Most dolls today are made of vinyl and polyurethane resin, which makes these dolls appear to have a soft, almost human-like texture. However, the earliest dolls were made from natural materials and one of the most valuable dolls to collect is the antique wooden dolls. Although wood had been the first known material used by craftsmen to create dolls in ancient Egypt, the first collectible dolls made of wood were first hand-made in England around the 1680s. Those from this period are called William or Mary.
Artisans had been creatively carving wooden figures for religious purposes and especially for children. This is also the time when many of the earliest European merchants found the value of trade in the early 18th century. The proliferation of wooden peg dolls has expanded around this year as artists handcrafted creations that manifest the characteristics of the people of that century. These toys have jointed legs and their body and head are often carved together. Dolls made between 1700 and 1750 were Queen Anne dolls and were so named because they wore elegant dresses of that time. These models were mostly made of pine wood and were lavishly designed with exquisite ornaments and embroidered clothing. The dolls were primarily intended for adults rather than children.
A Queen Anne had her head and body carved from one piece, while her arms and legs were attached. The toy’s dress was not removable and was secured to the doll’s body unlike the typical removable dresses on dolls today. From 1750 to 1800, dolls made in this period were called Gregorian, and the dolls were distinct from the previous period. The dolls’ wooden heads are now covered with plaster and were painted, while the eyes were made of glass and are typically blue in color. The end of the torso is now pointed, while the hair wigs are made of linen.
At the beginning of the 19th century, there were already several wooden doll makers who began a series of doll creations, especially in Grodner Tal in Bavaria, Germany. The dolls created in the village had comb hairs tucked into curls, and artisans often make dolls out of pine wood. Some Grodner Tal wooden dolls are around 3 to 5 inches long and yet most are in the 10 to 18 inch range. The creation of wooden peg dolls had become a cottage industry during this time.
In the late 19th century, people saw more artists who contributed masterpieces that are now considered collectible dolls today. The craft continued into the early 1900s with some well-known craftsmen such as Joel Ellis, Henry Mason, and Luke Taylor. Mason and Taylor dolls were characterized by a doll head with a joint at the neck. They even have the patent for this doll feature. However, by the mid-1900s, the craft of wooden peg dolls declined with the rise of dolls made from vinyl and the use of other materials such as resin.
