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The Canvas of Dolls: The Painted eye

 

It was 1908 and the world of dolls was in an uproar. Because fresh on the doll scene was the new “art character” doll. It was the doll as art, the doll as a realistic portrait of a child, just like a canvas portrait. And, it had doll makers asking themselves, what canvas portrait ever had glass eyes? Almost overnight the world of dolls closed its eyes on glass eyes and set its sights on “the painted eye”.

Eyes were painted upper glancing, down- glancing, slightly askew, googly, or even winkish. Their color could be shaded or even multi-hued. The sockets could be flat, defined or even so deeply intaglio-cut they seemed intensely real. Whichever, the dolls had a character expression that was unachievable in their glass-eyed cousins.

Many of today’s most sophisticated collectors seek the painted eye characters, both for their characterization and for their rarity. The legendary collection of Madalaine Selfridge, to be auctioned by Theriault’s on Saturday, October 11, 2008 at the Ritz- Carlton Hotel in Half Moon Bay, California, offers wonderful choices in this genre, some so rare as to be virtually unknown, others a wonderful opportunity for the collector just entering this genre.

And what became of the painted eye movement? Sadly, the doll makers had miscalculated the desires of children who, after-all, preferred the “real” glass eyes. One by one, the painted eye models were abandoned or else modified for insertion of glass eyes*. By 1914, a mere six years later, the painted eye movement was all but over, leaving today’s collectors with only rare examples of these dolls as art.

For details about the auction click here, email info@theriaults, or call 800-638- 0422. To view all of the dolls in the auction,click here

Today's Popular Dolls

Large Armand Marseille 22" 1912 Germany Bisque Doll NR
Large Armand Marseille 22" 1912 Germany Bisque Doll NR
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Antique Vintage Native American Indian Felt Doll
Antique Vintage Native American Indian Felt Doll
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Old Celluloid Doll,  Great Condition
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Antique Doll 1925 Dream Baby
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16" Armand Marseille Dream Baby
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FRENCH BISQUE DOLL WITH MYSTERY MARKINGS
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BIG  BEAUTIFUL GERMAN BISQUE SOLID-DOME BABY BY KESTNER
BIG BEAUTIFUL GERMAN BISQUE SOLID-DOME BABY BY KESTNER
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17" ANTIQUE BISQUE HEAD GERMAN DOLL.ALL ORIGINAL. RARE
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Lrg 28in German AM Bisque Head Doll & Florodora Body
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Antique #171 Kestner Doll - 28 Inches - Germany
Antique #171 Kestner Doll - 28 Inches - Germany
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SWEET 15" SIMON HALBIG A 0 1039 Bisque WALKER GREAT!
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14" KESTNER POUTY Antique Fashion Doll So SAD c1885 WOW
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LENCI DOLL ( "NINI")
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LARGE HEINRICH HANDWERCK ANTIQUE GERMAN DOLL #109-28"
LARGE HEINRICH HANDWERCK ANTIQUE GERMAN DOLL #109-28"
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GOOD CONDITION OLD NORAH WELLINGS DOLL ALL ORIGINAL
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LOVELY SMALL ANTIQUE A.M341 DREAM BABY ALL ORIGINAL
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RARE ORIGINAL 12.5" LONG ANTIQUE FRENCH DOLLS PARASOL
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FINE ANTIQUE WAX DOLL IN WONDERFUL RED DRESS MONTINARI?
FINE ANTIQUE WAX DOLL IN WONDERFUL RED DRESS MONTINARI?
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VERY RARE TWO FACE ANTIQUE CHINA DOLL MULTIPLE FACES
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Antique all Bisque doll googly eyes
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A doll is an object that represents a baby or other human being, but includes likenesses of animals and imaginary creatures. Dolls have been around since the dawn of human civilization, and have been fashioned from a vast array of materials, ranging from stone, clay, wood, bone, cloth and paper, to porcelain, china, rubber and plastic.

 
While dolls have traditionally been toys for children, they are also collected by adults, for their nostalgic value, beauty, historical importance or financial value. In ancient times, dolls were used as representations of a deity, and played a central role in religious ceremonies and rituals. Lifelike or anatomically correct dolls are used by health professionals, medical schools and social workers to train doctors and nurses in various health procedures or investigate cases of sexual abuse of children. Artists sometimes use jointed wooden mannequins in drawing the human figure. Action figures representing superheroes and their predecessors, action dolls[1], are particularly popular among boys. Baby dolls, paper dolls, talking dolls, fashion dolls - the list is almost endless
 
 History

Archaeological evidence places dolls as foremost candidate for oldest known toy, having been found in Egyptian tombs which date to as early as 2000 BC. In Egypt, as well as Greece and Rome, it was common to find them in the graves of children. Most were made of wood, although pottery dolls were buried with children from wealthier families. Dolls with movable limbs and removable clothing date back to 200 BCE.
Europe later became the center of dollmaking. In the United States, dollmaking became an industry in the 1860s, after the Civil War. [2] The development of plastics after World War II led to the manufacture of new types of dolls and brought down their price.
Today, the Internet has introduced virtual dolls which can be designed, dressed up, and played with on web sites such as Stardoll, which has 17 million members.
Dolls have featured in modern art and fine art photography, notably in surrealist works.
 
Gender difference in the selection of dolls
Within western society, a gender difference in the selection of toys has been observed and studied. Action figures are particular popular with boys because they represent traditional masculine traits and are closed associated with the public sphere which is represented by items such as tools, transportation, garages, machines, and military equipment. Toys generically referred to as dolls are seen as representing the feminine traits and the private sphere which contains items such as kitchen appliances, utensils,furniture, clothes and jewelry

Materials
Dolls over the ages have been made from every conceivable material: bisque, celluloid, china, clay, cloth, corn husks, paper, plastic, polymer clay, porcelain, resin, rubber, vinyl, wax, wood, bone, ivory, papier-mâché, leather etc.

Doll hospitals
Repair and restoration of antique and other dolls is carried out at doll hospitals, many of which have been operating for decades.[6][7] Henri Launay, who has been repairing dolls at his shop in northeast Paris for 43 years, says he has restored over 30,000 dolls in the course of his career. Most of the clients are not children, but adults in their 50s and 60s.

Collectors' items
 
A 1943 Mariquita Pérez dollAntique dolls have become collector's items. Nineteenth-century bisque dolls made by French manufacturers such as Bru and Jumeau may be worth almost $22,000 today. [8] Sporting event give-away bobblehead dolls and action figures from McFarlane Toys have also become popular collector's items.[citation needed]

Dolls as art
Dolls have always been created as folk art in cultures around the globe, and in the 20th century, dolls began to be accepted as high art.