Doll

Doll makers had used wax to make their dolls for centuries. They had learned from artists and sculptors that wax was easy to manipulate, and they could mold it into all kinds of figures. With a bit of coloring, the wax faces and hands looked very lifelike. In the 19th century, European doll makers used three processes to make wax dolls. A poured wax process resulted in the most realistic dolls; but they did not stand up well to "enthusiastic" play, and if they were left out in the sun. . . . Wax over composition dolls had a wax layer over a molded head of composition, a material similar to papier mache. Reinforced wax dolls also had a sturdy base material like the wax over composition. By the early years of the 20th century, doll makers molded their dolls from composition and celluloid, and other materials not nearly so delicate as wax.