet is turned around during a performance to change characters.

Japanese Multiple Face Puppets

Two multi-face puppet heads are shown in the book "Puppets of Nostalgia" by Jane Marie Law (available via the Lotz/Amazon Bookstore). A fox appears when a string is pulled on the specially crafted, female puppet head. The second puppet represents a demon and works the same way.

These puppets are carved from paulownia wood. The fox face is a leather mask sewn into the back of the head into the wig.

Sometimes a peg wooden doll's arms or legs are locked together by the jointing system, so if one arm is moved the other will move. An advanced form of peg joints is where the body pegs are "split" and attached separately allowing independent movement.

See more peg wooden dolls on the Lotz "Wood Dolls of Europe" Web Page.

Penny Wooden Dolls
These are little non-sculpted wood dolls that were available world wide for a penny or less. They are charming and loved by many collectors. These are the simplest form of peg-wooden dolls. As seen by the doll house dolls below, even the simplest dolls can become special or extraordinary with fantastic costuming.
 

Look at the wonderful costume on this little maid  Notes and photographs are by Bill Fifer from his trip to Germany

penny wooden dolls in a1830 kitchen  there is a very nice museum with a lot of kitchens in the old mediaeval walled city of Rothenberg on the Tauber  The kitchen above was dated 1830. The kitchen was occupied by a very cute penny wooden maid and cook. The dolls were not dated, but they are typical of dolls made in the second half of the 19th C and early 20th C., so they were probably not as old as the kitchen.

5 1/2" Early German  wooden  "Fatschenkinder"  Photograph courtesy of Theriault's Annapolis, MD

Poupards are a very old form of simple "folk doll". Traditionally these are non-jointed shapes painted to represent a baby in swaddling clothes. Wooden poupards are typically turned on a lathe and the back side might be flattened so the doll would not roll away and lay face up. The head may have carved or simply painted features.  According to the Coleman's "The Collector's Encyclopedia of Dolls - Vol 2:  "Poupard" is the French name for "swaddling clothed dolls". In the 20th century the term was expanded to include dolls with legs and leading strings and to have been synonymous with "Bebe Culotte." (due to the increased interest of SFBJ to revive this old type of doll - or to label a cheaper line of dolls - SFBJ poupards were not wood dolls) A well carved poupard can be used in a crèche to represent the baby Jesus laying in a manger. If early poupard dolls represented baby Jesus, then this could explain why such a simple doll was so very popular for so long and in so many different parts of the world.

When researching antique poupards for this article, I found many later examples of wooden poupard dolls were crudely made. Most had a minimum of carved details and instead relied heavily on the decorative painting. But I found some stunning early examples of these carved baby dolls which were delicately carved and fabulously finished. These finer examples could rival any cherub or crib figure's delicate smile.

Poupards were first made from wood but later they were made from a variety of cheaper materials like composition and papier-mâché. The quality of these popular dolls declined rapidly as attempts were made to mass-produce them, and as a result, their great popularity died.

Spoon, Paddle, or Clothes Pin Dolls

These are the simplest wooden dolls where a wooden household utensil is converted with a bit of paint and cloth into a doll.

But even some of the most simple dolls can be made into something very special with fabulous costuming.

These dolls can be made even more special by who made them and for whom. For example of some personally special dolls are those made late in my Mom's life. Mom, who was British, made some clothes pin dolls for her friends and family. They represented musicians dressed in British-style uniforms. One represented my nephew dressed in his USM (University of Southern Mississippi) band uniform holding his French horn as a gift for Stuart.

Minimally Shaped Heads

photo thanks to Susie Simon

Tiny Doll House Doll This tiny doll's head looks like it was made from a small wooden pear available at craft stores. Her facial features are not carved but are well painted. She is cute.

Lathe Turned, Wood Balls or Egg Head Dolls
 

Lathe Turned Chinese Nodders similar to Japanese Kokeshi The heads are mounted on springs photo thanks to the Funk Collection

Lathe turned Japanese Dolls Dento (traditional) Kokeshi L to R: Narugo, Narugo, Tsugaru Strains photo thanks to the Funk Collection

Schoenhut Pinn Family Photo thanks to Doll Express

Well Dressed Russian Egg Head Folk Doll  Photograph courtesy of Theriault's Annapolis, MD see more about Antique Russian Egg Heads

Joli doll from Poland photo by Jean Lotz see more about Joli Dolls

Scarey Ann showing lever to activate movement photo thanks to Chuck Daniels

Scarey Ann was a lathe turned toy/doll/automata made by Dr. Chinn and the Poppy Doll Company in the 1920's in Atascadero, California. They were typically about 5" tall. These toys/dolls/automata were made of California redwood painted in enamel. A lever in their back controlled their moveable parts. more information about the Poppy Doll Company

Wood Ball Heads

Craft sales around the country have people selling wood ball head dolls of varying quality. The charm of these dolls is not in the fact that they are well crafted out of wood but for the embelishments added to make simple wood ball heads something special.

The most famous of the "wood ball head type" dolls are made by "Lizzie High". The Lizzie High dolls are characterized by two small dots for eyes, cleaver costumes and accessories. They would fit into any country themed decor.

