China Dolls are Glazed Bisque Dolls

China dolls are dolls made of glazed bisque which gives them a shiny appearance (unglazed bisque is what antique child dolls with glass eyes and wigs are mostly made of, such as well known child dolls by Armand Marseille, Kestner, Jumeau, and others. China dolls generally have molded hair and painted eyes (although not always).

China dolls were produced from approximately the late 1830s through the early 1900s (until about 1930) with the greatest number produced from the 1850s through the 1890s. Many millions of china dolls were produced, mostly in Germany, during this period.