Doll Ornament No. Eleven (2012)

A Tiny Peg Wooden Doll (3-3/4" tall) Made from the antique shown below.

Peg Woodens, as we think of them today, were a genre of lathe turned and pegged jointed dolls made to be inexpensive and mass produced dolls which remained fairly common from the peak of their production in the mid to late 1800's until well into the 1900's. But how did they come to be in this particular style? Wooden dolls have been around for as long as men had knives to carve with and a child to carve one for. Most wooden dolls have pegged joints simply because otherwise nothing could be done to move the arms and legs, necessary for dressing and playing, so it is not that the peg wooden style was unique in using pegged joints. The style sifted down from a much earlier style of wooden doll from the 1600 - 1700's. These earlier dolls were usually hand carved, many with intricate detail in face, hair and hands. These also evolved to have heads with additional detail of a thick molded mache molded onto a rough wooden head and many had inset glass eyes. These became known eventually as Queen Annes and somewhat later, Tuck Combs and other styles showing hairstyles and costumes of the times. However, demand and a lack of winter work in the forested mountains of Germany gave birth to a growing production of wooden dolls (and other toys) which then became the first mass produced exported dolls, first carried out to nearby cities by itinerant peddlers. Quality was soon left behind until nearly every aspect of these dolls was left rough and only a suggestion of their former dignified selves. This little ornament sized doll takes her style and attention to detail from the finer examples of the early mass produced dolls.

Close Window