Antique Puritan Dolls

Hello. My name is Ed and I live in CA. I found these old dolls in the attic. I’ve never seen anything like these. The seem to be very old and in poor condition. Any info on these or similar would be greatly appreciated. They seem to be very old. Thank you.

 

Those are fascinating. Never seen anything like them either. Why do you refer to them as "puritan?"

Debora

 

Oh, and Eddie... Would you go back and repost your photographs as Full Image? That will make them easier for everyone to see. Just click on Upload a File, then Choose File, then Upload and finally Full Image (rather than Thumbnail.) And not to worry, all new members do the exact same thing in their first posts.

Debora

 

Poor condition!!! They look ready for the body farm!!

 

They certainly look Victorian.

Debora

 

Rotated upright.....and enlarged with TOPAZ to try to clarify a little bit.....


And just that sideways head at the top.....from the same image, makes me think they might have been dried "apple heads".....BUT I can also be WAY OFF THE MARK!!! OR maybe just very badly dried clay......

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The wire mounts might indicate they were originally part of a diorama or some other sort of installation.

 

Yes. For display, rather than play.

Debora

 

Oh my gosh, I had forgotten about making dried apple heads! Darnit, my kids are too old now.

 

I am sorry but that is all I could think of. They are stern and a bit dark. One figure is clearly bigger than the others. They are very fragile with a metal frame that can be held from below.

 

The clothing looks like from the 1860s or somewhat earlier, imo. Looks like they would fit into a Charles Dickens novel.

 

Dicksonian is what I thought too. Is clothing hand- or machine-stitched?

Debora

 

To me, the clothing almost looks like paper, if you blow up the image I enlarged.....I don't see any stitching.........maybe the OP can offer some insight, as he has them in hand?

 

In the state they're in, they'd make really creepy Halloween decorations.

 

They look like part of a store display,perhaps for Christmas.Pity they are so bad.

 

I thought more Jack the ripper, looking at some of them

 

Thank you so much. The clothing is painted or treated leather. The heads may be hard wax.

 

Reminds me of the figures from some of the moving dioramas at the Musee Mechanique!

 

You know who would just LOVE that crew?

Washington Irving!