Antique WW1 Paper Dolls - Dolly Dingle

Glorious and beautiful day to you!

To paraphrase Psalm 118:24

This is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it!

And I hope you will too.

Sometimes it's so easy to get bogged down in the stuff of life; that we loose track of what's truly important.  I find it better to think on things I can be grateful for instead of thinking on things I have no control over.  So, I choose to trust in the Lord and give Him praise for everything, for I know He can work all things to my good - hallelujah! Romans 8:28

I have been so blessed over the years to have add some truly lovely antique paper dolls to my collection and I though I'd bless you guys too by posting some fun WW1 paper dolls from it.  

These are the three paper dolls I'll be sharing with you today.

I hope you enjoy them and that they bring some joy to your day! 

Please see my instructions on the sidebar on how best to save the higher resolution image of each to your computer in case you want to print and use the dolls.

Most of my paper doll collection is from late 1800s and early 1900s; and I have a special affection for newspaper and magazine paper dolls from that time frame. These paper dolls appeared in the women's magazine Pictorial Review in 1918.

I remember commercials of the Campbell's Soup Kids from my childhood; so once I discovered these early Dolly Dingle Dolls I had to add some to my collection just for the giggles of it.

I soon realized that I could purchase original pre-1930's magazine pages of them, for a few dollars a piece; however some of the rarer ones I was having to pay $20-30 to get. My Dolly Dingle paper doll collection consists of around 20 pages but I was only willing to super splurge on only a handful of the rarer ones like Dolly's Mother and Father.

I don't know what kind of money this series of 1918 WW1 dolls currently cost, but these are still some of my favorites and I don't regret the expense or time it took to get all three.

Most Dolly Dingle paper dolls are of Dolly and or Friends with their cute round faces and chubby cheeks. Like this June 1918 page from Pictorial Review Magazine.

One of the things I enjoy about this page is that you have Dolly Dingle and a dress for her but you also have her paper dolls and it's a WW1 Wedding.  You have the dashing soldier husband and the bride with her wonderful wedding wardrobe.  It's so Downton Abbey!

I believe I paid $8-$10 for this page

The artist of Dolly Dingle and the Campbell's Soup Kids was Grace Drayton (1878-1936)

She started with the Campbell's Soup Kids in 1904 and they ran strong for decades, even after her death in 1936.  You still see them occasionally from time to time.

Here are two examples. I found them in my 1919 Delineator Magazine's

Check out some of the soup options they had: 

Julienne, Mock Turtle, Mulligatawny, Mutton, Oxtail & Printanier 

I miss my Tomato-Beef Noodle O's - I think they removed it in the 1980's

I think Carnation breakfast squares disappeared around the same time.

Oooooo what yummy memories those both bring back.

I think most people are familiar with images of the Campbell's Soup Kids but fewer are aware that the artist also had a paper doll series under the name of Dolly Dingle.

Grace's Dolly Dingle Paper Doll series became a regular in in the Pictorial Review Magazine from 1913 to 1933

Pictorial Review Magazine like many women's magazines of it's day were large oversized productions, similar in size to a half folded newspaper or of the old Life Magazines. And many from this time period included a page with a paper doll or paper toy of some kind.  I enjoy collecting them. Sometimes I have to purchase the entire magazine to get the doll but since I enjoy the fashions and ads of the day and sometimes the articles, I don't mind so much. - grins

I've reduced the size of the actual pages I've posted to make it easier for anyone who wants to print and play with the paper doll pages - just in case anyone was wondering.

I have instructions on how to save and print the higher resolution size of these images on my sidebar.

 This next Paper Doll is one of my all time favorite finds

Dolly Dingle's Mother and her WW1 Nurse Uniform 

She appeared in the August 1918 issue of Pictorial Review

Dolly Dingle's Mother and the next one of her Father caused me to go into a bidding war with several other people.  I probably paid way to much for each of these, but back when I was bidding for them, you just did not see either one come up for sale very often.

I believe I paid the low $20's for one and the high $20s for the other.

At that time you could usually buy the entire magazine issue for those prices; however I was not able to locate either the July or August 1918 issue with the paper doll page still in the magazine after years of looking so I went for it on these two pages. 

Tip - Before you bid or purchase a vintage magazine online for the paper doll or toy, ask the seller to verify that page is still in the magazine and request a photo of it to show condition.  I've encountered magazines where the page is missing, torn or in very bad condition. Also verify they will mail the magazine flat and not be folding it into an envelope - yup, I've had that happen too. An entire magazine with amazing images went from treasure to trash by them doing that.  The pages were full of folds, wrinkles, creases and ripples - it was so sad to see. The magazine survived 100 years of who knows what before it was folded because the seller did not have a larger envelope on hand.

