$650
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Description
25" (64 cm.) Molded rubber (gutta percha) shoulderhead with very plump cheeks and chin, sculpted short blonde curly hair, painted facial features, blue eyes, red and black upper eyeliner, single-stroke brows, closed mouth, muslin stitch-jointed body with sewn-on stockings, black leather boots, cotton print gown, undergarments. Condition: generally excellent. Marks: I.R. Comb (incised on back shoulderplate). Comments: Mid-1800s, the India Rubber Company (I.R. Comb) of Massachusetts was one of the first American firms to revel in the benefits of imported rubber, their major product being boots and rain coats, while the production of dolls such as this example was of very limited production. That limited production, plus its natural tendency to do what rubber does, turn hard in the winter and gummy in the summer, explains the great rarity of the doll today. Value Points: very rare to find and exceptionally well-maintained example of a rare American doll.