Okay Folks, I may have listings up on eBay, I list dolls, doll clothes and doll furniture, and some other stuff, click on my eBay ID above!!
...One of My First Antique Cloth Dolls!
BABYLAND RAG Dolls
One of the very first I selected as a "must have" from my very first
doll book, The Collector's Encyclopedia of Dolls is a Babyland Rag.
The girl was the third doll I purchased and one that I have never considered
putting up for adoption. A devout spinster, only recently she acquired a beau.
Created by Horsman in the early part of the 20th century. Various reference
books quote conflicting dates, but I will stick with the information provided
by the Coleman's, "1904 through 1920"...in their first volume. Revised to
"1893-1928 in Volume II...although the last two years were reference
to a composition head baby.
Do you have a favorite vintage cloth or rag doll you would like to share with other visitors to this page? If so...please click here
eBay has a rather large set of listings of vintage Cloth dolls for sale, if you are interested in a purchase, or to find values, click here--
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(if looking for values, it is necessary to register with eBay).
Dolls with painted faces were produced until about 1907, but the Babyland Rag
dolls with the lithograph, or printed faces are the images which I find most
appealing. These cloth dolls also included a topsy turvy "Babyland Rag", "Babyland
Baby", "Babyland Topsy", "Babyland Topsy Baby", "Topsy Turvy"
(Topsy at one end and Betty at the other end),
"Babyland Fancy", and "Babyland Boy".Although doll reference books refer to sizes larger than 14", the latter is the most common found size.
Babyland Rag cloth dolls were sold by such company's as FAO Schwartz, Macy 's, and Gimbel Bros. ranging in price from .24 cents to a whopping 2.00. At times, reproduction copies of old Horsman catalogues are available on ebay which picture the dolls and give their prices. (eBay...Collectibles...dolls...clothing and furniture...antique, vintage)
One text refers to the fact that "faces could be cleaned with soap and water", but this is not something I would recommend and sometimes wonder at the result of an ambitious "young mothers" bathing attempts.
Construction of the Babyland Rag cloth dolls is simple. All cloth, very little detail, flat lithograph faces without feature definition...but a concept that even modern doll artists have repeatedly copied.
A collection of these charmers can be outstanding in eye appeal. With the surge of primitive decor in our homes, even non collectors have sought them out to accent their country style dwellings.
Probably the best place to look for present "doll and accessories" value is on the Internet, primarily the auction sites--my favorite is eBay...
in the completed cloth dolls section of eBay, you can browse the past 30 days of completed auctions of cloth dolls and accessories. On the left side, in the box named "Display", you can selsect "Active Items" to see the "cloth dolls and accessories" presently up for auction.
Also, if you have a doll or doll accessories you would like to find out about...eBay is the place to start... in the
, just type in what you have in the search window just under "Dolls & Bears" on the left, and "Shazam",
there appears a list of present, up for auction items--in the "Display" box on the left select "Completed Items", a new list will appear, displaying completed items going back for 30 days.
The only books that I am aware of on to days market that discuss and identify
antique cloth dolls are:
eBay is a great wedsite for "value" information about dolls, or most anything else for that matter--however, in order to see what something has sold for, registration is required, so if you are looking for past sales of any particular doll, please register
Welcome to "Show and Tell" for early cloth or rag dolls! They are usually worn with love, discolored with age, but we love them! If you would like to share photos and stories of your favorite early cloth doll. You may fill in the form below. We all love to see and hear tales and facts about your most coveted dolls.