I appreciate the look of the Mother and Father pages and am glad they don't have the same round chubby features the rest of the Dolly Dingle series has.  I think this elegant and reserved look of the patriotic war effort is more respectful.

 Father appeared in the July 1918 issue of Pictorial Review.

 He was created with two separate uniforms. 

One for Army and one for Navy.  

I also think it's interesting that he is depicted with a cigarette in his hand.  

Smoking did not have the same stigma it does today, nor was the public as informed about the health dangers of the habit.

As we well know - oh how the time have changed.

Thanks for joining me in a step back in time to 1918.

I hope you enjoyed seeing these lovely old gems.

Feel free to print, play and craft with these to your hearts content.  I just ask you don't sell these actual sheets either printed or in digital format to others.  Be kind one to another, don't try and sell to another what you were given for free. You may post them on your own website or blog as they are with the original "tagged" information still visible.  I hope you sharing them with others, I just ask you don't sell these sheets.

Blessed Day to you.

Jesus is Lord - Romans 10:9-10 - 1 Corinthians 12:3 - Philippians 2:9-11

September 1922 Teacher Magazine - Normal Instructor and Primary Plans

Hi All - I know it's been years since my last post but as the country has been in lock down over Covid-19 I've finally had some time to organize some of my collectibles and though it would be a good time to share images from a collection of 1920's teacher magazines I have in my collection.

Many parents are currently having to oversee their children's education from home while schools are closed due to the Corona Virus Pandemic of 2020. I remembered having purchased a group of antique teachers magazines; so I thought it would be fun to share some snippets from them in several blog posts.  While flipping through the first issue I was reminded about many truths regarding our country and of the values we held as a county 100 years ago.  Consider as you look at and read the articles from this magazine that the world was only a handful of years out of WWI and our constitution had just given women the right to vote two years earlier in 1920.  We have overcome so many things through the years as women and as Americans and what we are experiencing with Covid-19 will also one day be another thing we have conquered.

I am a woman of faith and put my full trust in my Lord Jesus Christ.
Going forward I will be including scripture that's on my heart that day.
My focus going forward is to share vintage images and items you can enjoy and create with, as well as the spiritual things that are currently on my heart.  My hope is you will find my pages enjoyable, entertaining and inspirational.  If you don't appreciate the scriptural content, I won't apologize for it, you are free to brows elsewhere.  As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. - Joshua 24:15 

Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever

The world around us may change, our families, jobs, technology, the way we live and do things may change but I have comfort that the Word of God does not change and never will change. It is constant, a root and anchor to me. My faith in His Word keeps me strong and sees me through each and every day, it is a blessing and gives hope.  I am thankful for it and want to share my thanks for it.

Now let's step back in time... 

September 1922

Normal Instructor & Primary Plans

For Teachers of All the Grades and Rural Schools 

 20 cents a copy and $2.00 for a yearly subscription

I'm sure many a rural teacher found these magazines helpful with lesson plans and ideas.

My Great Grandmother was born in 1899 and was a rural school teacher before she married.  She told me about driving a pony cart to and from school as a little girl, this magazine is most likely within a few years of when she taught school herself, so it really makes me smile to flip through it's pages.

Advertisements on the inside front cover of the magazine.

The only bit of color printing in the magazine was the front cover, inside front cover and the back cover. All the other pages are black and white.

I thought you might like to see the index page to get an idea of what each issue contained.  As with most magazines it had a good portion of advertisements and there are many ideas for lessons, like history, mathematics, geography, music and more.  This issue had 96 pages and it is a large magazine, similar in size to old LIFE magazines, I've adjusted the page size of my scans to be more in line with our standard 8 1/2 x 11.  I won't be showing all the pages in this post, just some items I found interesting and then the fun pages, which I think you guys will enjoy best.

There are several pages that contain items like this one that can be cut out and used as a classroom poster.  This was before the time of photocopiers and even mimeograph machines.  Schoolteachers did not make a lot of money so the money they spent needed to go far. One of the advantages of subscribing to this publication was that it provided items that could be used to decorate the classroom.

Here is a smaller example they list as a coloring card that the students can use as a template to trace and color.  I'm not sure how many friends would appreciate getting this quote as a "gift".  

