It is just about time to get down to some serious repair. My work at the historic site ended this last weekend and Christmas will have come and gone soon. Winter is my time to work.
Recently I picked up a few new babies of my own. The newest one is a Dolly Madison Pink tint china head. She is gorgeous! The doll had a cracked shoulder that was an easy glue job and a little missing paint on her head. As an interesting side note, when I looked in Dolly's head, it was stuffed with fabric and the 19th century advertisement you see in the photos. No gold or jewels hidden then, but historical treasure! I am not sure why people did this in the past. It is fairly common. A china head is already heavy so it hardly seems like it would have been for weight or to balance the feel of the doll so a little one would not drop it on its head. I am sure it made that more common - hence the crack!
I am not sure how far I will repair Dolly's body as it is suitable as is, though one arm could use a fix and she has a strangely swollen calf! Anyhow, here are a few photos of her 'as is'.
