March 2009, Volume 12, Number 2
Responsible Restoration
by Lynn Murray

Doll restoration is a topic that never fails to raise controversy. The debate has continued since the late 1960s when Dorothy, Ann, and Jane Coleman’s Encyclopedia of Dolls conveyed awareness of the potential historic value of dolls. Until that time, dolls were widely regarded as simply playthings, their value largely sentimental. They were routinely taken to doll hospitals where they were repaired, repainted, and given a nice new synthetic wig and a pretty dress of the latest synthetic fabric. When Jan Foulke’s first Blue Book of Doll Values was published a few years later, enthusiasts and collectors became aware of the monetary value of dolls as well. The attributes that increase the value of an antique doll are largely the same attributes used to judge antique dolls: quality, condition, originality, and rarity. Add to this sentimentality the whims of collectors and ever-changing trends in collecting, and you have a complex formula for determining the value of an antique doll. On one issue, dealers and collectors agree: a damaged doll is worth a fraction of the value of a doll in original pristine condition. Restoration or repair to a doll does not necessarily add monetary value, depending on the doll and, of course, the type of restoration.

How do you restore an old doll? Initially, that sounds like a straightforward question but there are many factors to consider. Do you make the doll look pristine and perfect? Do you leave traces of its history and evidence of its age? These are questions that have no direct simple answer. The owner of a doll chooses its destiny and through the time they own the doll, their personality is integrated into the doll’s history. The personal decisions made by the owner of the doll may increase or decrease the value of the doll according to appraisers.

The choice of costume, wig, restoration or conservation is a personal choice. It should be an educated choice that enhances the owner’s enjoyment of the doll.

There are several schools of thought on restoration and repair. The first school of thought is to do nothing to the doll, keeping it in the condition in which it was found, no matter how dirty or damaged. If you are of this school of thought, you will have to be prepared to search long and hard for dolls that are in all original and pristine condition. You must educate yourself extremely well to recognize originality and condition. Dolls in this condition are few and far between and often out of the financial reach of most collectors.

The second school of thought is to do nothing that cannot be undone. That is to say, restoration would be limited to cleaning, replacing clothing and wig, while preserving the original costume and wig to protect the integrity of the doll. This school of thought is most often recommended by advanced collectors. If you subscribe to this school of thought, you may allow yourself to buy dolls that have some inoffensive form of damage such as a hairline, a broken finger, or in the case of a wooden doll, a nose chip. You still must educate yourself to recognize and avoid “marriages” of heads and bodies, skillful over-painting or parts replacement.

The third school of thought is the one that causes the greatest consternation among knowledgeable collectors and dealers in antique and vintage dolls. This school of thought is repair and restoration to make the doll look new again.

It is unfortunate that there are still people who make this a practice, for they destroy any historical significance and integrity of the doll. Hairline cracks get repaired, the doll’s face repainted with modern paint. Crazed composition dolls get completely sanded, smoothed and repainted when all they needed was a few conservation treatments. Faded antique clothing is discarded in favor of reproduction clothing. If you are a collector who wants a Jumeau or Bru that looks like it just came out of the store, purchase a reproduction.

Responsible restoration is done with respect by preserving as much of the doll’s originality as possible. An early doll is a small piece of history and as such, they should reflect their origin as a beloved plaything.

When two similar English wooden dolls of the 18th century came to the Old Pretenders for evaluation and restoration, the men were faced with two difficult decisions. They felt the responsible course of action was obvious, but they worried that it might not be the satisfactory course for the families of the dolls in question.