The sentiment is valid, We do associate time with money and no one likes to waste either.

I can see teaching children the importance of it, I just find it an odd quote for gifting purposes; however life was viewed differently in 1922 and maybe such a reminder was the norm.

Here is one example of a cutting border they include in their magazines.  It has the look of a scarab beetle to me.  Egyptian themes were popular at this time so that is a good possibility of choice here. This issue has 2 different cutting borders printed in this issue.  Since I scanned the pages to be in line with standard paper sizes of 8 1/2 x 11; I wanted to include the cutting pattern at the correct size since the instructions give specific paper measurements for the pattern to work correctly.

Once again this cutting pattern is the actual size from the magazine so that it works correctly with the measurements and instructions listed.  You can make the pattern whatever size you like just make sure you fold your paper accordion style within the dotted lines and you should get the desired result.

FYI - Saving and Printing

See my instructions in the sidebar for how to save and print images from my blog.

To get full size images you must click on the image so it opens in anther screen and then save from there if you try and right click and save directly from this screen you will be getting much smaller image size and resolution.

I'm a collector of antique paper dolls and toys.  I originally purchased this page as a one page paper toy, and it's what introduced me to the Normal Instructor and Primary Plans Magazines.  Years ago I came upon a lot of 17 magazines that in total cost less than I paid for this one page. I quickly purchased them and was thrilled to discover most issue contained a paper doll pattern and various other fun graphics.

Most of the magazines have a jointed paper doll pattern in them - I was thrilled to get these, since jointed paper dolls are one of the things I collect.  You can print this doll, color her by hand, cut and assemble or you can get more creative. If you print it on various colors of cardstock you can cut past and layer. 

For Example: Print one each of  Tan, Brown, and Blue.
Cut all the parts from Tan (this is your base).
Brown - cut hair, cuff, collar, belt, shoes with bows.
Blue cut full dress with collar, arms with cuffs, but no hand and
only the back paw and rumpus of the cat, bows for shoes.
Layering the colors will give your doll a bit of dimension and added interest. You are working from underneath to top, so from skin up to cuffs, collar and bows on shoes.
You can use pattern paper or more than three colors. I just used that for an example.

Tip - When you cut, leave all the outlines showing for items that are the top most layer (hair, cuffs, collar, shoe bows... it gives a nice finishing effect. I use brads to join my doll parts but I've purchased antique paper dolls that were put together with button and string and in some cases knotted twine front and back.  Get creative or just glue the parts in the pose you want her to stay in.

Also you can shade or color in for added interest, eye-shadow, bronzer and blush on q-tips, cotton balls work in a pinch.  Expired powdered cosmetics make a good substitute for crafting pastel chalks.

This is the one I did to show you an example of the process. 

I hope you and your little ones give this a try - it's quite fun.

Here is a larger view of the finished doll.

The cat is on the first Tan cardstock layer, she's been colored with eye-shadow.

 I cut around the kitty a bit so I could tuck the blue sleeve and brown cuff layer under her a bit. That way the cat's hindquarters "sit" over the arm while the front part of the cat remains behind the girl's hand. It helps if you don't cut all the cat away when cutting the blue layer of that arm.

So here is a cute page to color and learn about skunks.

I know they are typically black and white but it would be fun to give them a new modern haircolor look. They could be a rainbow family for the grins and giggles of it.

Here is a large two page pattern to create a room poster. 

A boy and his goat cart.  This was a new one on me.
I knew about pony and donkey carts but not goat carts.
I found some vintage photos of children in goat carts on the internet - fascinating!
Looks like there were also sheep and dog carts too.

Here is a cute little drawing lesson.

I'm guessing most children today have not seen this style of kettle or alarm clock.

I thought it would be fun to post just a few lessons from the magazine that you guys might find interesting as well as a sampling of the advertisements.

This article on Beginning the Year Right seemed an appropriate place to start.

 This September 1922 Issue would have been the beginning of a new school year;  and with so many families now homeschooling their children due to Covid-19, this seems a good item to include here.

This page finishes the "Beginning the School Year" article and also includes a few advertisements.

I thought this article on the Constitution and a 1922 viewpoint might be of interest in this election year of 2020 - This is the first page and below is the conclusion.

This page finishes the constitution article and has a few advertisements as well.

I found this story, about a Pilgrim girl who was a bond servant on the Mayflower
 interesting and hope you do too.

