Simon & Halbig

Simon & Halbig was a doll manufacturer known for bisque doll heads with subtle colouring. They were based in Thuringia , the centre of the German doll industry. They supplied doll heads to many other well known doll makers. These are now collectables.

Description [ edit ]

Bisque or biscuit porcelain is unglazed porcelain with a matte finish, giving it a realistic skin-like texture. ^[1] It is usually tinted or painted a realistic skin color. ^[2] The bisque head is attached to a body made of cloth or leather , or a jointed body made of wood, papier-mache or composition , a mix of pulp, sawdust, glue and similar materials. ^[2] Many, like Simon & Halbig, came from the Thuringia region, which has natural deposits of the clay used to make the dolls. ^[1]^[3]

Simon & Halbig was known for excellent sculpting of their doll heads, and the high quality of their bisque (porcelain). ^[4]

German childlike dolls were predominantly produced between 1890 and 1930. ^[3]

Examples of these dolls can be found in the Barry Elder collection in the Judges' Lodgings Museum, Lancaster ^[5]

History [ edit ]

Simon & Halbig was founded in 1869 and began making dolls in their two porcelain factories in Grafenhain and Hildburghausen in Thuringia, Germany.

In 1902 they started a co-operation with Kammer of Kammer & Reinhardt in which Kammer modelled heads and the firm produced them. The heads of the dolls completed by Kammer & Reinhardt, attached to bodies and legs of more durable composition, were stamped with the marks of both firms. ^[4] In 1920, Simon & Halbig was bought by Kammer & Reinhardt, who continued to produce dolls until 1932. The factory became known as Keramisches Werk Grafenhain. ^[6]

Innovations [ edit ]

Literature [ edit ]

Companies using Simon & Halbig heads [ edit ]

American firms

Arranbee Doll Company
Bawo & Dotter
George Borgfeldt
Edison Phonograph Toy Manufacturing Company
Gimbel Brothers
Strobel & Wilken
John Wanamaker

German firms

C.M. Bergmann
Gebruder Bing
Carl Bergner
Cuno & Otto Dressel
Eekhoff
Hamburger & Co
Heinrich Handwerck
Adolf Hulß
Kammer & Reinhardt [ de ]
Louis Linder & Sohn
Franz Schmidt
FAO Schwarz
Schoenau & Hoffmeister
Wagner & Zetzsche
Welsch & Co
Wiesenthal, Schindel & Kallenberg
Adolf Wislizenus

French-German firms

Fleischmann & Bloedel

French firms

^[7]

References [ edit ]

^ ^a ^b Christopher, Catherine (1971). The complete book of doll making and collecting . Dover Publications . pp. 187?190. ISBN 0-486-22066-4 . Retrieved February 8, 2010 .
^ ^a ^b Denise Van Patten. "Glossary of Doll Collecting Terms -- Composition" . About . Archived from the original on 2008-12-16.
^ ^a ^b "A Brief History of Antique Dolls, Part II" .
^ ^a ^b Foulke, Jan (December 1, 1984). Simon & Halbig Dolls: The Artful Aspect . Hobby House Press. ISBN 978-0875882192 .
^ Judges' Lodgings, Lancaster Description Panel
^ "Simon & Halbig Dolls" . dollreference.com . Retrieved 4 October 2014 .
^ Breiding, Hans-Georg. "Simon & Halbig Puppen" (in German). sammeln-sammler.de . Retrieved 27 September 2018 .

External links [ edit ]

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[christopher-1] Christopher, Catherine (1971). The complete book of doll making and collecting . Dover Publications . pp. 187?190. ISBN 0-486-22066-4 . Retrieved February 8, 2010 .

[aboutbisque-2] Denise Van Patten. "Glossary of Doll Collecting Terms -- Composition" . About . Archived from the original on 2008-12-16.

[abouthistory2-3] "A Brief History of Antique Dolls, Part II" .

[AA-4] Foulke, Jan (December 1, 1984). Simon & Halbig Dolls: The Artful Aspect . Hobby House Press. ISBN 978-0875882192 .

[IP-5] Judges' Lodgings, Lancaster Description Panel

[DRef-6] "Simon & Halbig Dolls" . dollreference.com . Retrieved 4 October 2014 .

[7] Breiding, Hans-Georg. "Simon & Halbig Puppen" (in German). sammeln-sammler.de . Retrieved 27 September 2018 .

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