Passed
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Description
Each of 12 dolls is pink-tinted all-bisque with glass sleep eyes,loop-jointed arms and
legs,mohair wigs. Condition: generally excellent. Marks: 345 14 Germany.. Comments:
California artist/teacher Stella Webster conceived the idea of "Birthday Dolls" about 1920,the
concept being a doll costumed in the flower of the month that represented that doll. Working
with un-costumed all-bisque dolls from German firms (later,Japanese),and custom boxes
ordered from a Los Angeles box company,she created and made each of the costumes and
wigs for her Birthday Girls. On December 22,1923,Stella Webster applied for a trademark for
the term "Birthday" as pertaining to dolls,which was approved and rendered to her on July
22,1924 for a period of 20 years. The dolls were referenced in Coleman's Encyclopedia of
Dolls although no photographs of the actual dolls have been published until now. Value
Points: being presented from the original family estate of Stella Webster,the collection
includes 12 dolls,each costumed for a particular month,each with original ink-script month
label and original box and stand. Along with the dolls is a large scrapbook of important
documents related to the dolls and Stella Webster,including her original watercolor drawing of
each doll,her original trademark with seal,correspondence with Borgfeldt and other doll
manufacturers seeking both a supplier of un-costumed dolls and a distributor of costumed
dolls,photographs and biographical information about Webster,later family correspondence
with Dorothy Coleman (the latter evincing great excitement at the find),and more. The dolls
and album have been preserved in the original family until now and are a valuable addition to
American doll history in the early 20th century.