This page finishes the story of the Plymouth Girl.
I was curious to see what actually happened to Ellen and to see if we know more about her history now than the 1922 article stated.  It's a sad story what happened to Ellen and her siblings. Sadly she did not survive the first winter and there is a book that's been written about the children's story.
You can read more at http://mayflowerhistory.com/more

Here is a great promotion from 1922 on keeping hands clean

Ad for Educator Shoes.
I own an antique pair of boots similar to these and what's most shocking is how very narrow they are through the foot and ankle.

One of the things I like best when looking through vintage magazines are checking out the fashions.  What I find most interesting in these teacher magazines is the compromise between true fashion of the day and fashion for this profession.  This was a time where a woman's reputation was her lively-hood and in no way could she be very flashy. A more conservative eye to fashion was required and in keeping with the schoolmarm look.

Schoolmarm: 1: a woman who is a schoolteacher especially in a rural or small-town school. 

2: a person who exhibits characteristics attributed to schoolteachers 

(such as strict adherence to arbitrary rules)

If a lady was too stylish she could be considered "fast" and a bad moral influence to the students and the community.  Loss of reputation in this profession would cause a woman to quickly loose her posting and any hope of recommendation from her employer for another job as a teacher.

Teachers were not highly paid, so it must have been an interesting line to navigate; as to appear tidy and professional without looking dowdy or cheap.  I'm sure many a young teacher wished to dress smartly without appearing flashy or loose.

This back page advertisement on the magazine shows a catalog offering fashions at reasonable prices. Considering there are 312 pages of fashion to choose from there was probably a wide variety of options to choose from.  I'm guessing the closer to large cities a teacher taught in, she would be able to be more fashionable than would be acceptable in more rural settings.

I have several fashion magazines from this time period but it would be interesting to get a catalogue that was geared toward teachers like this one from Philipsborn's. I might browse around and see if I can purchase a vintage Philipsborne's to see what was on offer in it's pages. - grins

Now this gem is quite amusing.  It's a story advertisement by Franklin Institute.  The story is entertaining or it's own; and I'm sure it encouraged a bit of wishful thinking for the young ladies that read it.  It also touches base about being fashionable without being dowdy, enticing the reader on educating herself regarding fashion design and millinery as well offering courses in such to advancement.  I'm guessing it had a similar wish effect as moving pictures had on young girls wanting to go to Hollywood and become film stars.

It's a bit difficult to imagine what it was like 100 years ago to be a woman in need of respectable employment.  Opportunities were limited and if you had no family or hope of marriage, life must have seemed very challenging, with little hope of improvement.  I noticed several advertisements in this issue regarding learning to be a dressmaker or in becoming a typist.

Here is another story advertisement, this one by Woman's Institute, offering information on professional dressmaking, millinery, home dressmaking or cooking.

Here is an advertisement for insurance should you become ill and unable to work.

Teachers Casualty Underwriters T.C.U.

I'm sure this was something many young women on their own worried about and this full page advertisement sure would get your attention.

Here is a sampling of some quick read articles and advertising.

I was shocked to see the ad for the Sexology book but there were several other such listings mixed in on other advertisement pages.  They must have found it worth their while to advertise here.
I remember once having a tin of Pepsodent tooth powder in the 1970s.

Here are more advertisements

Hair Removal seems to be big, since there is an ad for safety razor & kill the hair root here. Moving Pictures are also, since there are various ads through the magazine regarding the industry in one way or another. This was the 1920's after all, so along with the movies came the cosmetics boom; most of the beauty ads I saw were for hygienic products and skin tonics. My guess is teachers were not the ones buying up all the rouge and powder at this time. And finally here is one of many typewriter ads I found in the pages of this 1922 magazine for rural teachers.

I'll end this post with one final page.

The below page on poems caught my eye due to the first one listed.

"A Hundred Years from Now"  - Seeing that I'm writing this post in 2020 and this magazine is from 1922 we are so in the 100 years ballpark.  I'm pretty sure the writers and readers of this magazine could not image the lives we would be living or the technology our world has access to.

Think how far medical technology and treatments have come in that time yet as the pandemic of Spanish Flu was a recent memory to them; I'm sure they never imagined their ancestors would be fighting a similar epidemic nearly 100 years in the future.  We need to give thanks for all we have in this modern age.  We need to move forward in hope and with faith that we too will survive as they did.

Fear tolerated is Faith contaminated -  For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. (2 Timothy 1:7).  I know in whom I believe (2 Timothy 1:2) and that the Name of Jesus is above every other name (Philippians 2:10)

There is authority in the Name of Jesus, so I choose to walk in Faith and not in Fear.

