I've been looking a fair amount at old folk art dolls of late, and this is one, with graphite drawn face and real hair (fantastically knotted along the crown of her head and woven into a long braid down her back) is exactly the sort I'm hoping to find. I found her in southern Maine, and while I can see how some might call her homely, I'd call her amazing!
Attached to her was a handwritten card with information about her history, as 19th century make do doll. It notes that her china arms were added at some point to extend her original arms (the hands have since broken off the china arms, which only extend to about the length of her sleeves, so I think are just as well kept inside). Her hand-sewn calico dress is not original to her but is of about the same age. Under her dress she's in white cotton duck, with black cotton knit stockings covering her legs, ending in well-worn white oil cloth booties. Quite a girl!
14 5/8" tall x 5" wide at shoulders. There are a few small holes in the cloth of her dress, and certainly some fading/blurring to the pencil drawn features, which I think give her a wonderful elusiveness! Some fly away hair but still a full head of it. I'd be pretty gentle with her but she's structurally very sound and other than shedding a tiny bit very stable.
