This lovely painted face cloth doll has a shyness about her. Her eyes are really well painted and kind of talk to you. She has a very nice hand sewn body. Her face is framed with painted brownish red curls. She is all original including the paint on her face. She does have some thinning of the paint and a little loss but nothing serious. The back of her head is another story...

A most unusual black doll that has her name and owners initials written in brown ink on her bloomers. R.W. is on her right leg and DINA is on her left leg. Her face is nicely embroidered with lover's knots for pupils. She has brown floss hair that is just across her forehead, something I don't recall seeing before on any other doll. She is jointed at the shoulders and hips so she sits easily. I do feel her clothes are original...

One look and you know this doll has been through a lot. I can't tell you what but someone has cared enough more than once to mend or replace something. I think both front and back were faces at one time but more shows on the side without the hole. She is 19" tall and is as found. She would be perfect in a primitive chair. Circa 1890-1900

This antique straw stuffed doll had an embroidered nose, just traces left, ink painted eyes and eyebrows and stitched and painted mouth, both a mere shadow of itself. Her body is all original and as I tried taking off her clothes they had been on and not disrupted for a long time I decided not to pull them all off. I took pictures so I think you can see she is really okay and nice. She is stuffed with straw so she is crunchy sounding and not stuffed really firmly...

This lovely late 19th C. black cloth doll is made with fine polished cotton material, all hand sewn and hand painted. The white band at her neck is part of her clothing and is not a neck stabilizer. The doll and the clothes appear to be hand sewn by the same seamstress/mother/Grammy. The astrakhan hair is the best I have every seen and makes her hairdo look very fashionable. There is a little give to the cotton stuffed hourglass shaped body...

This doll has a regal look and feel about her. Her body is black sateen and is very nicely constructed. The embroidered face is very nicely done with the whites of her eye very prominent with a nice black border around the white. Her nose is embroidered with black also but it is a blue black so it is visible. She has astrakhan hair that is nicely sewn on. She is stuffed fairly firmly with cotton and maybe rags. She is 23" tall and is dressed as I bought her...

Under the great blue calico bonnet this doll has a worn and wrinkle face with a pencil dot for eyes and a pencil line for a mouth. Her nose has gone flat but the bonnet makes her look adorable. She is a homemade beauty, she sits like she has done yoga all her life. Her blue calico dress is voluminous and hides her rather average size body. She can almost do a split her legs go so far apart. She had a slip and undies under her dress and has black socks and brown shoes on...

This doll is the first kind of cloth dolls that started to come to market in the 1970's. There were not many cloth dolls in shops or at shows but when I found them they were sort of like this. Simple and straight forward. She has the early hour glass figure and adding to that look is a serious leather corset that was probably made from the top of an old shoe. She is hand sewn, cotton stuffed rather firmly, nicely shaped feet, one nice leather shoe over black stockings...

Baby is a big heavy plump doll, all original body and painted face. She has on a dress that fits perfectly but probably isn't original. Her face is worn a little but no damage, maybe it has darkened with age? I think she is the best baby. Nice defined fingers and separate thumbs. She has lost a lot of stuffing in her arms, I don't know how, and her legs have black stockings sewn on but everything feels right and original She is 20" tall and circa 1880

The nice center seam antique cloth doll has a very nice painted face and raveled yarn hair. She has stitched defined fingers and thumbs. She is made with black sateen and her body is very nicely constructed. She has ears and I like it when dolls have ears. Her ears are not that noticeable because her hair covers them somewhat. She has on a maroon polka dot dress a cotton window pane apron pantaloons all are antique and have been on her a long time. She straw stuffed, I don't see that very often....

This sweet little black doll has the look of a 24" doll. She is old, her clothes are early, soft and hang nicely. Her leather shoes are original and it is always a mystery of how they get so worn. She has raised eyes and mouth done with layers of yarn. She has a cotton stuffed curvy little body that sits easily. Her yellow dress is a little fragile and the kerchief around her shoulders is old but not as old as she is. She is 13" tall and C. 1890

Wonderful and unusual leather black doll that is cuddly to hold. Even though she only has a blouse and skirt and pantaloons that are all sewn on, her body is stuffed with cotton with just the right amount to make her feel like there are layers and layers of clothes. Her body is made from a suede leather glove as are her arms and legs. She has a beautiful little painted face that is still good and very visible. Her lace bonnet has been pulled up and down but doesn't come off. Her arms and legs ar...

This doll has a very soft worn kind of look. Her face is mended right down the middle and the is darkening just below her shoe button eyes but she still has a very nice sort of sad soft look. I realized I had her dress on backward when I started to photograph her. She has a really nice pocket that she has been sitting on all these years. She is 24" tall. She is stuffed with cotton that has settled so she sits nicely even though her legs are continuous with her body. She makes a gentle statement....

This is a very nice 19th C. black cloth doll with strong embroidered face. She is as found and is wearing an antique plaid dress that is all hand sewn, with a very fine wool petticoat under it and knit bloomers. Her body is stockinette that is over black cotton lining and she is firmly stuffed with cotton. Her arms and legs and knees are jointed. Her condition shows wear on some of the stockinette and her face has little picky holes that have been sort of mended, see picture. She is a very nice ...

Not all black dolls have black bodies. Some of the best dolls I have had were dolls that the maker took an old rag doll and gave the doll a black head. In the Jim Crow era, it became common in the north for mothers to teach their children about the plight of African Americans, by making a black doll for them. So mothers even ones that were not really skilled at sewing were making black dolls. Putting a black covering over a rag doll was one of the easiest ways. This is one of those dolls black h...

Not all dolls that are 17" tall look 17" tall and this in one of those dolls. Her stockinette body, while it is curvy is not big, it is softly stuffed and small around. My index finger and thumb go around her waist and touch. Her face kind of looks embroidered in pictures but it is a really nicely painted. It is not fragile even though the paint has body to it, maybe it is an oil paint. Under her painted mouth she has a two stitch mend. Her hair is made with, astrakhan, a lambs wool trim. She is...

This dynamic painted face black stockinette doll is a sturdy as you get. She has a solidly packed rag body and head that is really heavy. Under the black stockinette body, her body is covered old blue and white ticking as well as her attached arms and legs. Her hair is two tone crocheted string and yarn. I have never seen this technique before but it is very effective. Her dress fits the top of her so tightly I don't think I can get it off without tearing it. You can tell that she was played wit...

"Doll with all original repairs".I read this description somewhere along the way. It makes me smile and yet I know what was meant, the repairs are not recently done and that applies here. I love her brown face and the best blue sewn on bonnet/head/hair. She has an Arnold Print Works arms and bodyand black stockinette legs. Her arms have lost most of the raw wool stuffing. Her head is not the print work fabric but is an old or older component. She is wearing very early silk and wool petticoat in...