Dolls From Germany Part 1

Four dolls from Germany

In November 2023, I won a group of four dolls from Germany offered in an online auction. These dolls all use head sculpts designated for black dolls. That is one reason the auction interested me. The two Koenig & Wernicke (K&W) dolls were the main reason I was determined to win the auction. I had desired a K&W doll for quite some time, probably since seeing the two featured on the cover of Myla Perkins' first book.

 It took the dolls several weeks to clear U.S. Customs before they arrived on my doorstep in early December 2023. Their condition upon arrival is illustrated in the above picture. Three of the four needed tender loving care with one of the three needing much more care than the others. The smallest doll was in great condition. 

5-inch Celluloid Baby

The smallest doll in this lot is a 5-inch ca. 1920s-1930s heavy celluloid (feels like composition) doll.

The 5-inch baby shown above has jointed arms and legs. The neck is not jointed. A previous owner hand-knit the red-white-and-blue dress that it wears. Gold earrings are painted onto the earlobes. This baby doll has molded texturized black hair, brown painted eyes, and a closed mouth with painted-red lips. It is unmarked.

These three needed care. From left to right, they are ca. 1920s 18-inch Koenig & Wernicke  (K&W) 621/46 mold, ca. 1920s 14-inch K&W 134 mold, and a 17-inch unmarked hard plastic doll ca. 1940s-1950s.

17-inch Hard Plastic Doll

Dolls that use the striking facial mold of this 17-inch hard plastic doll are usually found originally dressed in Caribbean Island clothing as illustrated here.

I immediately removed the clothing worn by this doll--a too-modern Lissi Batz dress with a tied-on crocheted bodice and a pair of black vinyl lace-up shoes.

Next, I dampened this doll's hair and gingerly detangled it strand by matted strand. I had to be careful because the hair easily sheds. Using a soapy towel, I washed the doll's face and body, towel rinsed it, and allowed all surfaces to air dry. 

This 17-inch hard plastic doll cleaned up nicely.

I selected a period-appropriate-looking dress with a matching hat and tights for 18-inch dolls for the 17-inch doll to wear. In my shoe stash, a pair of faux suede black Mary Jane shoes designed to fit Ideal's 1950s Toni fit this doll perfectly. 

In the before and after combined photos, this doll appears happier in the after photo.

16-inch Koenig & Wernicke Doll

16-inch composition K&W #621/46 character doll

I unmatted the curls of this doll's short curly wig. A moistened Q-Tip was used to remove dirt from her flirty glass eyes. I spot-cleaned and air-dried her dress before finding panties, socks, and shoes for the doll to wear. This doll had minor paint rubs that I painted and sealed. These were so minor that I didn't photograph the process. She arrived wearing one original brass earring that I accidentally broke. So, I fashioned another pair of earrings for her. Her matted hair was the most difficult thing to tackle.

The wig has been detangled and mousse applied for sheen.

After applying mousse to the hair, I finger-combed it before placing a hairnet on the head to set the hair. (Her little sister stood behind her when the photo on the far left was taken. Little sis was waiting for the rest of her care, which will be outlined in a separate blog post.)

A hair ribbon and earrings were added. 

I removed the hairnet after the mousse dried. I added a hair ribbon and inserted earrings onto the original earring posts that remained in place. I made the new earrings using parts of other earrings. There is minor crazing on the face that I decided to leave as is because it doesn't appear it will progress as long as this doll is kept in a stable temperature environment. I also only retouch/repaint when absolutely necessary.

The shoes that I found kept falling off her feet. The following steps outlined in the next photos remedied this issue:

These shoes were too wide for the K & W 621 character doll.

I traced the shoes onto a white foam square and cut the tracing out inside the drawn lines.

These are the original foam cut-outs, but I had to redo the right cut-out because the heel area was too narrow.

The cut-out foam patterns of the traced shoes were inserted into the shoes to increase the depth of the soles and to prevent the shoes from falling off the doll's feet.

My 16-inch ca. 1920s Koenig & Wernicke doll wears her original red dress with off-white rick-rack trim, off-white tights, and black shoes. She has an off-white hairbow and earrings as accessories.

In her before and after combined photos, this character doll shows that she, too, cleans up remarkably well.

A separate blog post will follow that outlines the extensive treatment given to the smaller of the two K&W dolls. Please stay tuned.

©Black Doll Collecting/dbg

There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.

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