Table Of Content
Victorian women might have decorated their shelves with delicately painted Frozen Charlotte dolls. But Americans renamed the dolls Frozen Charlotte and gave them a creepy backstory. A documented history of ownership, or provenance, can significantly impact a doll’s value.
Was Frozen Charlotte Real
This is pretty remarkable, considering the near-universal belief that this time period was the origin of the dolls’ name. Because they were made on a production line to be sold dirt-cheap, such dolls often had facial features painted on in a hit-and-miss fashion, adding to their charm. Some, dating from the 1920s, have tiny arms molded on their chests as if clutching their hearts, thus the label "hand-on-my-heart" dolls. There were also many rudely made Frozen Charlotte-style dolls that were popular in the 1920s and '30s and sold inexpensively as cake decorations and party favors. Such dolls were mass-produced in Germany, Japan and the United States. Also popular in the 1880s and '90s were numerous little dolls with china heads, arms and feet attached to nankeen cloth bodies in varying sizes.
Shock of the old: 10 of the weirdest, wildest dolls from history – from Frozen Charlotte to the Cabbage Patch Kids - The Guardian
Shock of the old: 10 of the weirdest, wildest dolls from history – from Frozen Charlotte to the Cabbage Patch Kids.
Posted: Wed, 06 Mar 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]
Antique Q&A: Frozen Charlotte Dolls
Her father liked to see her dressed, Just like some city belle; She was the only child he had, He loved his daughter well. Her hair was black as raven’s wings, Her skin was lily fair, And her teeth were like the pearls of white, None with her could compare. Read how “Frozen Charlotte” dolls were not called by that name until the mid-20th century in The True Story of Frozen Charlotte Dolls. Frozen Charlotte dolls were an affordable luxury for 19th-century Americans. In 1886, Americans could buy a dozen of the larger, 4-inch dolls for just 39 cents. By ignoring her mother and prioritizing fashion over her health, Charlotte caused her own end.
Clowning for Novices: History and Practice With Rose Carver
The Charlottes and Charlies come from Germany and were made between 1850 and 1914. They are also made in bisque, and can come in white, pink-tinted, or, more rarely, painted black.[3] Some rare examples have moulded chemises. Male dolls (identified by their boyish hairstyles) are called Frozen Charlies. Hiding coins or figurines in cakes is a tradition with ancient roots. Exhaustive searches of historic newspaper databases, magazines, and books of the period have failed to unearth contemporaneous evidence to support the idea that 19th-century Americans equated the penny doll with the legend of Fair Charlotte. Further, no one who has written about the penny doll and included a Victorian connection to the legend in his or her analysis has published anything from the 19th or early 20th centuries to support the claim.
For Decades, Frozen Charlotte Dolls Were Bestsellers
From the diversity of our residents to our colorful history, which you’ll find represented in every corner, Charlotte is a melting pot. We’re a heaping spoonful of natural beauty and metropolitan splendor. We’re a blend of inventive chefs, talented artists, fierce athletes and mission-minded gamechangers.
Design vignettes with a Victorian flair, placing Frozen Charlotte dolls alongside other nostalgic items like vintage books, keys, or shoe forms. Create captivating displays in a curio cabinet or glass display case, protecting the dolls while providing a charming and visually captivating arrangement. Transform Frozen Charlotte dolls into unique pieces of jewelry or accessories.
Sea Glass Note Pad
Plus, many of the dolls for sale today on sites like eBay and Etsy are not pre-owned dolls, but rather those excavated in Germany. That the name “Frozen Charlotte” was coined within the doll-collecting community sometime slightly before or around World War 2 is evident in doll collector/historian Eleanor St. George’s 1948 book, Dolls of Yesterday [see also Note 4]. He stripped the mantle off her brow, And the pale stars on her shone, And quickly into the lighted hall, Her helpless form was born.
