Hitty.org Links

China Head dolls were sold both as complete dolls and as separate heads, arms and legs, with the body to be made at home. It was only much later that manufactured bodies became available as a separate item. As a result of these options, almost every family could afford one of these dolls.

If a parent could only afford to purchase a head, then the entire rest of the body would be made at home, usually of cloth. (The next least-expensive choice would be purchase of a head and a set of arms.) The quality of the homemade body depended on the ability of the maker, mommies and older sisters being much better at it than little girls, who often first learned to sew by making their dolly some dresses. Occasionally, a parent would carve homemade limbs from wood.

If a porcelain limb broke, it was easily replaced, by purchase of a new set, or by cloth or wood at home.

Virtually all china parts were made in Germany specifically for the American market. No country of origin was indicated until US import laws changed to require it.

The manufacturers' main products were dinnerware and other porcelain products, some of which were top quality fine porcelain. However, doll parts were just a minor sideline meant to use any left over porcelain mixture, which would otherwise be discarded each day. Few manufacturers put their maker's mark on this product, regardless of its quality.

The molds were a serious expense, created by talented sculptors using current popular ladies hair styles as their model, or fanciful creations of their own. These molds were then used until they wore out, perhaps decades later. At some point after the detail began to wear down, the mold would be sold and perhaps sold again, to be used until the end product was hardly recognizable. The best heads were made early in the mold's life, and can be identified by the crisp, clear details in the china. Painting was usually done in the home by ordinary factory workers and their families aiming to earn a little extra money. Unfortunately, this often resulted in a new mold product being poorly painted, or in a worn product being beautifully painted. We, of course, really want a crisp early mold product with beautiful painting.

A China head is defined by its head. Although it is impossible to determine exactly when one was made, the hairstyle is a clear indicator of the earliest possible date of manufacture. Paint does wear off, but crisp china details indicate the head came from the mold early on, close to the date portrayed. This can be reproduced today, but also look for teeny black spots in the china, which were a result of the manufacturing process of the time. At least a few are always present in true antiques, but, so far, reproductions haven't copied them.

If you are looking for an "all original" China head doll, be sure to look at the feet. Legs with booted heels were not made until the early 1870's due to manufacturing limitations, so all porcelain legs made before then had flat feet.

The genuine antique "Hitty-look" China head doll dates to the 1860's and has flat feet.

I am sticking by my theory that Ancestor Hitty is much older and wears a child's hairdo of earlier years, which, in addition to being on a child doll, was easier to carve than a ladies' style of the time. Almost every man could carve to some degree or another back then, so, if the Old Peddler had been an exceptionally talented carver, he would have been a furniture maker instead of a peddler.

Susan in Louisiana
1/23/2007 to the Hitty Girls Group

Hitty.org - The Hitty Research Pages China Doll Project The Following China Doll information is from Susan in Louisiana. Susan tells me the information was gleaned from many books on the subject, some quite old, and others new. Thanks Susan! China Head dolls were sold both as complete dolls and as separate heads, arms and legs, with the body to be made at home. It was only much later that manufactured bodies became available as a separate item. As a result of these options, almost every family could afford one of these dolls. If a parent could only afford to purchase a head, then the entire rest of the body would be made at home, usually of cloth. (The next least-expensive choice would be purchase of a head and a set of arms.) The quality of the homemade body depended on the ability of the maker, mommies and older sisters being much better at it than little girls, who often first learned to sew by making their dolly some dresses. Occasionally, a parent would carve homemade limbs from wood. If a porcelain limb broke, it was easily replaced, by purchase of a new set, or by cloth or wood at home. Virtually all china parts were made in Germany specifically for the American market. No country of origin was indicated until US import laws changed to require it. The manufacturers' main products were dinnerware and other porcelain products, some of which were top quality fine porcelain. However, doll parts were just a minor sideline meant to use any left over porcelain mixture, which would otherwise be discarded each day. Few manufacturers put their maker's mark on this product, regardless of its quality. The molds were a serious expense, created by talented sculptors using current popular ladies hair styles as their model, or fanciful creations of their own. These molds were then used until they wore out, perhaps decades later. At some point after the detail began to wear down, the mold would be sold and perhaps sold again, to be used until the end product was hardly recognizable. The best heads were made early in the mold's life, and can be identified by the crisp, clear details in the china. Painting was usually done in the home by ordinary factory workers and their families aiming to earn a little extra money. Unfortunately, this often resulted in a new mold product being poorly painted, or in a worn product being beautifully painted. We, of course, really want a crisp early mold product with beautiful painting. A China head is defined by its head. Although it is impossible to determine exactly when one was made, the hairstyle is a clear indicator of the earliest possible date of manufacture. Paint does wear off, but crisp china details indicate the head came from the mold early on, close to the date portrayed. This can be reproduced today, but also look for teeny black spots in the china, which were a result of the manufacturing process of the time. At least a few are always present in true antiques, but, so far, reproductions haven't copied them. If you are looking for an "all original" China head doll, be sure to look at the feet. Legs with booted heels were not made until the early 1870's due to manufacturing limitations, so all porcelain legs made before then had flat feet. The genuine antique "Hitty-look" China head doll dates to the 1860's and has flat feet. I am sticking by my theory that Ancestor Hitty is much older and wears a child's hairdo of earlier years, which, in addition to being on a child doll, was easier to carve than a ladies' style of the time. Almost every man could carve to some degree or another back then, so, if the Old Peddler had been an exceptionally talented carver, he would have been a furniture maker instead of a peddler. Susan in Louisiana 1/23/2007 to the Hitty Girls Group