American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1875-02-20
Gm A'oys and girls.
HOW DOLLS ARE MADE.
BY OLIVE TlIORNE.

anything nice can come from such a
place, do you say?
l fear you'll be shocked when tell
you that not only Rosabel, who is a
perfectly -lovely'' wax-doll, but your
own most precious dolly, if she's any,
thing better than china. probably came
out of the same dreadful place.
To be sure her head, neck, hands and
feet are all of wax outside, and, as only
this covering bows, she is just as good
and as pretty as though she were wax all
through; and you know the old saying
that "beauty is but skin deep" But
nevertheless, she did come out of the
rag bag, and I'll tell you all about it.
while she sits there on the sofa, elegant
ly dressed, and looking as lovely as
though she never even heard of such
things as rags.
The true story of her life, since she
was first created, would be very inter
esting; but it would make a big book,
and can't tell you half of it.
A new doll, did you say? Well,
know she has not lived long in her pres
ent shape, but you must remember thai
wrapped up in green bud, growing on
bush. She came out of that long
white bit of cotton, went through ever
so many processes, and became cotton
cloth of some kind; was bought and sold
and made up and used, washed and ironed
and worn out as cloth, just to begin
with. Think of all that probably hap
pened to her before she even became
rags!
That was only the beginning. After
being WORKOUT rags she went into the
rag bag or the alley, made journey on
the back of a rag man, went through a
dreadful course of soaking, and washing,
and boiling, and bleaching, and pressing
and drying, aud ever so much else be
fore she came out nice clean paper,
ready for use again. Did you suspect
your dolly had ever been paper?
Well, she was paper once, and who can
tell what may have been her life when
in that state-whether she was beautiful
note paper and carried loving messages
from one friend to another, or whether
she was used for business writing, or for
wrapping up confectioners' dainties, or
whether she was made into 4 book or
not, or did good or harm. She'll never
open her lips to tell of her past life; but
you may be sure she was put to some use
as paper, and could tell strange stories
of what she has seen if she could only
remember-and talk.
You see she's very old, older than any
of you, and l don't think it's respectful
to old age to treat her as some OF you do.
l hope you'll mend your manners toward
her, now that you know. about her age
and dignity.
When the paper of which she is made
was old and soiled and unit for use it
was taken to doll mandatory, in
the little city of Sonneburg, near the
northern border of Bavaria, and there 1t
went through the operations that made
it into this pretty doll.
The first thing, of course, is TO make
that mass Of paper into clean pup,
and we'll leave it boiling away in big
kettle while we see what the doll-makers
are doing to get ready to use it. First
they must have model of Miss Dolly's
head. A model, you know, is figure
made of the exact size and shape of
the head, for pattern. The man
who makes the model has a
make higher or lower. or even
turn around if he wishes. From lump
of soft clay he cuts and shapes dolP-
head and neck. When the model is fins
ished the modeler makes lines on 1T with
colored crayons as guide to the next
workman, who is called a molder.
When the pattern, or model, is ready
there must be made mold in which to
shape the paper pulp from the kettle.
This is made by the molder. He takes
the pretty clay model when it is dry and
hard, and lays it face up in dish of wet
clay, pressing the clay into every corner
up to the colored line which the modeler
made This being done, he builds wall
of clay around the mass, coming up
some inches higher all around than the
face of the model, which is left uncov-
cred The whole looks life a box half
full of clay, with a face looking out
of it.
One man then holds the clay walls to-
gether while another one pours
over the face some melted sui
phur Sometimes plaster of Paris
is used instead of sulphur, but it is not
thought to be so good.
The mold is not done yet. The clay
was put on merely to protect that part
of the head while the rest was nodded.
When the sulI hur is cold the box Is
turned over a. d tie clay taken away,
leaving Miss Rosabel with her face
buried in sulphur. It's well she cannot
smell; the visitors to the room who can
do not care to stay long
Clay walls are again built up and more
sulphur is poured in to make mold for
the back of her head.
Now the mold is finished and we must
go back to our paper pulp, which we
left boiling, you know. When soft and
ready for use the water is squeezed out
and other things added-some powdered
clay 10 make it stiff and a little glue
to make it sticky. These are worked
up together till the mass is about like
dough, and indeed it is made into loaves.
Then man with a rolling-pin rolls out
the paper dough-papier-nan 1t is
called-for another man to shape. He
- fhirlnr than Iip :
and then cuts it into pieces the right size
fer use, making pile of them, with flour
or powdered clay between to prevent
their sticking together. These thin cakes
of paper dough are then pressed into the
molds for Dolly's head.
When the workman has carefully fitted
the sheet of dough into every part OF the
mold he pares off the edges with knife
as YOU see IA cook cut the crust from IA
pie plate, lifts the halt head out of the
mold and lays it on the table to dry a
little When dry enough it is again
pressed in the mold to give it a more per
feet shape, and then is dried for the
last time The two halves being
finished they are glued together, and Miss
Rosabel for the first time takes an up
right position on IA shelf, where she stands
till she is hard and dry, looking more
like stiff pasteboard than anything else.
Miss Dolly is not very pretty in that
state, | must admit. She is OF dlngy
gray color, with no eyes and no hair.
However, she is not yet finished. Her
next journey is to the eye-setter. A rough
doctor he is, and the first thing he does is
to cut off the topof her head by running
IA sharp knife around it and knocking the
piece out with hammer.
What for Merely to put in her eyes,
nv dear: and "A curious operation 1t Is,
too. If they were immovable eyes, like