What is it?
Doll
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Lenci dolls first appeared in New York at the New York Toy Fair in 1921. They were well-made, very attractive, and quite expensive. An advertisement from 1923 reads: "Lenci Dolls are the world's most beautiful and talked of dolls... Each doll is hand made in the big Lenci studio at Turin... There are no dolls the world over to even remotely compare with their saucy features, exquisite coloring, and luxurious costumes."
This doll is dressed in the modern style of the 1920s, with her cloche hat and the relatively simple lines and adornment of her dress. She has a seamless, sculptured face produced by a patented technique of hot pressing felt. Another classic Lenci feature is her wide-set eyes and glance to the right (although others glance to the left).
The Lenci Doll company was started by an Italian woman named Elena Konig di E. Scavini. Elena started to make dolls for herself after her only child died while her husband, Enrico, was away fighting in World War I. Elena lived in a city named Turin in Italy where there were a lot of factories producing cloth, so she was able to get the material for making her dolls despite the difficulties of the war.
When Enrico came back from the war, he became Elena's business partner and they started making dolls for sale. Elena's nickname was "Lenci," and she and her husband decided to call their dollmaking company "Lenci" too. |
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Gift of May F. Caplin, in memory of Stella L. Bloom, 1989
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Object number:
89.1.1
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This object is part of the category:
Dolls
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