Image Courtesy of Theriaults.com
I used to think that there isn't any doll on the planet I wouldn't like. That is generally true except I did run across a few lithograph Babyland Rag Dolls whose outfits I loved, but I wasn't totally crazy with their faces.
Now you might think I'm saying I don't like the Babyland Rag Dolls. That would be incorrect. I'm just not keen on the Babyland Rag Dolls with lithograph faces, but love the Babyland Rag Dolls with painted faces like the AMERICAN CLOTH DOLL BY BABYLAND RAG c. 1890, shown in the picture above, from Theriaults.com. She is just darling
According to their description: 15" All-cloth doll with flat-dimensional face, painted facial features, large brown upper-glancing eyes, thick brown upper eyeliner, red eyeliner accents, one-stroke brows, outlined nose, painted closed mouth, blushed cheeks, blonde mohair wig, muslin stitch-jointed body, mitten hands..... Comments: Babyland Rag, circa 1890....
The Babyland Lady Doll c. 1912-1914, shown in the picture above, is part of The Strong National Museum of Play doll collection.
I just love her painted face and sweet outfit. She is just pain adorable. Wouldn't you agree?
Credits: Manufacturer E. I. Horsman & Co., Material cloth, Origin New York, NY, Object ID 79.9967
According to their description: With the development of chromolithography, in the late 1800s, doll makers appropriated the technology to create life-like faces for their dolls. Albert Bruckner, a lithographer by trade, made a cloth mask with a lithographed face to apply to doll heads. A number of his dolls sold through E. I. Horsman as part of its Babyland Rag Doll series.
The doll in the picture below is an example of a Babyland Rag Doll with a lithograph face.
The Automobile Girl /Babyland Rag Doll c. 1907-1916, shown in the picture above, is part of The Strong National Museum of Play doll collection. She has a lithograph face.
Credits: Manufacturer E. I. Horsman Co., Material cloth. Origin New York, NY., Style rag, Object ID 73.1725
I absolutely love her bonnet, coat, and outfit, but don't really like her face.
Image Courtesy of Theriaults
The AMERICAN CLOTH LAUGHING CHILD BY BABYLAND RAG IN ORIGINAL COSTUME c. 1912, shown in the picture above, is from Theriaults.com. She also has a lithographed face.
According to their description: 15" Silk screen lithographed face depicting a laughing child is stitch attached to a muslin head form, with muslin torso, and stitch-jointed muslin arms and legs, mitten hands with defined thumbs, blonde mohair curls framing the face......Comments: Babyland Rag Series by Horsman, circa 1912......
Once again, I absolutely love her outfit. Not the face.
If you'd like to see an amazing amount of pictures of beautiful 19th century dolls Theriaults has a wonderful "The Backler Collection" October 2014 Theriaults issue on Issuu.com. There are some wonderful pictures of Babyland Rag Dolls on Page 153, Page 154, and Page 173. The Babyland Lithograph Rag Dolls can be seen on Page 66, Page 67, Page 71, Page 82, Page 83, Page 88, and Page 113.
The cropped image above is a picture of the ad for "Babyland Rag Dolls" in The Pittsburgh Press. Thursday Evening, December 2, 1902. You can see the whole page here.
What's interesting is that the ad is for "Babyland Rag Dolls - Neatly dressed with painted life-like faces - practically indestructible. Dresses are made to put on and take off." The price of the dolls was from 50 cents to $2.98. I dare say if a relative of yours bought several of these dolls back then and passed them down through the family your family members would be very happy with their value now - indeed!
Image Courtesy of Theriaults.com
The adorable AMERICAN CLOTH BOY WITH PAINTED FEATURES BY BABYLAND RAG, shown in the picture above, is also from Theriaults.com.
According to their description: 14" All-cloth doll with flat-dimensional sewn-on face, painted facial features, shaded blue eyes, blushed cheeks, closed mouth, blonde mohair crown ruff of curls, -jointing at shoulders and hips.....Comments: Babyland Rag, circa 1910,from the early hand-painted series.....
He is totally irresistible. Wouldn't you agree?
Image Courtesy of Theriaults.com
The AMERICAN BROWN-COMPLEXIONED CLOTH DOLL BY BABYLAND RAG c. 1890, shown in the picture above, from Theriaults.com.
According to their description: 14" Flat-dimensional brown muslin cloth doll with hand-painted facial features, brown eyes, outlined eye sockets, brows, nose and mouth, red lips, blushed cheeks, fleecy black hair, brown cotton stitch-jointed body...... Comments: Babyland Rag, circa 1890....
How beautiful is she? Just darling as far as I'm concerned.
Image Courtesy of Theriaults.com
The PAIR,AMERICAN CLOTH BROWN-EYED AND BLUE-EYED SISTERS BY BABYLAND RAG Dolls c. 1890, shown in the picture above, are also from the Theriault.com website.
According to their description: 21" Each has cloth face stitched onto firmly stuffed muslin head form, with hand-painted facial features, outlined eyes, outlined nose, closed mouth with coral-shaded lips, attached mohair wig, muslin stitch-jointed body, antique costumes may be original....Comments: Babyland Rag, circa 1890....
Baby dolls couldn't get much cuter than these two. Wouldn't you agree?
Image Courtesy of Theriaults.com
The totally charming AMERICAN CLOTH DOLL "LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD" BY BABYLAND RAG c. 1905, shown in the picture above, is from Theriaults.com.
According to their description: 15" Having sateen face with printed/hand-painted facial features that is stitch attached to muslin head form, brunette braids at side seams of head, muslin body with stitch-jointed arms and legs, mitten hands with separate fingers....Comments: Babyland Rag, circa 1905,the doll was marketed in their line as "Little Red Riding Hood"....
I would love to have a Little Red Riding Hood doll like this. Wouldn't you?
Dixie Redmond uploaded an original Babyland Rag Doll Horsman catalog, which she had purchased on Ebay, to one of her Picassa albums. If you were like to view it please click here. Dixie is an amazing artist and folk art doll maker. She is also the writer of the Izannah Walker Chronicles, MAIDA Today, and the leader of the MAIDA Dolls Group. Her website is Northdixie Designs.
She also created a Babyland Rag Doll Body pattern for the members of the MAIDA Dolls Group and challenged them to "A Babyland Rag Spring Fling." According to Dixie: The only constraints were to create something spring inspired and in the smaller sized doll in the pattern. (The pattern comes in a small size around 14" and a large size around 32".) If you'd like to see pictures of their creations please click here. The complete album is here.
Dixie Redmond owns a beautiful Babyland Rag Doll. Pictures of her doll are here.
Image Courtesy of Judi Ward
If you love the Babyland Rag dolls and would like to make one of your own Judi Ward has an adorable Reproduction Babyland Rag doll pattern.
The Babyland Rag ~ E-Pattern by Judi Ward, shown in the picture above, is from The Doll Net - Cloth Doll Market website. It is also available on Etsy here.
According to their description: A REPRODUCTION of Horsman's, Babyland Rag doll from about 1904..... The Babyland Rag pattern is very true to the real dolls construction and has an interesting head/face application, used by a number of "vintage" cloth doll makers in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Maybe one day I'll try to make a reproduction Babyland Rag doll like the one shown in the picture at the beginning of this post. While I love all the clothes of the lithograph faces they don't quite look right to me. I guess I just prefer the hand painted ones.
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