Omaha daily bee., 1902-12-21

moving eyes, eyes that move the youngsters
to ecstacy and their elders to purchase. And
the prettiest fine lady dolls are already
disappearing from the shops. Not going TO
the purchasers homes, though. II is too
long before Christmas for that. But the
doll sellers have added a new department to
their business this year. Dolls, picked out
by prospective buyers, on which a small de-
posit is paid, are ticketed and put way in
the shops storerooms. to await the time
when II will be convenient for them TO be
received as household inmates.
The high-class Christmas doll-she that
has on real lisle-thread stockings, shoes
with silver-plated buckles and other APP
p~ointments of d~isttnction-must be much
relieved when thus ticketed and borne on
to the deposit room, for, Of course, It is
humiliating to be handled and to hear her
self discussed and criticised, as must be the
case when she is out IN public view.
The expression "doll-like" will have 20
be changed or newly interpreted since the
doll Of 1903 has come to town. The doll OF
1903 has character and intelligence in her
face and considerable individuality, too.
She has style and go. and many other quail
ties that dolls usually have not been
credited with. Her figure is not a mere
image Of the human form. 1t has express
sion and is built on lines that indicate
strength and staying capacity and serve to
show of her clothes as we'll
For the first time, too, the racial types OF
feature are exemplihed in the all-round
American doll. There is the Jewess type,
the round-faced German type, the pure
Greek cameo-like features and the lively
looking French type. 1t used 10 be that the
face OF one doll was as much like another in
coloring and expression as two peas out OF
the same pod. But the modern doll looks
like herself and herself only. She might
be conscious of being able to do things that
you never dreamed she could do.
Even the everyday cloth dolls have faces
that will wash, pink cheeks and blue eyes
that will Withstand the application OF moist
ure. II this New Years 1O-cent doll should
encounter by any chance a survival OF the
1o-cent doll Of a few years ago It is doubt
full II she would acknowledge the hnship.
AS for the infant dolls in long clothes,
their cry is much more like the real thing
and their expression much more babyhed
than formerly. Formerly any old doll
dressed in baby clothes was an infant doll
but the infant doll today is a real sucking
in looks and expression and could never be
mistaken for a grown-up doll, even though
she were dressed in promenade or ball cos
tune.
The Chinese dolls that have come for
Christmas look as though they could teach
history. And certainly they represent their
country in every detail OF dress and walking
gear The little Jap dolls, the darkies, the
Indians, Mexieans and Russians have all
come to help the children's festival; and a
gay-lookinR lot they are, and knowing-look-
ing, too, as II they were rather on the look
out for criticism and were prepared to an
swer Il.
The dealers say that they look TO Ger
many for the choice dolls. But II America
does not produce the fine dolls It can brag
about 1t has, Il Is asserted. lone the next
best thing, that Is, stimulated the makers
to improve on their standard.
II Is the demand OF the American buyers
for a lifelike, animated looking doll that
has spurred on the doll artists to do good
work. Even the scent dolls cheeks are
not so brick dust in color nor their eyes
so blank as formerly. And II is the Ameri-
can hairdressers that furnish the fine dolls
wigs as substitutes for the poor quality OF
hair that the foreign-made doll has TO put
up with.