Charming 7" dollhouse or cabinet size vintage China shoulder-plate doll, signed RG by Ruth Gibbs. Circa 1940's, handpainted with gold accents on feet and hands to coordinate with her blond signature style hairdo. All original outfit shows some wear and a few stains; doll is in overall excellent condition. Gibbs designed antique-style dolls so that children could play with them; kits were sold with patterns for dresses and outfits. Ours has original dress and petticoat ensemble. Please see photos for details. 

BACKGROUND:  Ruth Gibbs was an antique doll collector who worked as a design stylist and merchandizing consultant for Dennison’s Department Store in NYC.  The couple had a strong desire to produce a china doll that would not only be collectable, but could also be played with by little girls.  Ruth Gibbs began making the dolls in the early 1940’s.  In 1948 a patent was issued for “Ruth Gibb’s Godey’s Lady Book Dolls”.  The dolls were produced in a factory in Flemington, NJ.  Herbert Johnson managed the factory.  The dolls had a china shoulder head, china lower arms, china lower legs, and a cloth body.  There was wire inside the bodies to make the dolls easy to pose. The dolls were produced in 12” and 7”, with the smaller size being more popular.  Early dolls had white skin and looked more like antique china dolls.  Later dolls had pale pink or dark brown skin (rare) and a more modern, page boy hair style.  The dolls are inscribed “Ruth Gibbs” or RG in tiny letters on their backs.

I entrusted my mother and father's (Lucille Ball & Desi Arnaz) memorabilia to Connectibles, and during the entire evaluation and auction process, never for a moment did I feel anything less than completely confident, protected and guided by experienced and compassionate professionals who love what they do. We got wonderful results and the best part... it was great fun!"
- Lucie Arnaz