I collect paper dolls and am fondest of the ones made pre-1950s. I especially love old advertising dolls. The lithography gave them a richness you would never see in later day dolls.
I purchased this doll several years ago on eBay. The seller was elderly and selling off some dolls his late wife had owned. I told him they'd be taken care of.
When looking at old dolls like this I wonder more about the hands they've passed through than who manufactured them. This particular doll dates to 1895.
To receive this doll back in 1895 the buyer had to first buy five packages of None Such New England Mince Meat and cut the heads off the woman holding a pie on the package. Sounds a little brutal. They were then supposed to send 10 cents in silver along with the heads. Starts to sound a bit like a ransom. If they didn't have the 10 cents, which was apparently the shipping charge, they could cut off 20 heads and get it for free. Now it's just starting to sound like an episode of CSI.
To read about the company that sold the dolls, Merrill-Soule headquarter in Syracuse, click here. The printer was Forbes Lithography located in Boston, Massachusetts.
This post ties in with this weeks posts on my photography blog, Tattered and Lost Photographs, where the category is dolls.
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Lovely! I have a soft spot for these beautiful advertising dolls. Didn't know kids had to cut off heads from the package! But you're right, the wonder of these dolls is how they survived, and who played with them when they were new, and up to now...
ReplyDeleteSeeing all the paper dolls made me think of the Sunday newspaper comics sections of the 1930s and '40s [and probably other decades]often having a full or half page of paper dolls and their outfits. Being on newsprint they weren't of high quality but they were nice for the little girls in families that couldn't afford fancier ones. No doubt countless little girls looked forward to the paper dolls in their local Sunday paper.
ReplyDeleteI have often made None Such mince meat cookies, usually during the Yuletide -- they are easy to make and so good!
Those vintage newspaper dolls are very collectible. I wish I had some.
DeleteI have never heard of mincemeat cookies, but I'm intrigued. I'm planning on making a mincemeat pie for Christmas even if some of the folks don't like it. My father with the Scottish ancestry loves it, and so do I.
I have not been impressed with most mincemeat cookie recipes, except for this one that I have used many, many times for more than 30 years. The cookies have a nice spicey flavor but are not especially decorative so for the Yuletide I sprinkle them lightly with green and red sugar before baking. One must ONLY use the condensed mincemeat that must be crumbled quite fine by hand. One's patience with that step is well-rewarded with good cookies. If one cannot find the condensed mincemeat in your local store it is available on-line.
ReplyDeleteNone Such Mincemeat Cookies
1 cup shortening [do not substitute other products]
1½ cups sugar
3 eggs
3 cups unsifted flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 [9-ounce] package None Such Condensed Mincemeat, crumbled] [do not substitute regular mincemeat in a jar]
Preheat oven to 375°. In large mixer bowl beat shortening and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, beating until smooth. In a separate bowl stir together dry ingredients [except mincemeat] and gradually add to shortening, sugar and egg mixture. Mix well. Stir in mincemeat. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls, 2 inches apart, onto greased baking sheets [if using non-stick sheets, do not grease them]. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Makes about 6 dozen cookies [or about 4 dozen larger cookies, which bake for about 11 minutes].
Thanks Felix! When time permits I'll give this a try. Mincemeat is hard enough to find. I don't know if I'll be able to find a condensed version.
DeleteThe regualr mincemeat in a jar definitely will not work in this cookie recipe. So if the condensed version is not in your local store, go to the Smucker None Such Web site on-line and order it from there ---- www.OnlineStore.Smucker.com/Flavors
ReplyDeleteA 6-pack of 9-ounce packages of the condensed version is only $22 [plus shipping]. It stores well, and there are no jars to later discard.
Thank you Felix.
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