While German presentation boxes may not have been initially as eye-catching as their French counter parts close inspection
often reveals added delights like a doll for a doll. Provenance tells us that this near pristine large scale box (not visible) was
a 1902 Christmas gift to a little girl in Germany who was allowed limited play with the box and its contents on Sundays
only, a tradition many children faced. Once at play the girl had 15 articles of clothing to mix and match on her large bisque
headed doll while the less-well-endowed little doll has an outfit of matching fabrics and lace. Denery Collection
Christmas presents are important in America, in France children look forward to New Year's gifts or
Étrennes. Often the flash of a presentation container was as important as its content and in this case
an early 20th century SFBJ/Jumeau trunk, SFBJ doll and commercially produced wardrobe met a
child's dreams and had just about the same staying power. While eye catching the garments
are flimsily constructed and certainly a 301 bisque headed doll was never considered
top of the line. Coleman Collection
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Fall 2016
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Doll News Fall 2016