Bru, Sonnenberg Dolls & Clothes, ca. 1865
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GUEST:
My grandmother gave me these dolls when I was 16. I grew up in Connecticut, and brought them to Memphis when I was 23. As I grew up, she would show me these dolls, but I never could touch them. And I guess she waited until I was 16, so I wouldn't play with them.
APPRAISER:
Well, you have two dolls from two different countries. The lady right here next to you is a French doll, and she's commonly known as a French fashion doll, or Lady doll. And this is a child doll right here. She's made in Germany. This was made in the Sonnenberg area of Germany. This was made in Paris, France. The fashion was made by a company called Bru, B-R-U. And she has a bisque head, shoulder plate, glass eyes, a mohair wig, which is goat hair, her original clothes, her original jewelry. She is missing her shoes, and her body's all leather. This particular doll-- the little Sonnenberg doll-- has a wax-over- papier-mâché face, and then composition hands with swivel joints right there. Her eyes are closed. Do you know anything about that?
GUEST:
I really don't. I would tilt her from time to time to see if I could see the eye, but...
APPRAISER:
Uh-huh. Well, let's see if we can do something with her. We're going to pull this little lever, and her eyes open.
GUEST:
Where is that?
APPRAISER:
And then you push the lever down like that, and the eyes shut.
GUEST:
Oh, my. Where is that little lever?
APPRAISER:
The lever's on the side of her body.
GUEST:
Oh, my goodness!
APPRAISER:
Well, anyway, anyway, they're, they're both from the same era. They're from the late 1860s, maybe as new as 1870, but I would put them, like, 1865, sort of Civil War era.
GUEST:
(exhaling)
APPRAISER:
The little Sonnenberg doll-- all original clothes, original shoes, original hair, super original little wardrobe. And you actually have the, the paper trunk that she came in.
GUEST:
Yeah.
APPRAISER:
The wax-over has darkened with age. Values: the little Sonnenberg doll with her wardrobe-- probably $1,200 to $1,500. Now, the Bru fashion, even though she's missing her shoes-- you can find original shoes for her-- she's more in the $3,000 to $4,000 range.
GUEST:
She is?
APPRAISER:
Right.
GUEST:
Oh, my.
APPRAISER:
So probably around $5,500 for the grouping.
GUEST:
Those are nice dolls.
APPRAISER:
Yeah, they're lovely dolls, and they're in lovely condition.
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