One can easily conjure up the image of a creative young lady at the turn of the century, having just knocked over and broken one of her favorite figurines, cleverly crafting a skirt out of scraps of material to hide the damage, and then placing the figure over a powder box on her dressing table.

One can also imagine a worker in a German porcelain factory, perhaps while taking a brief break from his labors, glancing down at a pile of discarded figures which, perhaps, had broken during un-molding, and spotting the the lovely torso of an elegantly dressed figure, and the wheels began to turn!

Of course neither of these scenarios is likely at all close to the true origin of the half-figure, but the beauty of these wonderful items, made for decoration of useful items rather than their own artistic value, certainly begs for a romantic tale to explain their creation!

We do know for certain that Victorian and Edwardian ladies, through the stylish and trend-setting Flappers of the 1920's, absolutely delighted in decorating their dressing tables with these diminutive and whimsical figures. Whether acquired fully dressed and already attached to a pincushion, clothes brush, whisk broom, lamp, tea-cosie, or other item; or purchased alone and undressed, and subsequently costumed by their new owners; these figures, by the thousands, made their way into the hearts and homes of women from the end of the Nineteenth Century through the first two decades of the Twentieth Century.

It is by no means conjecture that the finest of these figures were of German origins. Firms such as Dressel and Kister, W. Goebel, G. Heubach, and Karl Schneider are all associated with the production of high quality porcelain items, in addition to half-figures. Though other nations, including France, Italy, Japan, and the United States, contributed to the great variety of figures we find today, German figures seem to possess a special quality unsurpassed. Unfortunately, the two great wars of the Twentieth Century make tracing the histories of these firms and their products exceedingly difficult. Add to that the not-uncommon practice of larger firms acquiring the assets of smaller companies, including figure molds and the rights to produce them, and we are left with more mysteries than facts.

Therein lies the charm of these delightful models. Certainly, even those unacquainted with half-figures can appreciate the artistry which went into the production of a Dressel and Kister half figure. Examined on its own, the care and craftsmanship with which it was sculpted cannot be overlooked. However, it is when three, or four, or more of these "dolls" are placed together on a shelf that something magical occurs. It is this magic which far surpasses anything the original creators of these items could have possibly intended, and that is the stuff of which true collectibles are made!

We sincerely hope you will enjoy these pages, and find within them a figure which might have a place in your own collection. For those of you who were previously unacquainted with these lovely little ladies, next time you find yourself at an antique mall or flea market, look closely, and you just might see the magic begin to happen!