A Brief History of the Italian Doll Company: Lenci Company

The Lenci Company was founded in 1919 in Turin, Italy by Enrico and Elana Konig Scavini. It is reported that the company continued making dolls into the 21st century, however, there is conflicting information about the year company was founded and exactly how long they continued making dolls.
The dolls made at Lenci during the 1920s and 1930s are particularly desired by collectors because of their superb craftsmanship, and also because they are so irresistibly adorable.
The most notable among the Lenci’s 83 years of history was the period between the two World Wars. These are said to be the most valuable and best well made of their creations.
The early highly sought after Lenci dolls have the pressed felt and oil-painted faces. They also had double felt ears that were sewn on individually. Their heads swiveled on their bodies. They had jointed shoulders and hips and some dolls had rooted hair on mohair wigs. They often had side glancing eyes and were dressed in elaborate costumes made from either felt or organdy.
Some of these early Lenci dolls can be found today carrying things such as a carved wooden animal or a broom. The later Lenci dolls are reported as being somewhat less well made and many have fabric covered cardboard torsos with felt faces that are hard and have been compared to cloth covered cardboard. The later dolls might be found dressed in clothing made from cotton, rayon, and taffeta. They are also usually less well accessorized than the earlier better made dolls.
The Lenci dolls apparently were also imitated everywhere since the year of 1927, from Turin to Florence, and then in Germany, France, and England. The imitation dolls were also said to be Read on at: http://smalldogs2.com/VintageDollCollecting