Historical Nuggets

Chase Dolls

It was a century ago, and Martha Chase was establishing a flourishing business in a growing industry.

Martha as a child

Martha as a child

The 1880's were considered the beginning of "The Golden Age of Dolls". It was also another exciting time because some consider it the birth of dolls being marketed and sold. Department stores were in their beginning stages and the buyer's for these stores were constantly on the watch for innovative toys to display in their windows and fill the store shelves.

According to history, competition among doll makers was steep. There were already several dollmakers in the industry. The J.B. Shepperd Co., Columbian Dolls, Beecher Babies, Papier Maches by Lerch, Judge, Early Wooden Dolls from Springfield Vermont (Joel Ellis).

Martha Chase was prepared to stand up to the competition and her dolls still live to prove it. Martha was born in 1851 in Pawtucket, RI. She was the daughter of a doctor, James L. Wheaton. Martha grew up to marry a Dr. as well. Being a part of the medical world eventually would play an interesting role in her doll making.

Sources close to Martha have said that she grew up playing with an Izannah Walker Doll as a child and this was a huge inspiration to her creating dolls. Martha began making dolls for her children in the late 1870's. These were of her "basic" signature style. Stuffed molded heads that were oil painted. Their hair was applied using thick paint and using brush strokes for texture. The bodies were cloth with joints at the elbows, shoulders, hips and knees. The torso was left alone as the original sateen material and the arms and legs were oil painted to match the head. The dolls were dressed simply in school or play clothes.

The dolls made from 1900-1910 had short hair, nearly always blonde. The only way to determine if the doll was a boy or girl was by the clothing. Some Dolls were extremely charming and others less so.

This variation was due to the fact that Martha herself was not making all of the dolls at this time.

In 1909, Macy's was selling Martha's dolls. They ranged in size from 16 to 24 inches and were priced from a mere $2.49 to $4.96. This was considered expensive at that time.

In 1911, The Chase Hospital Doll was born. Martha developed the doll for hospitals and schools so that nurses could use it as a training tool. The Hospital Doll looked like a common Chase Doll, but had a couple key important differences. There were nostril holes and ear holes. The dolls were the same weight and size of a baby or child depending on the size. The bodies of the Doll were completely waterproof for bathing.

Chase Hospital Mannequins

Chase Hospital Mannequins

1915-1920 was a bit of a "slump" time for Martha's Dolls. The bobbed Dutch Boycuts that were created were not very appealing in the market.

In the early 1920's Chase launched a series of character dolls that resembled famous people. There was a George Washington, Alice in Wonderland Characters, Little Nell and Mrs. Gump. These also didn't prove to be successful at that time according to the low number of dolls produced.

Martha Jenks Chase died in 1925. She left a legacy of Dolls behind to prove her success. Today, Chase Dolls are popular among collectors. Depending on the "element" of the doll, it can bring prices ranging anywhere from $300.00 to $10,000.00 or more.

Martha's factory house

Chase TrademarkArticle generously written and submitted by Michelle Sylvia