The K * R 117/A "Mein Liebling" continues to be a favorite for doll collectors to this day, as this mold offers sweet character and refined features.  As it comes in a painted eye version and there is even a 117/N version with flirty eyes, open mouth and a much younger look, we have here the glass-eyed and sleep-eyed  version that seems to warrant a certain respect. This girl, in her antique navy silk mariner’s costume with matching cap, has brown glass sleep eyes, a sharp nose, closed mouth, pale and smooth and even bisque, and her antique, blond mohair wig.  (Some minor wig pulls on top left side of head at rim)

The strong molding of this Simon Halbig 949 earlier mold is complimented with its smooth, pale bisque and even color decoration. She has brown glass set eyes, a closed mouth, chubby cheeks, pierced ears and a vintage, French honey brown, human hair wig.  Her high quality, early German composition body is chunky, in the French manner, and has straight wrists. 

On the upper right arms there is a minor split and some paint loss on the wood. Dressed in an expertly made, vintage material dress with matching, fancy bonnet, she has vintage undergarments, socks and antique leather shoes.  Fine, French market doll in a darling size!  

 The lady also has a pale bisque shoulder head with rouged cheeks, blue painted eyes, a closed mouth and a black painted beauty spot on her right lower face.  She too has her original mohair wig applied over her molded hair and her silk Baroque costume is highly detailed, with metallic and lace decoration, one covered button is missing, but is all original with its dramatic, long cape over the extended train of the gown. 

The bodies are of densely stuffed muslin cloth with bisque lower arms and legs, with the men having what is supposed to look light tall boots or tights covering the legs.  The lady has her molded black boots exposed.  These would look wonderful in a stage or theater setting!

When German doll companies flirted with the French doll market, beautiful things happened, such as this glorious 13" Alt Beck and Gottschalk child with huge, almond shaped, brown paperweight eyes, open-closed full lips, egg-white pale bisque, a full, enfantine face shape and body silhouette, pale decoration of features and pierced ears.  Her blond mohair wig is a replacement.  Her bisque head and shoulder plate are one piece and her high quality leather body, having the initials "a s" on the chest, is firm and full as if she were meant to be a young debutant or fashion child.  Very Bru-like with the low, curved seam on the lower body and pronounced gusseting of the hips! Her lower arms and hands are of delicately posed bisque and her gusseted jointing throughout reminds us also of a child fashion from the French manufacturers.   

 One face features a red molded bisque hat with the Turkish insignia decoration on the front, and molded, short black hair peaking out from the sides.  The reverse face has the gray molded bisque cap that represents Austria, and molded, short blond hair on the sides.  From both sides you can see the molded and shaded ears shared by the two faces.  The body is a fully jointed, German composition body that is stamped with the red ink, Holzmasse mark, on the upper right rear shoulder. 

In 1908, doll artist Marion Klautz displayed her exquisite creations at the Leipzig Fair in Germany.  It was a time of art reform and these dolls answered the calling for a lifelike expression of creativity in a doll business that dealt generally in very stylized, idealistic faces.  This is called the Munich Art Doll, is 19" tall, and has a head of thick, pressed composition with painted intaglio eyes, closed mouth with full lips, textured, gently colored  complexion and peaceful human presence.  The auburn mohair wig is styled in two side buns with center parting, and the head is on the traditional, fully jointed composition body that you would have found on most German bisque head dolls of the same time.   

Being one of the most beloved Heubach characters, the Coquette mold 7850 can cheer up any collection with her side-glancing, cheerful face and smile.  Her head is made of molded bisque and features either a pink or blue ribbon painted around the head, then finishing on the side of the head with a big molded bow.  This girl has the blue bow that adorns her blond, molded curls and she has a wide smile with molded teeth peeking out from between her lips.  Her body is fully jointed wood and composition  with straight wrists and she wears an antique, white eyelet dress with turquoise ribbon sash, matching her hair bow, and the color is continued with her vintage, leatherette turquoise shoes.  12" Tall.

The 182 is on a fully jointed Kestner composition body and it wears it's original factory chemise, and all of the heads have their original mohair wigs and are contained in their separate compartments of the original display box.  The outside of the box is covered with textured  red paper and has the Kestner factory label on one end.  The box was wear and part of the lid is missing on one side.                                     From the Sherryl Shirran Collection.