I choose to stand and believe on His Word and to pray a prayer of thanksgiving for bringing us through, stronger and more resilient in every way - physically, spiritually and financially.  

I can choose what the news reports, what the world says or I can choose what the Word says I am in Christ Jesus...  I chose JESUS, I choose to believe what the Word says I can have and what the Word says about who I am in HIM!  I confess these truths with my heart and with my mouth.

Let God be true, but every man a liar - Romans 3:4

By His stripes I was healed - 1 Peter 2:24

Jesus bore my infirmities and sicknesses - Matthew 8:17

No weapon formed against me shall prosper - Isaiah 54:17

Thanks be to God who gives us our Victory through Jesus Christ - 1 Cor 15:57

This poem A Hundred Years from Now was written by Mary A. Ford

I don't know the original year written but I do know it was included in a poetry book in 1890.

I'm not much for poems but the title alone puts much into perspective. If we consider our current words, thoughts and actions, stop - take a minute and wonder what results they will produce and then consider the long term effect... would we say, think or do those things?  

As I'm writing this post the Lord has placed these words on my heart.

Truth - These earthly bodies we live in will one day die, very few will see 100 years.

Truth - No matter how much money you have, you can't take it with you.

Truth - Life is more than stuff we acquire.

We all have an eternal future beyond the here and now.

It does not matter if you believe it or not, that won't change the outcome.

There is Truth and there is Fact

Truth can change a Fact

but a Fact will never change a Truth.

There is but one Truth - seek the Truth and you will find Life

John 14:6 KJV

Jesus saith unto him, 

I am the way, 

the truth, 

and the life: 

no man cometh unto the Father, 

but by me.

We all have free choice - God gave us that right.

He created us in his image, to have choice.

Choose Jesus and you choose Life.

Life come from God through Jesus - John 10:10

Death comes from Satan the thief who only comes to steal, kill and destroy - John 10:10 

Truth comes from the Lord - Lies and deception from Satan

1 John 2:22-23

²² Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? 

He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.

²³ Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: 

he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.

Proverb 18:21

Death and life are in the power of the tongue: 

and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.

What you feed on (listen to, watch and read) is what your thoughts become consumed by.

First you think it, then you say it, then you do it. That tree bears that same fruit.

If your life is in a mess, start looking at what your thinking and saying. 

Stinking thinking does not produce pleasant things and our words become self fulfilling prophesy.

You will say what is in abundance in your heart, your words reflect what you believe in your inner man.

Luke 6:45

 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; 

and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: 

for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh. 

so Whatever your heart is full of is what your going to say.

If you have a heart full of goodness you speak accordingly, if not, you won't.

Listen to what your saying, what pops out your mouth under stress before you have a chance to censor yourself...  that's really what's in your heart, deep down and it will see the light of day.

As a man thinks in his heart, so is he - Proverbs 23:7

How do you change that?

You have to change what your feeding on (listening, watching, reading)

Struggling with Faith?

Romans 10:17 

So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Go to the source - get into the Word of God.  It's an ongoing thing to have a relationship with the Lord and to build your faith.  It comes by hearing, and hearing, and hearing.  
It's not a one time "heard that", it's a continual progression of hearing His Word, thinking on it, meditating on it till its a part of you. 

You don't go to the grocery store once in your life and 
you're stocked up with food and good to go forever.  

Don't you want to know your rights? How you are protected? What promises have been made and how you get them to work in your life? It's all in the Bible. The Old Testement and the New Testement - both are blood covenants and God won't break his word on either.  His word is final.

Jesus came to fulfill the old covenant, so thank God we are under his grace and by his blood are we saved.  Satan does not want you to know your authority as a believer, and instead of fighting him many choose to loom in the darkness where they are kept powerless and of no effect for the Kingdom, waiting on God to move and do something. The truth is God and his army of angles are waiting on us to say his words in Jesus' name so He has something to work with here on this earth.  Till Jesus comes back Satan is the god of this world and he's not giving it up till he has to or unless he has no choice. Jesus Christ is the only one who had defeated him so only in the authority of Jesus' name and by the Word of God are we able to fight him effectivly.  His final defeat is coming as the day of the Lord approaches but there is power in the name of Jesus and as born again believers we have authority to put down what comes against us in the glorious name of Jesus and to embrace all that the blessings of being a child of God and joint heir with Christ means. (Romans 8:17)  .  A wake-up call is being rung, it's time for the army of the Lord to come forward, put on the armor of God and when you've done all to stand, stand!.(Ephesian 6:10-19)

 

God who said in Psalm 89:34

 My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips.

