China Doll Types & Era Details
What kind of China doll do you have?
Are you saying to yourself, “I think I have a china doll, but what kind is it?” This section is to familiarize you with china dolls, type and time periods for the assorted models.
China and Parian dolls are similar in many aspects. Both are made of porcelain with the parians having a flat finish and china dolls with a shinny glossy finish. China and dolls were made from 1840 to 1930′s. Most had painted eyes (mostly blue), but some had stationary glass eyes. They all had shoulder plate heads that were mounted on cloth or leather bodies. Most had formed hair in styles that reflected the time period. The parian being more of a fashion doll with fancier styles, but both are found with hair adornments of combs, ribbons and sometimes flowers. Most china heads had black painted hair, while parians had hair that was other colors than black. Some early styles of both were bald with attached human hair wigs.
Arms and legs on both styles were made of porcelain, but leather and cloth were also used. Very few of the dolls are factory assembled, but were sold in separate pieces with the buyer who assembled them by making home made bodies. Because of this, china and parian dolls vary greatly in proportions causing most clothing to be unique, custom made for each doll.
| Early wigged China Dolls had human hair wigs with round faces to reflect health and prosperity. | |
 1830-1880 Wigged China Head (pink tint) |
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Same round face with molded hair in spiral curls. |
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 1840 Round Face China Doll |
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The Covered Wagon china doll had the same round face as previous models but her hair is pulled smooth with curls in back. Her porcelain is a pink tint, starting white then tinted pink for a flesh influence. The doll has a pioneer country look, rather than society lady. |
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 1850 Pink Tint Covered Wagon China Doll |
 1850 Pink Tint Covered Wagon China Doll |
 1860 Civil War Era Highbrows |
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The Highbrow model was very popular and made for more than 20 years. They appeared beginning 1860 (Civil War period). The doll in blue is an apple cheek with blush that was to project good health, but if a real person had that much blush they would have been very sick. |
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 1870 Currier and Ives China Head |
 1870 Dolly Madison China Head |
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1870 was the beginning of innovation with many new styles of hair with ribbons, curls, flowers and braids.
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 1870 Highland Mary China Dolls |
 1860-1870 Curly Top China Head |
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Children china dolls were difficult to tell from adults and are often confused. The faces were rounder, and the neck was shorter than dolls that were to be an adults. The bodies were also fuller and not as hour-glass in style.
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 1880 Child China Dolls (25% blond) |
 1870 Boy/Girl Child China Doll |
 1890-1930 Lowbrow China Dolls |
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Lowbrow China dolls were the end of china doll production and made for 40 years. Those that could not afford the ”new” bisque head dolls with ball jointed and leather bodies and REAL hair had to settle for a “cheap” doll. China heads were sold in parts of heads, arms and legs through catalogs like Montgomery Ward and Sears and Roebuck. If the buyer could not afford a factory body, they could purchase arms and legs to go with the head while the buyer made the body, stuffing it with materials at hand, like sawdust or animal hair. If the buyer had only a head, the entire body was often made from materials at hand like leather and muslin. If a part broke, another could be purchased through the catalogs to make the doll whole again.
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