best These are a mystery to be solved! I bought these from an eBay seller recently, but did not ask about them. I wanted to trial the maids in my Bradford House reproduction, but they didn't work.
I know of 2 other sets of these dolls: One is shown on page 91 of In Praise of Dollhouses by Catherine Callicott ; the other is in a private collection. Interestingly, they all are sets of 6, but in different family makeup. I hope that sentence makes sense, lol!
The faces are formed wax, exquisitely painted. The women's legs are wire wrapped in some kind of cotton (?).
This set has 3 maids, all different, plus 2 men and a lady in a floor length dress.
One of the maids is a little darker than the other dolls, and has a bent hand- probably from heat. The wax of all the others is in excellent shape.
They are dressed in cotton and felt. Their hair is either mohair or some kind of yarn. Some of them would benefit from a wee bit of hairspray.
Please ask questions or ask for more pictures.
Product code: Antique Vintage Set of 6 Wax over Wire Painted Face Dollhouse Dolls Unknown Maker best