This means his word is final, it is what it is, he's not changing it, or altering it. 

He does what he says he's going to do. He Keeps His Word - Always!

Numbers 23:19

God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?

Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever

If you are interested in learning more,  I highly recommend.

The Victory Channel

 www.govictory.com 

They have a variety of ways you can watch, hear and learn more 
about the truth that's in the Word of God.

I watch on Apple TV - Internet and via YouTube

They are always on and the teaching you find there is Truth because it's full word of God not parts and pieces pulled out of context.

Watch and listen - don't take my word for it or their word for it.  Hear what's being taught, then pick up the Bible and check it for yourself. Ask the Lord to lead you and show you if what they are teaching is Truth.  Truth = Life when you have a relationship with the one who made you... the one who saved you.  You just need to believe Him and receive Him and eternal salvation is yours.
One choice made with your heart and spoken with your mouth, that's all it takes.

Prayer of Salvation

If you do not know Jesus as your Savior and Lord, 

simply pray the following prayer in faith, and Jesus will be your Lord!

Heavenly Father, I come to You in the Name of Jesus. Your Word says, "Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Acts 2:21). I am calling on You. I pray and ask Jesus to come into my heart and be Lord over my life according to Romans 10:9-10: "If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God has raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." I do that now. I confess that Jesus is Lord, and I believe in my heart that God raised Him from the dead.

I am now reborn! I am a Christian—a child of Almighty God! I am saved!   

In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

 

 May the Lord Jesus bless you all, may you be of good hope and cheer and find you can trust in Him for he cares for you.  Blessed be and I hope you found this post a blessing to your day as well.

 - EKDuncan

My Adaptation on a Vintage J.F. Schreiber Rococo Toy Theater

Hey All - I knows it's been a few months since my last post...
 but today I have another vintage toy theater post for you to enjoy.

I've had this digital adaptation on the back burner for a while and finally
put the finishing touches on it over the weekend.

This time round it's a German Paper Theater by J.F. Schreiber of Esslingen
I really like the fancy elements on theaters like this one.
This Rococo/Late Baroque style Schreiber was listed as No. 400 a&b and is from around 1894.

Enjoy!

 

Digital Toy Theater Scene using elements from vintage German J.F. Shreiber Paper Theater Sheets

 This first image is a digital composition I did using various elements included in this post.

The theater surround or "Proscenium" is my digital adaptation on an original unassembled sheet.

A vintage J.F. Schreiber Toy Theater Paper Sheet - Rococo Proscenium "No.400 a&b" c1894

 An original vintage sheet came as seen above and had to be cut and assembled to form the 

Theater's Proscenium - that's the fancy outer portion of the stage that frames the performance.

Many of these toy theater Proscenuim sheets came in "to be assembled" format like shown here.
I'm guessing this was to help reduce the cost of these sheets and made them easier to store since some of the original assembled sizes were of a fair size and printed assembled on one sheet would have made them rather large.

This post is about the Schreiber Rococo No. 400a&b but I wanted to show that sometimes the numbering system these printers used could get a bit confusing when "hunting" or collecting.
  Schrieber produced another Proscenuim sheet with a similar number - see below

J.F. Schreiber's Paper theater sheet No. 400c
 the photo is from an eBay auction I didn't win, but did try strongly for.

Schreiber also made a Paper Theater Sheet No.400c, pictured above - not to be confused with the Rococo No.400 a&b.  Even though both theater sheets carry a similar number and both are striking, they are nothing alike.  I'd love to one day find out why they were numbered so similarly, so if anyone out there knows - please drop me a line or leave a comment - grins.

 A bit about J.F. Schreiber

Jakob Friedrich Ferdinand Schreiber

Jakob Schreiber (1809-1868) was the founder of the J.F. Schreiber publishing company.

They were one of the top printers of Paper Theater sheets due to having detailed, quality products.

There were a number of Paper theater sheet printers across Europe in the 1800's and very early
1900's of which the German sheets from J.F. Schreiber were among some of the best available.
Schreiber produced a nice selection of proscenium, curtains, scenery sheets and
over 80 different character sheets; many of which reference children stories. 

