It’s always a thrill when someone answers our call for artifacts with a generous donation of any sort, but when Julia Freitag visited the museum to deliver this trio of 19th century German dolls it was a particularly nice suprise.
Julia had seen our Facebook post requesting artifacts dating to the 1800s to help furnish the historic Calvin Jones House. And as a perfect illustration of the old saying, “You won’t get if you don’t ask,”… Julia simply walked through the door with these three glorious dolls.
Inherited from her great-great-grandmother in Germany, the dolls are of bisque porcelain and appear to be from the mid-1800s. Two have wigs of real human hair and their faces are finely handpainted with exquisite detail. The age, condition, and artistry of these dolls makes them a particularly rare acquisition, and they’ll make their first appearance in the Calvin Jones House this holiday season as part of an antique toy display planned for Christmas.
We extend our thanks to Julia for her thoughtfulness and generosity in supporting the Wake Forest Historical Museum.
As for that original request– we’re still actively seeking household items and furniture dating to the mid-1800s, along with 1940s shaving kits, radios, desks, bedframes and baggage that would have appeared in students’ rooms when the home served as a boardinghouse for Wake Forest College.
Your old items are so very special to us, so please keep them coming!