American Girl Charlotte, NC Store
The eerie tale of a woman perishing on a long sleigh ride inspired Maine poet Seba Smith to write a poem called "A Corpse Going to a Ball." One time highly sought after by young girls to play with in the bath or bake into a cake, these antiques are now sought after by collectors today. It’s commonly accepted that these dolls were didactic tools, physical representations of the consequences of parental disobedience. It’s widely believed that Victorian children were well-aware of the origin story of these dolls and played with them nonetheless. After all, many aspects of Victorian culture are openly macabre and death-obsessed, so this grisly historical narrative isn’t entirely outlandish. We all love those stories but here is where we must use discretion and whatever knowledge our study has developed.
Be the first to know about new products, events, and special offers
Further, the theme holds that Victorian children recognized the symbolism inherent in these small, corpse-like dolls and used them as playthings, sometimes even placing them in tiny coffins. In fact, we’re told that the motif of this particular frozen woman was so pervasive in the 19th century that our counterparts named a dessert after her and baked representations of her into cakes. In the United States, the term Frozen Charlotte came to be applied to these china dolls since they were “frozen” — that is, they didn’t have moving parts like other dolls. This event was reported in a newspaper and supposedly occurred Dec. 31, 1839. If interested, you may hear the song or read the lyrics on the University of Maine website.
They are formed as one solid piece and have no joints, thus giving rise to the name “Frozen”. Some have dark-painted hair and red lips but they are otherwise as white as snow. So, while it makes a compelling and delightfully morbid origin story, none of the children who actually played with these dolls knew of a connection between their favorite toy and a foolish young woman’s frostbitten corpse. And even though they’ve lost a bit of their historical creepiness, don’t let that stop you from being excited if you find a porcelain doll on the shore. The poem was a hit, as it touched on the dangers of vanity and not listening to your parents.
They were supposed to be designed to float so that children could play with them on the beaches and in the ocean, as well as in the bathtub or a pail of water. Some had an overall pink complexion tint; some had only a pink-tinted face. Apparently business was very brisk for this new doll, as it was produced in quite large numbers by a variety of manufacturers. A New York Observer article published in February 8, 1840 included a story about a woman in upstate New York who froze to death on her way to a New Year’s ball.
Like Frozen Charlottes, Frozen Charlies are naked and don't move. Charlies, however, are usually bigger than Charlottes and can measure up to 16 inches high. Many of the earlier Charlottes and Charlies are chubby-looking, molded in one solid piece, with arms extended as holding a steering wheel.
The name “Frozen Charlotte” added an element of charm and intrigue to these dolls, linking them to the tragic tale of a young woman who paid the price for vanity and fashion in a harsh winter’s night. When, just a few years later, German bath dolls began appearing in America, people began to link the tiny porcelain dolls with the Frozen Charlotte story. In the ballad, Charles "took her hand in his... 'Twas cold and hard as stone," reminding 19th-century Americans of the porcelain dolls. And unlike larger dolls with movable arms and legs, the German bath dolls were immobile, like the ballad's line saying Charlotte "[sat] there like a monument... [with] no power to stir."
Such dolls were sold undressed (the clothes are almost always homemade) and were used in dollhouses since they wre jointed and were able to sit, unlike the Frozen Charlottes. This new doll was different, though, because whereas most of the china-head dolls represented ladies, the new doll was designed as a baby or small child. It was generally chubby in form, with molded stiff limbs and bare feet. The arms were bent at the elbows, but the legs were straight and separate. It usually had short black molded hair with brush marks framing the face.
The Judge carries in his pocket a small tin coffin on which is the inscription, “This man was talked to death,” and when a long winded lawyer gets to spouting on some unimportant question the Judge places the coffin before him. Unfortunately, there was no further information attached to the item, just a lot of unanswered questions. What’s with the mega creepy inscription that seems almost threatening in tone? I’m afraid I still don’t have any answers to these questions after a week of research. However, the little corpse in the coffin had some stories to tell. With the assistance of Center staff, the intern will arrange and catalog materials in the Center’s library.
No comments:
Post a Comment