Vigo County Historical Society
Historical Treasure Article
July 10, 1988
By Helen Fagg Mitchell
Vigo County Historical Society
Mother’s gift survives over time
Her name is Jessie and she came into existence around the turn of the 20th century. Her origin was a porcelain factory knows as Armand Marseille, which was in Kopplesdorf, Germany.
She and many other dolls like her were distributed in the United States by George Borgfeldt Co. She is marked “Florodora” on the shoulder, a trademark registered by the company for a line of dolls with kid bodies and bisque heads.
What makes Jessie so special? She is still here, she is in excellent condition, and she has been lovingly cherished all these years.
On Christmas Day in 1906, the then unnamed doll was delivered to a little girl by Santa Claus, at a mother’s request. That little girl was Meryl Clark, and the mother had spent many long hours making a suitable wardrobe for the doll. Jessie may or may or be wearing the clothes she wore on Christmas Day, but the style and the materials are of that time.
Jessie wears a long-sleeved blouse of white organdy with lace inserts, and a cotton skirt trimmed with a bias band of printed material. An apron of black sateen with horizontal stripes in bright colors is worn over the skirt and blouse. Underneath she has white bloomers and a slip of the same material as the blouse. A black velveteen bolero jacket completes the peasant costume.
She has white stockings and white leather shoes with tiny silver buckles on the toes. For cool weather and for her daily carriage ride, she has an overcoat of black faille which is lined with blue sateen. The round collar and the front of the coat are trimmed with soutache braid and a narrow binding of the blue sateen finishes the lower edge.
Jessie’s hair is arranged in braids. Her wig, as well as her thick eyelashes, are of human hair. When Jessie’s little mistress had her long hair cut for the first time her mother saved the cuttings and had the wig made. The thick lashes form a nice edging for her violet-blue eyes.
Jessie is 19 1/2 inches tall and has a white kid body and composition arms and hands. According to the donor, they are not the original arms, but they are an authentic replacement. They are jointed at the shoulders, elbows and wrists which makes the doll easy to pose.
The name Jessie was given to the doll after her little mistress, at age 6, had attended a wedding in which the bride’s name was Jessie. Meryl thought the bride was so beautiful that she chose to name the doll in her honor.
Jessie can be seen in the viewing window of the toy shop on the second floor of the museum. The donor was Meryl Clark of Terre Haute and Jessie came to live at the museum in late 1987.
The Historical Museum of the Wabash Valley, 1411 S. Sixth St., is open from 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.