Table Of Content
- Fair Charlotte, American Folk Ballad
- “Frozen Charlotte”
- For Decades, Frozen Charlotte Dolls Were Bestsellers
- Antique Q&A: Frozen Charlotte Dolls
- Who Decided to Put Sauerkraut in Chocolate Cake?
- Futaba Cake Building
- Creepy porcelain dolls named Frozen Charlotte were sold in tiny caskets and baked into cakes
They are formed as one solid piece and have no joints, thus giving rise to the name “Frozen”. Some have dark-painted hair and red lips but they are otherwise as white as snow. So, while it makes a compelling and delightfully morbid origin story, none of the children who actually played with these dolls knew of a connection between their favorite toy and a foolish young woman’s frostbitten corpse. And even though they’ve lost a bit of their historical creepiness, don’t let that stop you from being excited if you find a porcelain doll on the shore. The poem was a hit, as it touched on the dangers of vanity and not listening to your parents.
Fair Charlotte, American Folk Ballad
They were supposed to be designed to float so that children could play with them on the beaches and in the ocean, as well as in the bathtub or a pail of water. Some had an overall pink complexion tint; some had only a pink-tinted face. Apparently business was very brisk for this new doll, as it was produced in quite large numbers by a variety of manufacturers. A New York Observer article published in February 8, 1840 included a story about a woman in upstate New York who froze to death on her way to a New Year’s ball.
“Frozen Charlotte”
Largest archaeological dig in New Zealand unearths thousands of 19th-century treasures - Stuff
Largest archaeological dig in New Zealand unearths thousands of 19th-century treasures.
Posted: Wed, 21 Sep 2022 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Found during an archeological dig on site in 1990, this small bisque china doll was popularly known as a "Frozen Charlotte" doll. Another inch-high doll was made of pewter or a leadlike material. Others, measuring one to two inches high, are made of a pasty-looking bisque material which gives them a sugary-looking appearance, and the label "sugar babies." What did 19th-century American children do with their Frozen Charlotte dolls? They likely used them as dollhouse figurines, though larger versions of the doll might have been used as ornaments.
For Decades, Frozen Charlotte Dolls Were Bestsellers
The eerie tale of a woman perishing on a long sleigh ride inspired Maine poet Seba Smith to write a poem called "A Corpse Going to a Ball." One time highly sought after by young girls to play with in the bath or bake into a cake, these antiques are now sought after by collectors today. It’s commonly accepted that these dolls were didactic tools, physical representations of the consequences of parental disobedience. It’s widely believed that Victorian children were well-aware of the origin story of these dolls and played with them nonetheless. After all, many aspects of Victorian culture are openly macabre and death-obsessed, so this grisly historical narrative isn’t entirely outlandish. We all love those stories but here is where we must use discretion and whatever knowledge our study has developed.
Attach them to necklaces, brooches, or keychains for wearable vintage elegance. During the war, many of the doll factories were either abandoned or destroyed, burying the Frozen Charlotte inventory in the dirt. These dolls are now hunted for and dug up by excavators for the many collectors who covet them. Ultimately, Frozen Charlotte dolls became eerie reminders for children to obey their parents. Like marbles, dice, and other toys, when they wore out, broke, or were no longer wanted they ended up bring tossed in the trash. In past centuries, many towns and cities dumped their municipal trash over a cliff, in a river, or directly on a beach.
The Judge carries in his pocket a small tin coffin on which is the inscription, “This man was talked to death,” and when a long winded lawyer gets to spouting on some unimportant question the Judge places the coffin before him. Unfortunately, there was no further information attached to the item, just a lot of unanswered questions. What’s with the mega creepy inscription that seems almost threatening in tone? I’m afraid I still don’t have any answers to these questions after a week of research. However, the little corpse in the coffin had some stories to tell. With the assistance of Center staff, the intern will arrange and catalog materials in the Center’s library.
"Frozen Charlotte" dolls provided cautionary tales to young women in the 19th century to prioritize health over fashion - Boing Boing
"Frozen Charlotte" dolls provided cautionary tales to young women in the 19th century to prioritize health over fashion.
Posted: Mon, 31 Jul 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Such dolls were sold undressed (the clothes are almost always homemade) and were used in dollhouses since they wre jointed and were able to sit, unlike the Frozen Charlottes. This new doll was different, though, because whereas most of the china-head dolls represented ladies, the new doll was designed as a baby or small child. It was generally chubby in form, with molded stiff limbs and bare feet. The arms were bent at the elbows, but the legs were straight and separate. It usually had short black molded hair with brush marks framing the face.
During the course of the internship, the intern will take a leading role in the cataloging, sorting and storing of research files and creating user guides for these collections. Center staff will instruct the intern on archival procedures, computer cataloging, storage requirements, and preventative conservation. Nothing is more charming and delightful to collect than those little dolls that were mass-produced in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. For an accurate and professional assessment of a Frozen Charlotte doll’s value, consider consulting with antique doll experts or appraisers who specialize in this niche.
Creepy porcelain dolls named Frozen Charlotte were sold in tiny caskets and baked into cakes
The name Frozen Charlotte came from an American folk ballad Fair Charlotte, which was attributed to William Lorenzo Carter. The song was inspired by the poem Young Charlotte written by Seba Smith after he read a true story in the New York Observer. “A young woman…was frozen to death while riding to a ball in a carriage on Jan 1, 1840.” She froze to death because she did not want to cover up her pretty dress. In addition to buying Frozen Charlotte dolls in tiny caskets, the "Frozen Charlotte" became a popular dessert. The confection offered a frozen take on the dessert called Charlotte Russe, which blends ladyfingers and Bavarian cream.
Their popularity soared in Britain and America, where they were baked into cake as a nice (or not so nice, depending on your tolerance for creepy little porcelain girls) surprise for kids. The song was itself based on a poem by American writer Seba Smith, who first published the poem in a Maine newspaper in 1843. His poem was in turn inspired by an account published in a New York newspaper in 1840 detailing just such an incident. The doll's coloration is sometimes believed to be a reflection of the young lady's frosty demise. All mentions of these dolls from the time period call them “penny dolls,” not “Frozen Charlottes.” So when did the name we use today actually become connected to these little porcelain dolls?
For those among us with this fear towards porcelain dolls, the Frozen Charlotte may be the most unsettling of all. A Frozen Charlotte is a petite porcelain baby, standing anywhere from 1″ to 18″ tall. These dolls are usually made from unglazed porcelain, bisque, or China. They have a matte, ivory-colored finish, which sets them apart from glossy porcelain dolls.
“The Victorian doll who represented a frozen woman” has become an example of “hidden” or “hushed-up” history, the type of bizarre “did you know … ? ” factoid we believe and share without asking for primary sources. Doll collector/historian Nancy Shepard cautioned about this intertwining of fact and fiction in 1952.
Unusual designs, molds , or themes can increase a doll’s desirability and value. Some collectors seek specific variations or limited edition releases. Assuming the condition is the same, larger dolls are more expensive to buy than small ones.
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