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                  This complete doll, similarly marked, has a wooden and composition body.
                                               Height 17.5”. Private collection.

Site: 18BC80  Privy 19A01

Context: Brick lined privy, Lot 132. Privy associated either with African-American or German immigrant neighborhood.

Site Date Range: Late 19th to early 20th century 

Materials: Painted bisque porcelain.

Dimensions:

Description: Molded and painted bisque socket head porcelain doll. Impressed on reverse “Made in Germany/390/A 1 ½ M”. Made by the firm of Armand Marseille. Marseille was among the most prolific or German doll manufacturers, beginning production of dolls around 1885 and continuing until around 1930 (King 1981:400). Dolls marked “390”  were usually part of jointed composition dolls. Flattened open area at top of head for placement of hair.

History: Most inexpensive porcelain doll parts found in America were manufactured in Germany. It was not until the mid-nineteenth century that porcelain became inexpensive enough to be used for large-scale doll production (King 1981:287)