Wagner & Zetzsche

Richard Wagner and Richard Zetzsche founded their doll company in 1875 located in Illmenau, Thuringia, Germany.

Mr. Wagner was the business manger while Mr. Zetzsche was the artist and sculptor, he even used his four grandchildren; Harald, Hansi, Inge and Barbele as models for his dolls.

They made dolls with cloth bodies, leather, imitation leather, papier mache and a composition like material called Haralit, used on the Haralit Art Dolls of the grandchildren made after 1916.

Prior to 1916 bisque heads were supplied by ABG - Alt, Beck & Gottschalck, Ernst Heubach, Gebruder Heubach, Armand Marseille and possibly others.

Besides dolls, Wagner & Zetzsche also made numerous accessories; shoes, stockings, wigs and more for dolls.

The Wagner & Zetzsche doll marks of intertwined WZ or ZW is a very elaborate, scrolled marking, rather difficult to decipher, see below for the doll mark photos.