Bisque shoulder-head doll
Armand Marseille Dolls (fl.1885-1950s)
Category
Dolls
Date
Unknown
Materials
Bisque shoulder-head doll
Measurements
515 mm (height)
Place of origin
Germany
Order this imageCollection
Sudbury Hall Museum of Childhood, Derbyshire
NT 658858
Summary
A bisque shoulder head doll made by Armand Marseille. She has moulded and painted facial features with open and shut brown glass eyes and an open mouth with four teeth visible. She has a brown mohair wig in a short straight style with a fringe. Her body, upper arms and upper legs are of kid leather, with bisque forearms and hands and composition lower legs and feet. The composition is quite worn and dirty. She is jointed at the shoulders, hips and knees. She is wearing a pale green dress which has three pintucks round the full, knee-length skirt, a fitted bodice and flared cap sleeves, and fastens at the back with tiny hooks and stitched eyelets. It has a large collar whose front points are stitched to the dress along with a gold-coloured metal and blue plastic brooch. The collar and sleeve edges are decorated with very narrow black velvet ribbon. Underneath she has a plain cream linen petticoat which fastens at the back with tiny buttons and has narrow lace at the neck. Over her dress she has a cape made from brown wool, which has a scalloped edge, collar and mock pocket flaps. There are four buttonholes but only one pearly, domed button on a metal shank. On her feet she has brown leather shoes separately labelled D.43i, which have yellow soles (one size 5 and one size 6, impressed in the leather), silver-coloured metal buckles, and brown ribbon ties at the front of the ankle. Round her neck is a necklace of tiny pearl beads.
Marks and inscriptions
On the back of the shoulders: '370/ AMIDEP/ made in Germany'
Makers and roles
Armand Marseille Dolls (fl.1885-1950s), maker