Pauline Doll, Circa 1830

Pauline doll, German Nuremberg cardboard box with its original clothing.
Sulphide eyes.
In the 18th century, the doll was a luxury item mainly reserved for the aristocracy. Its heiresses, the fashion dolls, will see their sustainable development thanks to the bourgeoisie at the beginning of the 19th century. These first dolls are handcrafted works, commonly called "Pauline", the heads are wood or molded cardboard, they are produced in Germany and then assembled and dressed in France, most often in the halls district where doll craftsmanship took root. This explains the great disparity of body that we can find, often in skin but also in canvas as is the case with ours.
Circa 1830