Last time I told you about visiting the Arabia Steamboat Museum. During the tour I was enchanted by one tiny item. Not gold or diamonds or beautiful venetian glass. Discovered wrapped in wool and tucked at the bottom of a carpenter’s tool box was a porcelain or china doll only three inches tall – a Frozen Charlotte.
Manufactured from 1950-1920, the Frozen Charlotte dolls ranged in size from less than 1” to more than 18”. The one found on the Arabia had painted bonnet strings in a color similar to the garters to the left.
If your grandmother had a bathing baby doll in a little porcelain tub—that’s a type of Frozen Charlotte.
The doll was named for a popular American Folk Ballad, Fair Charlotte, which tells of a young girl (Charlotte) who froze to death on a sleigh ride because she refused to dress warmly. The Frozen Charlotte appea
red as everything from a charm in a Christmas Pudding to the inhabitant of a doll house to the pampered favorite possession of many little girls.
Since our visit to the museum, I think of the Frozen Charlotte on the Arabia at odd moments. Who was it meant for? Was a hard-working carpenter who’d been earning money back East bringing a gift for his daughter in St. Joseph? Or perhaps a litle girl had wrapped her favorite doll in a bit of wool blanket and hid it at the bottom of her daddy’s tool box as a momento, a reminder that she was waiting for him at home.
Did you have a favorite doll growing up? Mine was a bride doll with dark hair like mine and a beautiful fluffy lace dress. Tell us about yours.
My sister and I loved Barbies of all kinds. We had some that where known as the sunshine family, it came with a mama, daddy, sister and baby brother.
I still have my raggedy ann doll and 2 others that I don’t remember there name.
Posted on July 30, 2012 at 5:43 am.
The little doll in the bottom of a carpenter’s tool box is very intriguing, Tracy. Goodness, the mind runs wild with all the stories.
I was never much of a doll person. I much preferred climbing haystacks and exploring fields. But my uncle (who I followed all over the farm like a shadow) gave me cowgirl dolls and I loved those, because they were cowgirls, but more so because of the giver. :o)
–Kirsten
–Kirsten
Posted on July 30, 2012 at 7:42 am.
What an intriguing blog, Tracy. I love the idea of the little doll in the tool box–there’s a springboard for a story.
I loved dolls as a little girl (this was pre-Barbie). Don’t know which was my favorite, but I remember a mermaid that a creative aunt made me out of some fabric and a small doll. I loved mermaids, and I was thrilled.
Posted on July 30, 2012 at 8:52 am.
My fav dolls were my Chatty Cathy doll, My Maddie Mod doll and my barbies…
I had never heard of these Frozen Charlotte dolls… Intriguing how they came about.. Thanks for sharing this with us..
Posted on July 30, 2012 at 9:58 am.
I still have my favorite doll. Her name is Babbette. She is 70 years old. She has a lacy lavender dress on and blonde spiky hair. (I decided one day that her hair needed a hair-cut). She lives in my cedar chest with my other treasures.
Never heard of Frozen Charlotte dolls. How intriging. Wonder how the name came about?
Posted on July 30, 2012 at 11:01 am.
As a young girl I owned a a Frozen Charlotte doll but sadly I also had younger brothers and my doll went the way of my china set…into the trash bend. I loved dolls and still have the last doll given to me by Santa. She is dressed in her original outfit and is about 58 years old. She looks a little like the Shirley temple dolls but is not. One doll that I wish I had back is my Bonnie Braids doll but my mother made me give her to a cousin when she was moving away. Plus mother felt that I was getting too old for dolls. Little did she know that I still play with dolls. I make cloth dolls and I play with paper dolls with an little girl I can get to play with me. But then that is another whole story.
Posted on July 30, 2012 at 12:27 pm.
The doll I played with the most as a pre-schooler was a Betsy-wetsy. I still have her along with the cradle my grandfather made for her.
As I got older, my sister and I spent many, MANY an hour with Barbie
Posted on July 30, 2012 at 12:40 pm.
Hello all! I’m. Enjoying everyone’s doll memories. I wasn’t a huge fan of dolls, but I remember having one who’s hair “grew” and could be shortened by turning a dial in her back.
I have a doll that belonged to my grandmother. It’s a Sioux Indian likeness complete with his original red and black wool blanket.
Posted on July 30, 2012 at 2:17 pm.
Connie, that breaks my heart!
Posted on July 30, 2012 at 6:47 pm.
Hi Tracy, sorry to get here so late. I remember playing with my mother’s glass-headed doll. We’d just moved into our house, carpet hadn’t been laid yet. She just seemed to roll off the coffee table by herself, and the glorious head broke. I think it was my first taste of grief…I was five. Then I remember my life-size Patty Play pal doll. Most of all, my Barbie!
Two Christmases ago, my son and his family got me the 50th anniversary edition of that very Barbie. I just bawled. No leaving her safe and collectible in a box. I bought clothes and play with her. xoxox
Posted on July 31, 2012 at 7:28 am.