Wonderful American Cloth Doll by Martha Wellington with 1883 Patent Stamp

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22" (56 cm.) All-stockinette cloth doll with stitch-shaped facial features depicting a plump-faced child, oil-painted hair, complexion and facial features, reddish/brown hair with swirled curls, large deeply-defined eye sockets, painted large blue eyes, rounded nose with accented nostrils, closed mouth with primly-set lips, double chin, defined blushed ears, stitch-jointing at shoulders and hips, oil-painted lower legs with defined knees and lower arms and hands with unusual curled fingers, antique baby costume. Condition: generally excellent. Marks: Patented Jan 8, 1883 (stitched on label). Comments: Martha Wellington, of Massachusetts, 1883; the intricate construction of the doll and its great scarcity today are indicative of very limited production at the time. Value Points: compelling presence of the rare American 19th century doll.