The neckcloth identifies the period.
Men’s neckcloths changed with each fashion era in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The doll on the left is wearing a lace collar that identifies him as mid-eighteenth century. The second doll from the left is sporting a long, lacy cravat which was popular in the late eighteenth century or early Georgian era. The second doll from the right is wearing long, knotted silk scarf typical of the Regency era in the early nineteenth century. The doll on the right is sporting a more simplified Victorian cravat from the late nineteenth century.
Coat length also identifies the period.
Mid-eighteenth century meant hip-length coats. In the late eighteenth century, coats fell to mid-thigh. Regency era men sported cutaway coats with fronts at the waist and tails at the back. Victorian or Gilded Age men wore longer and looser cut coats at the top of the thigh.
Makers of the dolls
The dolls on the left is from an antique guild sale and the maker is unknown. The silk, elaborate trim, and knee breeches date him to the early to middle eighteenth century. This style was adopted a bit later in the American colonies and became a fashion style known as Macaroni, as in the song “Yankee Doodle Dandy.”
The doll second from the left is by Pat Weaver. His ensemble identifies him as a man of means in Colonial America or Georgian England.
Our chateau is dated 1810, so the third doll, the Beverly Dahl creation with the intricately tied cravat, cutaway coat, and buff breeches is spot on for an 1810 man, and he presides over the French chateau. This doll was named “John” by Beverley Dahl and was made in 1995.
The fourth doll, by Connie Sauve in 2000, is a glorious example of an early Victorian gentleman of means dressed for riding, right down to his leather driving gloves.
For the next post in the series, click here.
Photos by Karen Nyenhuis. Dollhouse from a family collection.