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Mysterious Pair of Antique Dolls -- Cloth & Papier-mache? European? Portuguese?

$ 5.28

Availability: 100 in stock
  • Doll Size: 8 inches tall
  • Condition: Used
  • Original/Reproduction: Original
  • Doll Gender: One Man & One Woman
  • Brand: Homemade
  • Hair Color: Black
  • All returns accepted: ReturnsNotAccepted
  • Skin Color: Fair/Light
  • Features: Antique
  • Country/Region of Manufacture: Unknown
  • Eye Color: Brown

    Description

    These were purchased at an estate sale in Lancaster County Pennsylvania.
    They do not seem to represent any of the larger ethnic groups common to this area. Of course, there is a very diverse population of people from everywhere -- even here in the heart of Amish and Pennsylvania Dutch country :)
    The only clue to their possible origin is the hat  the man is wearing that I believe is called a barretina.
    The barretina is a traditional hat that wasR worn by men in parts of the Mediterranean Sea, including Catalonia, the Valencian Community, the Balearic Islands, Provence, Corsica, Sicily, Malta, Sardinia, part of Naples, part of the Balkans and parts of Portugal.
    It took the form of a woolen bag, usually red.
    I find these two dolls quite charming and, It may sound silly, but rather expressive. The way they regard each other in the photos seems to reveal a bit of attitude...
    The man has not aged as well as the woman. His misshapen head could possibly be reformed by someone with the skill to enter the head to gently push it back into shape.
    I did not want to attempt this for fear of puncturing it.
    The woman's hair is in a very neat bun, but it might need a little bit of adhesive where it is pulling away a little bit on one side. Again, I will leave this to the buyer,  not wanting to mess up the hair with any type of glue.
    Some of us enjoy the beauty of old and worn things. So I will leave it up to you to decide if they need any improvements.
    Please look at the photographs carefully to determine if the condition of the dolls is acceptable to you and if they would be a welcome addition to your collection.
    Will ship the next business day after receipt of payment from a
    smoke-free and pet-free home
    in Lancaster County Pennsylvania
    via USPS Priority Mail.
    A little info on recent work of the American Red Cross:
    Last year, more than 70,000 people across the country became new Red Cross volunteers largely to support urgent  disaster and essential blood donation needs.
    In addition, thousands of pandemic survivors — many new to blood donation — rolled up a sleeve to give convalescent plasma and help patients battling the pandemic.
    I am grateful that so many volunteers have the energy to do this very vital work.
    For this reason, a portion of my eBay sales are donated to this organization.
    Thank you for considering my listing :)