Composition Dolls
Composition is a mixture of various substances including plaster, glue, flour, paper or rags. It's less breakable than bisque, but often inclined to craze. Many composition dolls are unmarked, and so it's difficult to trace the manufacturers. Click on the thumbnail of the doll to get a bigger picture. Please note that all doll names have been choosen by us, and do not necessarily relate to the manufacturer's name for the doll. None of the dolls shown are for sale.

	Betty is a 1920's composition girl. Her mark is 3336, and it is possible she is from an Armand Marseille mould. She is 18" tall, with an open mouth, two lower teeth and a bent-limbed baby body. The hand-knitted outfit she is wearing is original, and consists of pants, vest, socks, petticoat, dress and bonnet, all in white wool with blue silk inserts.

	This is Janet. Janet is a very large composition straight-legged girl, and is marked SP 2966. SP stands for Sonneberger Porzellanfabriken, who used an Armand Marseille mould for this doll. She was probably made in the 1940's. Janet measures 28", and wears a dark brown mohair wig. Her face is quite crazed, but this doesn't detract from her prettiness, and she has large blue eyes, delicately coloured cheeks and bright red lips. She is wearing a white toddler's dress and black patent baby-shoes. Her pale blue pendant on a gilt chain dates from the 1950s.

	Beth is a composition baby doll with bent limbs. She is 15" tall, and is initialled HW on the back of her neck, which probably stands for the German manufacturers Heinrich Handwerck, from Waltershausen, who made similar dolls in the 1930s and 40s. Her long white cotton babygown, vest and bonnet were no doubt given to her by her original young owner.

	Rosie, a 1940's girl doll marked with a diamond symbol and '45C', was given her name for obvious reasons; she has a very florid complexion. She is 16" tall, with an open mouth and blue painted eyes. Her blonde wig is mohair and she wears a matching floral cotton set of frock, pants and bonnet. Interestingly, the dress has a wartime utility mark. Her shoes are made from blue felt. The manufacturer has not been traced.

	Peter was made by the Diamond Tile Co in England in the 1940's, and has a composition head and a sof t body. At 15" tall, he is in perfect condition and has obviously been well-cared for. He is wearing a hand-knitted outfit of white jumper and white trousers. His socks are brown wool.

	Rita is marked 335/5, and as yet the maker is untraced. She has a composition head with moulded hair, large blue eyes and a smiling mouth revealing two tiny teeth. Rita's body is soft, and, unusually, the fingers have been carefully defined. She is 18" tall, and is a very sturdy, cuddly baby doll.

	Sally is a large compostion doll, marked 40. She is 26 inches tall. Her body contains a speech and music movement, operated by a handle which protrudes from her stomach. She is probably one of the Mark Payne Singing Doll Company dolls. Her dress is of a kind of pale green taffeta, probably more modern than the doll, but the colour suits her.

	Susan is a 1940s composition doll, all original. Her box was marked Roddy. She has a pretty, smiling face with an open mouth and teeth. Her wig is pale blonde mohair, and in her back is a mama mechanism. Susan's dress features a green and blue print on white cotton with a pink satin trim.

	Charmaine is a compositon with a chalky appearance. She is completely mint and came in a box marked Charm Toys. She probably dates from the late 1940s. She wears a blue faux fur coat with matching hat, boots and muff, over a pale blue silk dress. Her coat is trimmed with three silver buttons.

	Elizabeth dates from 1955. She is a 'pot' doll, made of a hollow composition-type substance, which is chalky inside, and sharp if broken. The mark on her neck is F191P, and she is almost certainly made by the London company, F Popper. Her pink silk dress and bonnet are original, but her wig is a replacement, though practically identical to the one she wore when new. Elizabeth stands 21" tall, and is an unusual 'sun-tanned' shade, with orange-red lips.

	Shirley is another pot doll. Dating from the 1940s, she is 24" high, and was possibly made by the firm of F Popper. Her skin has a brownish tinge, as do many of the pot dolls from this era. Shirley still has her original blonde mohair wig. She wears a rose-sprigged cotton dress.

	Doreen is a pot doll who dates from the mid-fifties. The mark on her neck is 111. She is 21" tall, and her brown wig is a replacement. She has blue eyes, red lips and a row of tiny teeth. Her pretty pink dress, matching knickers and bonnet are made from cotton, and she wears white socks and red shoes. As yet, the maker hasn't been traced.

	Anita is a 23" early 1950s composition doll, with a particularly pretty face. She is another pot doll, made from a hollow form of composition, and has a dark brown mohair wig, brown eyes and tiny teeth. Her lips and fingernails are red. Anita is not marked, but is very similar to Elizabeth, Shirley and Doreen. She could be one of the dolls made by F Popper, who was responsible for many composition and pot dolls.

All pictures and text © Susan Brewer 2004. Virtual Valley Graphics logo and all site design and content © Simon Brewer 2004