Oh, You Beautiful Doll. . . .

. . .you great, big, beautiful doll

Let me put my arms about you

I could never live without you

Oh, You Beautiful Doll, 1911, Seymour Brown and Nat D. Ayer.

You'll want to put your arms around these great, big, beautiful dolls by famed German doll artist Annette Himstedt. Named Pancho and Panchita, these wistful children were a limited edition issued in 1994. 

Himstedt is renown for her sensitive and realistic portraits of children in both porcelain and vinyl, as well as for the high quality of her creations. Typical of Himstedt's work, these vinyl dolls have warms brown complexions, beautifully modeled features, human hair wigs, and detailed ethnic costumes. 

Each doll is signed with its name and carries Himstedt's signature.

Himstedt was born in 1948 in East Germany, her family fleeing to West Germany in 1956. As a child, she loved to draw. At the age of 27, after divorce left her with two young children to support, Himstedt became a model in the fashion industry.  Himstedt began to experiment in doll making, with the goal of creating realistic portraits of young children. In 1982, she displayed 15 porcelain dolls at a Christmas market. Soon her dolls were appearing in magazines and other media and demand for her unique portrait dolls spread, making her one of the most famous contemporary doll artists. In 1985, UNICEF asked Himstedt to create five dolls representing children from different parts of the world to be auctioned off on a television charity event. The following year, Himstedt introduced her first vinyl doll. To meet both the growing demand for her dolls and her exacting artistic standards, in 1988 Himsteadt founded her own porcelain factory in Germany. Originally, her vinyl dolls were produced in Spain, but in 2000 vinyl production was also moved to the German factory. Himstedt produced her dolls as one-of-a-kind creations and in limited editions. As she aged, Himstedt cut back on her doll production and in 2008 closed her factory. 

All posted items are for sale at Next-to-New, but things can sell quickly!

8812-3022