Dolls by Schoenau & Hoffmeister, Germany, in business from 1901 to 1953

The Schoenau & Hoffmeister porcelain factory was founded in 1901 by Arthur Schoenau and Carl Hoffmeister in Burggrub, Germany near Kronach, Bavaria. The company made dolls from 1901 to 1953. The two partners had different ideas about the type of porcelain heads for their dolls. Hoffmeister insisted on producing shoulder head dolls, while Schoenau wanted to produce socket head dolls. Unable to resolve their differences, Carl Hoffmeister left the company in 1907 and Arthur Schoenau became the sole owner.

In 1911, Arthur Schoenau passed away and his son Hans Schoenau took over as director of the company. Sometime later, Arthur's widow Caroline and son Curt Schoenau took over the directorship. Schoenau & Hoffmeister dolls were known for their high quality and realistic features. They were often dressed in regional costumes. The company made a wide variety of dolls, including bisque head dolls, composition dolls, and celluloid dolls.

Some of more... the most popular Schoenau & Hoffmeister dolls include the Dolly Face doll, which was introduced in 1906 which had a bisque head with a painted face and real hair; the Princess Elizabeth doll, which was introduced in 1936, made in honour of the coronation of Princess Elizabeth II of England and the Little Dutch Girl doll, which was introduced in the early 1900s. This doll was dressed in traditional Dutch clothing.

Schoenau & Hoffmeister dolls are a part of the history of German doll making and were exported all over the world. less...