Shoulder-heads From America

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Colonial American Shoulder-heads Colonial America is represented by 3 fine Early American Hand-Carved Wooden Shoulder-heads with classic "egg shaped" heads and lovely carved hair. They are presumed to have been made in Maine circa 1810! The area under the shoulder plate shows the gouge marks were the excess wood was neatly removed. (Antique Doll World Nov/Dec 1995 Vol3 #3)

Shoulder Head  photo thanks to Julie Mills

Very Unique, Hand Carved Shoulder Head Julie Mills describes her doll in the following statements:  "My doll has nicely carved lips, nose and eyes although her nose is a bit wide and there is an indentation between the upper lip and nose. The sides of the shoulder plate are not completely painted (her under shirt sewn onto body covers it.) The wood is fine grained and somewhat lighter than the tip of the broken finger or some areas of external wear.  The clothing is hand sewn dated 1860's - 1870's. Body has early style machine stitching. Body fabric is yellowed white cotton with some wear holes. Under microscopic examination of the cloth, the body stitching shows some hand sewing thread (not twisted). The paint shows wear on the hands, part of her hair, and the side of her face.  Documented to acquisition by a guy who was into primitives and duck decoys in the early 1960's at an estate sale.  I have a bit more information about her after taking her to doll club. The verdict was 1860 or 1870 from body construction, etc. A few of the club members are dealers or judges but we are not at all sure of where she was made - commercial, etc."

This is a very unique, hand carved shoulder head. She seems to be quite old. The wear that can be seen in the photo does not look like the applied "antiqued wear" that you would find on fakes. This doll looks very genuine from the collector's photos. The date of the clothes and the style of her hair can be a good indication of her age (mid 1800's is a good guess).

She has been sculpted by someone who had great skill. This is an early artist doll. It is a shame that the doll was not signed but many early craftsmen didn't sign all of their work.  Unfortunately her eye has been damaged and worn. She would have been stunningly beautiful when she was first created.

Carved shoulder-heads were very popular in New England from colonial times where ship masthead carvers may have carved a few shoulder-heads as a side-line to their primary carving business. These dolls usually have the very round voluptuousness of ship mastheads.

Early dolls of this type would have had the body cavity manually carved out with sharp gouges and thus gouge marks would be still visible on the underside of the shoulder plate if removed from the body. While later dolls could have had this area cut away with a band saw and thus jagged saw lines would be visible underneath.
 

photo thanks to "Puppen Museum" Hanau, Germany

American Shoulder-head circa 1845 Bill Fifer saw this doll in the "Puppen Museum" during a trip to Germany. Bill described this doll as, 'A large (18"?) wooden doll that they identified as being an American wooden doll dating from 1845. There was no other identifying information. A very interesting doll.'  It looks like a shoulder-head, which has been recently re-painted.

Swiss Shoulder-heads

use of photo permitted by Doll Reader

Doll Reader 2/95 article shows 3 portrait doll shoulder-heads created by the Swiss firm of Peter Huggler - possibly carved by Adolf Thomann.  "These 3 dolls inspired me to create my wood dolls with such unique personality!"  Jean Lotz

Alpine Shoulder-heads from Grodner Tal

Early Delicate Shoulder-heads

Extremely fine earlier heads were delicately carved in the style of c1800-1820 peg-wooden dolls with elongated faces, elaborate hair-dos with dangling earrings. These were sold via the Swiss and Nuremberg toy markets. These very early shoulder-heads are illustrated in a page from a Swiss catalog from the firm of Franz Carl Weber, Zurich (illustration #1720) in the Coleman's first "Collector's Encyclopedia of Dolls". Molds to create later, German, mass-produced, papier-mâché heads were often made from wooden originals.
 
 

Nicely Carved Wooden Betty photo thanks to Walt Weyer

"Wooden Betty" Doll Heads 3" - 4" 'Wooden Betty' doll heads were produced in the Grodner Tal region at the same time as their famous inexpensive Penny and Peg wooden dolls. These were low end, inexpensive items. These were mass-produced from 1880 - 1940 and are usually attached to coarse cloth bodies (see "The Ultimate Doll Book" by Caroline Goodfellow).  Wooden Betty heads were chunky and quickly carved. Early examples had much more carved details. Like all other Grodner Tal dolls, the quality of these quickly deteriorated into extremely simple blocky shapes that were minimally carved and quickly painted.  photo of the back of the Wooden Betty

Even this nicely carved example (illustrated above) has an obvious carving faux pas. Look just under her jaw where it meets her hair line and you will see a triangle of wood that should NOT be there. A more careful carver would have removed this distracting piece of wood from both sides of her face.

I have seen photos of a "not too special wooden Betty head" sitting on a too fine, and slightly out of scale leather body. To me this seemed as if someone had attempted to make a finer doll out of this head than for what Wooden Betty heads were originally indended. As a nude, this doll didn't work well. Yet if she had been VERY finely dressed in appropriately old, perfectly fitting, original doll clothes, then she would have been special. Then it would have been more likely that this mis-fit body was her original body.

Antique Fakes? - from where?