1920s Regency Lady Half Doll - Foreign Glazed hot Bisque Half Doll with an Orange & Blue Blouse and Pompadour Hairstyle

1920s Regency Lady Half Doll -
Foreign Glazed Bisque Half Doll
with an Orange & Blue Blouse
& Pompadour Hairstyle
A most attractive example of a Foreign Half Doll,
possibly German in origin
with a delightful Regency style outfit
in orange and blue with pale blue ruffles. .
The doll stands 3 1/2 inches tall and 2 inches wide.
She is in beautiful antique condition with no marks or blemishes.
This doll is in excellent condition with bright colours
and fine detail on the face.


Half Dolls are just that--generally, the upper half of a human figure, without legs. Half dolls were produced without legs so that they could be attached to something useful--very commonly, pin cushions, but also whisk brooms, tea cozies, and numerous things that could grace a ladies dressing table, such as powder boxes.

Years of Production
The vast majority of Half Dolls were produced between 1900 and the 1920s, although some were produced earlier than that and some later. Some half dolls are still reproduced today.

Companies That Produced Half Dolls
Most half dolls were produced in Germany, by firms such as Dressel & Kister, F. W. Goebel, Ernst, Bohne & Sohne, Heubach, Hertwig, Karl Schnider and many others. Japan also flooded the market with inexpensive models.

Sizes of Half Dolls
Most half dolls are between 2 and 6 inches tall, although there are smaller and also a few larger examples.

Materials and Characteristics of Half Dolls
Half dolls are generally made of porcelain (glazed bisque, sometimes called china) although there are also models made in unglazed bisque. Half dolls have also been made out of composition, hot wax, and many other materials.

Marks on Half Dolls
Half dolls are often found unmarked, marked Foreign, Germany or "Made in Germany", or with a four or five digit mould number. Models from Japan can be marked "Japan" or "Made in Japan". Only a few companies such as Dressel and Kister and Goebel would sometimes mark half dolls with their company's distinctive mark.



How to Identify Desirable Half Dolls
There are so many thousands of styles of half dolls made, and so few good reference books available, that many doll collectors throw up their hands in frustration and feel that half dolls and their values are nearly impossible to decipher. That is not true--with a keen eye, and a few basic facts about half dolls and half doll pricing, any collector can start to understand the fascinating area of half doll collecting.

The complexity of the mould used to make the half doll is very important. The more complex the mould used, generally, the more valuable the half doll. Simple half dolls with arms "close" to the torso (no separation of arms from the torso, made with 2 mould pieces) are generally the least expensive. Next are half dolls with "open and returning arms, which show some separation between the arms and the torso. The most desirable have "arms away", which have arms modelled completely away from the body of the half doll, and which generally require complex moulds.

The painting of the half doll also contributes to price differences. Delicately and precisely painted half dolls are worth more than those with crude painting. Although most crudely painted half dolls were made in Japan, many budget models were also made in Germany, so having a half doll marked "Germany" is no guarantee of quality.

The third major factor in half doll desirability is the type and complexity of the modelled clothing and hair, and also which accessories the half doll is holding. More complex clothing (ruffles, hats, feathers) and more complex hairdos add to the value. Also, is the doll holding an accessory? A famous accessory that increases the value of half dolls greatly is a "chocolate tray" with a pot of hot chocolate and a cup. Other desirable accessories can include delicate grooming items, small animals, and flowers and flower baskets. See pricing above for examples of variations on pricing depending on the complexity and rarity of half dolls.