![]() Cloth and RagĬloth and rag dolls are made in many different ways. The wax that is used in this process was usually bleached beeswax with colouring added to it. These dolls often have cracked faces because the two materials have expanded and contracted over time. The composition moulds were dipped into molten wax. Wax-over-composition was a technique that was used to add to the appearance of the doll heads and reduce manufacturing costs. Solid wax doll heads were carved out of blocks of wax or molten wax set in moulds. Eyes were then cut out from the mould and hair was inserted. Poured wax doll heads were made by pouring molten wax into moulds and pouring off the excess before it sets, leaving a shell of wax. Later these carvings became cruder and less individual as the dolls became more widely produced. They were later known as poupards and were said to represent babies.Įarly English wooden dolls were intricately carved and covered with a thin layer of plaster and varnish. They had no arms or legs and were carved out of a single piece of wood. There are still manufacturers of doll parts made in the traditional ways that supply the doll making craft.Įarly dolls were called stump or tocke dolls. Today, individual doll makers and artists use traditional techniques as well as using modern materials to create their dolls. Mass-produced dolls were cheaper and more efficient to produce, and only a few specialists continued to make hand-made dolls. Traditional materials used in doll making such as wood, china and cloth were replaced by plastics and man-made fibres. The formulas they created were often closely guarded secrets. Doll manufacturers were continually trying to find ways to produce cheaper, lighter, more hygienic and more hardwearing materials. Rag, paper, wool and other household materials were used for making dolls in the home.Īdvances in manufacturing techniques in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries enabled the doll industry to use new materials and processes. These doll parts were often quite expensive to produce, so only the wealthy could afford these professionally made dolls. Most early dolls were made of wood, but by the eighteenth century, wax, china and bisque were commonly used for dolls’ heads and limbs, in combination with cloth bodies. Dolls are among the earliest known toys, and have been made from a variety of materials. ![]()
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