Have I Completely Lost My Mind?

[talesofthesevenseas]

Perhaps I have been doing too much genealogy, looking at too many old photographs and pondering my family's past. But I was in an antique store at lunch today and was struck by the resemblance of this very old 1840's chinahead doll to the photograph of my great-great-great-grandmother, Mary Bolles Bradbury, which was taken in about 1849 to 1850. Have I lost my mind or what? I thought of her instantly when I saw this doll. Granted, a lot of the look is in the hairstyle, everyone was doing their hair like Jenny Lind (the singer). The dolls cheeks are a little fuller, which is typical of dolls of the period but...

[Oceans64]

I see it....  Definitely same hair.   

[talesofthesevenseas]

OK good, perhaps I haven't lost it completely then, LOL.

Well, I called the shop and had them put her on 24 hour hold so that I can go back in to take a look at her up close. She has condition issues in the dress and an issue on the back of the neck, but I'm not sure how bad it is. Hopefully it's a small repair that I could use to negotiate the price a bit. They are asking $298. Definitely not in the budget, but I would love to have a chinahead that is this early. They have layaway and Hubby owes me one, LOL! I'll see how I feel after sleeping on it overnight and then going back to look at the condition issues tomorrow. Hard to walk away from one that looks like an ancestor!

[waywardangler]

Tales, your great-great-great-grandmother was a doll model?  How fabulous!

[talesofthesevenseas]

Awww... and here I thought you guys were going to tell me I was a nut case!

[talesofthesevenseas]

Just emailed my mother the pics above. She agrees, it looks like Mary to her too. Might have to see if I can negotiate the price a bit. Talk about making an emotional antique purchase, huh?

[Oceans64]

Yeah but those emotional purchases are the ones you really treasure...

[talesofthesevenseas]

That is true Osh!

I'll let you guys know how it goes. I'll take my loupe.

[talesofthesevenseas]

I spent 45 minutes going over the doll with the loupe. I've posted details and new pics of the condition issues on the Ebay doll forum for anyone that would like to give it a lurk. Looks like some of the paint was touched up. I've extended the hold on it for another 24 hours while I research, ask for feedback and make a decision. I'd appreciate any feedback you guys can offer:

http://forums.ebay.com/db1/topic/Dolls/1840s-China-Head/520262554

[sapphire]

OMG tales, side by side with your ggg-grandmother the resemblance is even more pronounced.  If I came across a treasure like that and had the means to make her mine I wouldn't hesitate, regardless of the issues........but you know me, all my favorite things are 'issues'   

[talesofthesevenseas]

It is tempting just to dive in and do it. The similarities are really quite striking to my great-grandmother and I've never seen a doll that made me think of a person like this. I do feel like I would probably regret not buying her and it is highly unlikely I could find the exact same doll again, as I can't find one like her online. With the shop's layaway plan, I can do it in a couple of payments without accruing any interest on my credit card, or straining the family budget. But with anything that has had an older "restoration" like this, and has been devalued by it, I really want to proceed cautiously, to know exactly what I am buying and to feel like I'm making an informed purchase, even though it is obviously a highly emotional one.

At least her age does not seem to be in question. I had a long-time collector email me privately and dated her to 1850. Definitely she is the real deal. The hairstyle is referred to as "covered wagon" in doll collector's circles.

[waywardangler]

Ok, I am going to weigh in and I know nothing about dolls.  If you walk away, this is going to haunt you for years and I mean years.  If you buy her, are you able to overlook all her shortcomings and mainly fixate on how much she resembles your ancestor?  If she constantly reminds you of your gr-gr-gr grandmother, I think this is a no brainer to buy it.  Another doll in perfect condition from the same maker will probably not have an identical face and that is what draws you to this doll.  $253 I would do it in a second if it was me.  it is not me, so your finances have to help you decide.  With layaway the deal is even better and you already like dolls and this one you would absolutely love.  How is you hubby weighing in on this?  I would have told my wife to buy it. There is my non-doll collector opinion for what it is worth.  As my wife says, I have many opinions and all of them are free.  Not many are valued though.

[hosman321]

I agree. You'll regret not buying her. She may not be perfect but she is special to you and that's what counts. She compliments the photo and you can pass them down together. I say go for it and enjoy her!

[talesofthesevenseas]

According to one contributor on the other forum, the large ones like her in mint condition would be about $700, so $253 isn't bad and realistically I would not be able to consider her if she was a $700 doll. So there are times when some condition issues are a good thing.

Yes, she would definitely be passed on with a photo of Mary. I don't have the original, but I have a good scan.

[talesofthesevenseas]

Wayward, I missed your response when I replied to Hosman. Yep, you're spot-on that it would haunt me for years if I didn't do it. With hand-painted dolls, every face is a little different and they have distinct personalities, just like people. Finding another that reminds me so much of my ancestor is very, very unlikely. I'm feeling OK about the condition issues and about how other people who know more than I do about dolls responded to them. Hubby has been 100% supportive. He's always been very good about supporting this antique addiction of mine, even though he doesn't always relate to it, he knows how much I enjoy these things and that is what matters to him. He's a good keeper. :-) I'm feeling good about the whole thing and planning to do the layaway, just so that it makes it that much easier. $150 now and the balance next month.