Ladies who tea (Simon and Halbig dollhouse dolls)

Mrs. Curllock has invited her new neighbour, Mrs. Featherbonnet to tea. Mrs. Featherbonnet has two children, a girl and a boy. Mrs. Curllock hopes that her little boy will make friends with them.

Cecil can be a bit rough and tumble at times and Mrs. Curllock hopes that the genteel-looking Featherbonnet children will be a good influence on him.

Mrs. C. is wearing an original child-made gown. If you look closely you can see the hand stitching where the bodice is joined to the skirt. I was very lucky to acquire Mrs. C with a complete hand sewn wardrobe, plus a bed and wonderful bedding.

Mrs. Curllock takes a last look around her parlour. It looks very nice, she thinks. She has put out her best tea set and the sugar bowl with the silver tongs.

Mrs. Featherbonnet and the children arrive and the boys immediately check each other out.

Cecil Curllock looks at Fairchild Featherbonnet's fancy suit and tightly curled hair and wonders if he should reconsider asking Fairchild to come outside to see his tree house.

Flossie Featherbonnet is more interested in Spot, the Curllock's pup.

Mrs. Featherbonnet looks around the parlour and finds it very pleasant. "What a lovely home you have, Mrs. Curllock. Thank you for inviting us to tea"

Mrs. F. came to me with no clothes. She is wearing an outfit that came with Mrs. C. (although she thinks it is hers). This dress and hat are also child-made. The purse is a mother-of-pearl watch fob.

"You are so kind," says Mrs. Curllock. "Cecil, please take Fairchild and Flossie to the kitchen and ask Cook to give you your tea."

"Okay Mother," says Cecil. "C'mon Fairch and Floss. Cook made sugar cookies just for us."

The children came to me fully dressed. Their outfits are expertly made and are probably original from the factory. All five dolls have glass eyes and wigs.

"Mrs. Featherbonnet, please sit down and I will serve the tea." says Mrs. C.

"This is all so lovely," says Mrs. F.

Mrs. C. is very proud of her 1890s parlour set. The upholstery is all original and in fantastic condition for its age.

Mrs. C is also very proud of her pink frill lamp.

The room is a three-sided backdrop with a window in the back. It makes a lovely room.

The ladies are Simon and Halbig dollhouse dolls, mold number 1160. These dolls came in various sizes. This is the smallest I have seen. They are just under 6 inches tall. They have bisque heads on shoulder plates, bisque lower arms and legs, and cloth bodies. Their fixed glass eyes can make them look like they have taken too much laudanum. Although, some of them just look sad.  Many of these dolls had white arms, to represent long white gloves. They were made in Germany in the late 1900s.

Both of the ladies have reddish-coloured shoes with double straps. Mrs. F is missing half of her right foot, unfortunately, but it doesn't slow her down any.

These dolls always had wigs. These two ladies are lucky enough to have their original ones. Mrs. C has an elaborate ringlet updo which is very common  for these dolls. Mrs. F's hat hides her rather sparse wig. It has lost a great deal of hair as well as its ringlets over the past century, so the hat improves her looks immensely. Her wig would have originally been the same as Mrs; C's.

The children look like the darling little all bisque 3 1/2" dolls, made by the German firm of Kestner, circa 1910-15, although I think Cecil could be made by another German manufacturer, Kling. Flossie and Fairchild may not be Kestner either. Several German doll makers were putting out these types of dolls at that time. They are all bisque and have stationary glass eyes. They are jointed at the shoulders and hips and have painted boots or shoes. I find them adorable.