Most of these sheets can be identified by the JFS# printed on the sheets

Vintage Schreiber sheets can be purchased on the Internet via a variety of international auction houses but many of then sell for big money; however it's still possible to pick up some of these rare treasures for reasonable prices if you keep hunting.  If antique prints and prices are not your thing there are a few companies that have reprints available for the modern enthusiast. To view a nice selection or Schreiber reprints click HERE. Several vintage JFS sheets can be seen and downloaded from the Dutch website "Memory of the Netherlands".  There is also a nice selection of "Papieren Theaters" on the site; however there is little information listed about each one. If you see JFS marked on a sheet then it's a Schreiber. 

*****

A vintage J.F. Schreiber Toy Theater Paper Sheet - Rococo Proscenium "No.400 a&b" c1894

The Schreiber No.400 a&b sheet I was working with had some issues; which I did my best to correct, so I had a good starting point while doing the digital assembly.  An interesting item I discovered while working with this theater image is that the "2 upper bridge pieces" do not really line up well "color wise" when assembled.  I even examined a number of vintage assembled theaters of the Schreiber Rococo online and noticed several of them do not line up seamlessly either.  I was able to repair this color glitch on the assembled digital version I created and was quite please with the final result - I hope you agree.

Please note: If you try and use the above sheet to assemble a theater
the finished result is a bit "off" aesthetically. 

 

Here is an example of a vintage assembled Rococo Theater showing the issue described above.

Vintage Assembled Schreiber Rococo Theater found at http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/9093812

If you take a close look along the top bar where the cherubs are you will see a definite division where the two parts of the strip just don't join well and the pattern's flow is broken.  I found that aspect of the original to be too distracting and made corrections to my "assembled" version to correct it.

The next item I needed to consider while adapting my version, was what to do about a base.

The original sheet does not have one so again a did a bit more research and found a variety of ways the original sheet was assembled in past years.  Some had a base drawer as seen in the above photo. Others had a plain pedestal wood base and so forth.  I even found an example of this theater at an auction site where the entire theater was made narrower (maybe to avoid the odd top strip or simply because the other images that person had required a narrower theater)???

Here is a selection of several slightly different assembled versions of this theater

 I've seen posted on a variety of web auction sites over the years.

Several different looks from the same paper theater sheet - Schreiber 400 a&b

 The top two examples seem to include the entire theater sheet.  The top left appears as a slightly wider theater since the sides were assembled farther apart from the upper sections.
The theater on the top right was assembled as the instruction diagram in the sheet showed.

The bottom two examples have been made into narrower theaters where the 2-part cherub strip was shortened so that all the side edges form a straight line; rather than the arched section being slightly shorter. The bottom left version shows a built up stage area or footer; and the one on the bottom right has a built up pedestal which is made up of a duplicate cherub strip.

I liked the original size of the theater and the duplicated cherub strip on the bottom from the last theater so that is the configuration I chose to go with for my digital version.

My digital version of the Schreiber 400a&b Rococo Proscenium

The above image is the version I came up with and since I love curtains I added in a Schreiber curtain for some extra fun.  I consider this an all in one adaptation that can still be modified later on should I want a different look. If you are working with a printout of this version you can cut it up as needed to slightly alter the look.  The curtain can be cut out, the base can be removed; and if you remove the base, then the sides can be cut away and slid farther over to make a slightly wider theater.

That's one of the great things about working with paper theaters that have "sections"; 

many times they allow you to be flexible in how you choose to assemble the theater.

The curtain I used for this theater is a from another unassembled Schreiber sheet

J.F. Schreiber Paper Theater Sheet with and unassembled theater curtain and some foliage

The original version of this sheet I was working from was damaged and discolored. 

I've digitally restored it to reflect what an undamaged vintage sheet should look like.  

(I did not want an antique look to my finished theater, so for my end result

 the curtain has been digitally enhanced even more than shown here.)

I also created a second version of the theater with a blue curtain, for some extra fun.

My same digitally altered theater but with a blue curtain instead of red.

Red theater curtains seem to be the most popular for theaters be they real or toy; but they came in other colors and I thought it would be fun to have a ready to go alternate color for mine as well.

I like the way this periwinkle blue curtain worked with the proscenium so that's what I went with.

I also decided to add in some scenery sheets so this would be a set and not just a theater surround.

Depending on how you build the theater, you may need to size down the scenery
and character sheets for you own project.

Suez Canal 3 Part Scenery Sheets by J.F. Schreiber - digitally repaired and enhanced vintage sheets by EKDuncan 2013

 There are a variety of paper theater sheet configurations. Usually a Scene consists of a Background and some accessory sheets like side wings, props, footers, headers, and characters.

