Antique Kestner Dolls

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Henry Kestner came to the US in 1860 and was the son of the Kestner producing dolls in Germany. His other son, Adolf, inherited the business in 1890 and continued to operate it until 1920 when it was sold. The location of the company was in Thuringia, Germany that had 25,000 workers in doll factories in that area at one point. The dolls were sold to the US and Canada by Geo. Borgfeldt & Co. The initial antique dolls that came to the US were made of bisque.

The Kestner company also manufactured their own doll heads. Two great successes were the Rose O’Neill Kewpie doll made of bisque and produced in 1912, along with the Bye-Lo Baby that was brought to market in 1924. It had a composition body and turning bisque head. The most valuable doll Kestner produced was the Gibson Girl that first was available in 1900. The celluloid doll was one of the last models produced. An antique Kestner composition doll was purchased for $7,475 in 2005 through James D. Julia auction house.

The Kestner firm copied “the look” of French A. Thullier Bebe. The mouth was similar to A. Thullier’s. Another antique Kestner bisque doll sold for $2,200 in 2005 through Ferrell auction house. A third Kestner doll sold in 2010 for $2,000 through Harlowe-Powell Auction Gallery. It was made to resemble a Revolutionary War officer.

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Antique Kestner Dolls

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