Circa 1930s 14-inch Norah Wellings Dudu #119 islander |
Norah Wellings began making dolls in 1919 as the chief doll designer for Chad Valley Dolls of England. She formed her own company in 1926 (Victoria Toy Works) where she continued making dolls along the style of Chad Valley dolls, made of cloth (velvet, velveteen, plush, and felt) with mask faces or molded faces underneath. Many of her dolls were sold as souvenirs for the tourist industry. Her dolls were also sold on cruise ships.
Close-up of 14-inch Norah Wellings Dudu #119 islander illustrates her expressive face and glass eyes, which seem to look through you. |
Handmade scarf (by me) to cover this doll's missing hair |
I have always wanted at least one additional Norah Wellings doll to upgrade the first one shown in the above photos. That opportunity presented itself with the eBay purchase of my most recent Norah Wellings doll. (Thanks again DS for sharing the link.)
14-inch Norah Wellings Nassau, Bahamas souvenir doll |
She has such a lovely face! |
The cloth tag on the right side of the neck reads "Nassau." |
Many Norah Wellings dolls found today no longer contain the cloth tag that identifies them as Wellings dolls. My doll's identifying tag remains intact on the bottom of her right foot. |
The tag sewn to the right side of her neck reads, "Nassau." Her right foot tag reads: Made in England by Norah Wellings. Her sewn-on gold dress, made of velvet, has two felt orange circles on the front of the skirt and two on the back of the skirt. Her short curly brown hair almost matches her complexion. This circa 1930s doll was probably sold as a souvenir doll in Nassau, Bahamas.
Both are delightfully lovely dolls. Their smiles make me smile. |
The Nassau souvenir doll and the Dudu #119 islander display well together. |
See more Wellings dolls here.
See a rare, 36-inch doll here.
Allwin and Chad Valley Dolls
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These dolls are so pretty, and in great shape. I wish that tourist sites still had dolls like these.
ReplyDeleteThank you, April!
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They are adorable!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much TGM!
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Those smiles! Those eyes! Each doll is cute on her own, but even cuter (and clearly happier!) with a best friend.
ReplyDeleteYes, those smiles, those, eyes: Norah Wellings was truly a gifted artist. Best friends have a way of making you happy, don't they, Gini?
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Aren't they gorgeous. At first I thought maybe your first doll was a Joséphine Baker portrait doll, especially as it came from the early 30s & especially with her eyes and smile. :)
ReplyDeleteThey really are gorgeous, Julius! Thank you! Wellings was ahead of her time. Her dolls were so very realistic looking compared to most dolls made then.
DeleteThere are felt Josephine Baker dolls that depict her in the banana skirt. I'm not sure if Wellings made made one that represents Baker, however.
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Oh wow!! I didn't know there were official Joséphine dolls! When I was at school I made a Joséphine Baker rag doll for art class...long lost to time unfortunately as the Lynn Whitfield mini series based on her life had been released. So I was slightly obsessed by JB! I'll have to google her dolls!
DeleteLenci made one during the 1930s. Several other companies made their versions. The Lenci one looks like a child with boobs, but it's the most popular and usually sells for mega bucks. There is a photo of Josephine Baker in her dressing room with the doll in the background at the link:
DeleteJosephine Baker with doll in backgroun
Here is the actual Lenci doll.
Your dolls are so sweet. That woman was incredibly talented to be able to not only create smiling faces that look so good but to do it in velveteen!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your pictures and those you linked to. This was very interesting.