The above Suez Canal scene has 3 sheets that set the stage, giving nice dimension to the final setting.

Exterior & Interior Scenery Sheets by J.F. Schreiber - digitally repaired and enhanced vintage sheets by EKDuncan 2013

Schreiber made a variety of scenery sheets, above are examples of exterior and interior sheets.

I've included a photo of what the interior room looks like once its put together, you can see it a little further down in the post.

It's nice to have the theater and scenery, but what's a play without its players.

Two different JFS Character Sheets in two different sizes

Sheet no.504 Characters for "Die Räuber" - The Robbers

Sheet no.510 Characters for "Elsa Die Standhaft Madg" - Elsa the Steadfast Maid 

I'm not sure what characters should go with the scenery sheets I have on this post, 

but I thought these characters might work with them. 

It's also fun to use fashion plate images from the time period as characters as another option. 

The idea is just to have fun.

For those who want to know what an assembled toy theater scene should look like...

An example of how the interior room looks when it's set in place - image from Spielzeugmuseum Nürnberg

Toy theaters and dioramas can be built in any dimension you choose. Generally a toy theater has quite a bit of depth to it so that when the background is placed to the far back and the individual side wing panels are staggered, as each sequential set is placed forward, you get a great illusion from these flat elements.  You have to remember you are dressing a stage just like in live theater, just on a smaller scale.

Example of a modified Schreiber 400 a&b with scenery panels - via from LiveAuctioneers.com - item 9093812

The above theater shows a narrower version of the theater along with a good number 

of Schreiber scenery pieces. There is even a scene set up within.

While the J.F.S no400 a&b is just one of many beautiful paper theaters by the German publisher  J.F. Schreiber; there were several other German Toy Theater Paper Sheets makers from the same period.

As with printers in various countries who produced toy theater sheets, there were a variety of qualities available, to suite nearly any budget. The higher quality images were printed on heavier, high grade paper. Those images were sharp and beautifully detailed and the coloring was exceptional.  The budget quality sheets were printed on thinner, low grade paper, very much like newsprint.  Depending on the printer the images range from very detailed to less refined. Usually the coloring process was of a much lower standard than what was being produced by the high end publishers; however there were some lovely sheets available even from the budget conscious print companies.

Here is a list of the German Paper Toy Theater printers I'm aware of and a examples from each:

(Many of the images shown below are from http://skd-online-collection.skd.museum)

J.C. Winckelmann -Berlin, Germany (high quality images)

This and other Winckelmann Sheets can be found HERE at http://skd-online-collection.skd.museum

 

Adolf Engel (AEB) - Berlin, Germany (high quality images)

This and other Adolf  Engel aka AEB sheets can be found HERE at http://skd-online-collection.skd.museum

Gustav Kuhn - Neuruppin, Germany (budget quality)

This and other Gustav Kühn sheets can be found HERE at http://skd-online-collection.skd.museum

 Oehmigke & Riemschneider - Neuruppin, Germany (budget quality)

This and other Oehmigke & Riemschneider sheets can be found HERE at http://skd-online-collection.skd.museum

Joseph Scholz - Mainz, Germany (high quality images)

This and other Joseph Scholz sheets can be found HERE at http://skd-online-collection.skd.museum

See my previous Joseph Scholz toy theater post - HERE (Part 1) & HERE (Part 2)

 J.F. Schreiber - Esslingen, Germany (quality images)

This and other J.F. Schreiber sheets can be found HERE at http://skd-online-collection.skd.museum

Schmidt & Romer - Leipzig, Germany (quality images)

Two Schmidt & Röhmer sheets can be found HERE at http://skd-online-collection.skd.museum

Schmidt & Röhmer are best known for their "Thalia" Proscenium seen below

Schmidt & Röhmer "Thalia" at Pickfords House in Derby, England - See more about it HERE

I hope you have enjoyed seeing my version of a German J.F. Schreiber paper theater 

as well as the above sampling of other German made paper theater sheets.

If you want to see more of my Toy Theater posts they can all be seen 

by clicking the "Toy Theater" label or simply clicking HERE

I'm in the process of working on a beautiful Schmidt & Röhmer theater similar to the 

Thalia (seen above) but I still have a ways to go before I'll be ready to post it.

If you want a general idea of what the theater looks like I've got a photo of one version of it pinned to my Toy Theater Pinterest board at http://pinterest.com/pin/86061042851828723/

Thanks for joining me on my Toy Theater Adventure and
Till next time...