Florodora

Name: Florodora

Made by and When: Armand Marseille, early 1900s

Material: Bisque head, composition or papier-maché arms, stuffed painted-black cloth body with painted feet

Marks: Florodora A 8/0

Height: 13 inches

Hair, Eyes, Mouth: Black wig, black sleep eyes without eyelashes, single-stroke brow, open mouth with teeth

Clothes: The off-white gauze bodice dress has a red skirt. The dress is glued to the body; wears a red beaded necklace, and has painted on side-button boots with gold trim. (The bodice color might have been white originally.)

Other: Made in Germany, this doll is a fine example of an early 1900s Florodora by Armand Marseille. The name spelling is documented in reference books as either Floradora (Patricia Smith’s Doll Values Tenth Edition) or Florodora (Collector’s Encyclopedia of Dolls by the Colemans). The doll is marked Florodora.

Gallery (Photographs courtesy of B. W. Flowers of Antique Black Things)

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