Kestner Bisque Dolls

A Lovely Kestner Doll

Joann Daniel Kestner was born on the 4th of September in 1784.

J.D.Kestner Jr produced Dolls from Waltershausen, Thüringia, Germany where he employed most of the local population.

 

Kestner Bisque Dolls were the most famous Doll makers of  Germany.

The Exquisite German Bisque Dolls by Kestner are as collectible as those of Jumeau in France.

 

Again though please give preference to kestner bisque dolls in original clothing if possible. There are reproduction around from the original molds.

It is the original dolls in original dress which will continue to increase in value.

 

Kestner Bisque Dolls Company started in 1820 and continued until 1938.

 

Kestner made a whole series of dollhouse dolls and these were very much appreciated as inhabitants of the lovely dollhouses being made at that time.

 

Like many other Dollmakers from Thuringia, Kestner used homeworkers as an important part of their workforce..In fact in 1846 the Kestner Compaany employed
 1264 workers and that included 423 children.Children in Thuringia at that time were able after the age of eight years to make and pack dolls together
with crocheting and knitting dresses, sewing bodies and glass-blowing glass eyes using a bellows and fixing them in the dolls heads.

(remember that at this time,most of Europe was still sending children up chimeys as cleaners and to work as pit face workers in coal mines)

Sample books from the Kestner company include color and monochrome pictures of Kestners dolls and  the range of available accessories

Also included were All-Bisque Dolls,dollhouse dolls (including some magnificent male dolls),molded and wigged half dolls and bisque socket heads without bodies.
From this we can see that Kestner was heavily into the wholesale doll business as well as selling complete dolls. Those heavily undercut French Bisque doll prices.

Some pages also show various tyles of doll wigs,clothing and shoes, character dolls ,porcelain dolls and bisque headed googlies.
Kestner produced the finest quality of dolls in Thuringia and made all the other doll makers attempt to come up to their exacting standards.

Kestner Dolls were made in the millions for over 100 years.

At the beginning of World War II many men were conscripted from the doll making companies like Kestner Dolls
and the Doll Making businesses in Thuringia were closed and only a few opened again after  the war.
Kestner is the oldest doll maker in Germany.

The company made many fine antique bisque dolls and porcelain dolls.

 

 Their dolls made at that time do not have a trademark on them.

 

In the 1880’s, Kestner produced a large quantity of bisque dolls and actively advertised them.
 In 1909, there was an epoch-making event in the industry: the appearance of the character dolls.
 Kestner merged with Kammer & Reinhardt.

Surprisingly Kestner’s dolls were generally inexpensive and had a reputation of its good quality.
German Companies marketed well and were one of the reasons for the amalgamation of the many French Dollmakers

Kestners was a major influence on European Doll making  and excelling other rivalling major doll makers

If you are interested in German Parian Dolls then you should really visit Walterhausen in Germany where his 1824 Doll Factory still stands.

After Johann died in 1858 the Kestner Doll factory bought a porcelain factory in Ohrdruf ( Steudinger Muller and Co)
It is believed that this company was already making unpainted heads for Kestner.
Those heads were assembled with composition bodies and went on the doll market.

There is an excellent collection of Kestner Dolls in the Museum Schloss Tenneberg where you can see the dolls plus interesting historical documents and sample books.

 

I the search for the unbreakable doll, Kestner eventually changed from Bisque to Celluloid dolls.

1805 Established by Johannes Daniel Kestner.
1840 Produces dolls made of wood and papier-mache.
1896 Registers “JDK Germany”.
1897 Registers Kestner Alphabet.
1914 Starts to advertise Kewpie dolls

 

Celluloid dolls were really the downfall of both the German and French Dollmaking industry and bisque dolls never really made a comeback comercially.

Bisque doll kits are still available and this is a good way to get into Bisque Doll collecting,