It should be noted that the material used to make the doll's head is most important and categorises the doll (a doll with a head made of wax is a wax doll), the materials used to make the body also need description.

BISQUE - this is unglazed porcelain, it is usually white in antique dolls, it is then painted before firing giving an end result that is matt and not shiny (although there are some bisque heads described as "oily" - the difference between a dry skin and an oily skin in looks). A doll with this type of head would be called a Bisque head Doll. If the whole doll is made of this material they are then called an All Bisque Doll (or All-Bisque).

PAINTED BISQUE - this is bisque that is painted after firing, the paint is a relatively thick layer which can peel or be scratched off. Dolls with this type of head were usually cheaper and not as old as the fired bisque kind.

PARIAN - this is untinted bisque, the features are painted on before firing as in Bisque, but there is no overall pink flesh tint and so the ladies (they are usually ladies) appear to have very pale skin.

CHINA - this is glazed porcelain like an old fashioned "best" tea set. The head has the features painted on and a glaze is applied before firing to give the very shiny look to the head. On some cheaper versions, some of the paint appears to be applied after the glaze as it can wear off, especially the back of the hair where it gets rubbed a lot over the years by little girls putting dolly to sleep.

WAX - this is an obvious material, but you should be aware that wax heads were made in 3 main ways and it is important to distinguish between them where possible. Poured Wax - wax poured into a mould, these are usually high quality, the wax is thick. Reinforced Wax - Poured Wax, not so thick, with a layer of plaster usually poured in afterwards to give a stronger layer supporting the wax, more of a mass produced technique and these often survived quite well. Wax Over - a general term to denote the head made of something else such as papier-mache, plaster or composition and then dipped into wax to give the impression of a wax doll, these were fairly cheap and often the wax cracks.

WOOD - self evident, not used often for heads but to great effect, in Switzerland for example. Most often found as a material for all or part of the body.

COMPOSITION - a difficult material to describe, nearly every manufacturer had a different recipe - it is a made up material of things such as plaster, sawdust, cork dust and glue. It can be lightweight (incorporating papier mache) or tend to be very heavy (plaster is heavy). It can be light in colour or quite dark - the French composition used for doll bodies tends to be much darker and redder. All composition needs to be painted; most was covered in gesso which added strength to the parts as well as giving a smooth finish before the paint was applied.

PAPIER-MACHE and CARDBOARD - used mainly for body parts, cardboard was often used for cheaper bodies - by steaming it and pressing into moulds, then glueing or even stapling parts together, a torso could be made very easily, cheaply and quickly. Papier Mache was used for body parts and sometimes heads.

CLOTH - used occasionally for heads (Rag Dolls) but often for stuffed bodies. Sometimes the bodies are completely cloth, or they might have KID arms, or CHINA limbs etc.

KID - used to denote a body made of leather which is stuffed (straw, raw cotton, cork, sawdust) and may have limbs made of other materials.

OILCLOTH or KIDOLENE - names (can be spelled in a number of ways) for a material that looks like leather or kid, it is a cloth covered in a type of paint to give the glossy look of the leather. Used for stuffed bodies just as KID, but not used as a replacement for KID arms. A cheaper variation and brought in at a later date around 1915 onwards.

I hope that this has helped you to recognise what some of the terms mean, either for understanding an ebay listing or for describing your own doll. Contact me if you need more information.