German ball jointed body repair

This is a bisque headed German doll who has arrived to get some repairs.
She has her original wig and clothes.

Her biggest problem is her torso.
It has caved in at the hip sockets, likely from too much tension from her elastic stringing.
This is a structural problem and she should not get restrung until this is repaired.

Another view of her lower torso.
The torso is made of cardboard.

100 year old cardboard does not bend back into shape very well.
But, with small clamps, I can put pressure on spots to try to gradually coax it back closer to the shape it is supposed to be.

Once the cardboard bits are as close to their original position as I think they can get they get epoxied into position.

Some other areas of the body will get a bit of epoxie and paint too.

Back together after the epoxied areas are painted.

The hip area is no longer caved in. It is strong and the repairs have been painted to match the original body finish.

Under her pink dress was this.
This is her original chemise. Some dolls were sold wearing only a chemise like this. German chemises are typically made of a very thin cotton and are simply trimmed.
This one has some seam issues down the side but is in decent shape otherwise.

With a few repairs and some ironing.

While the body is getting it's repairs and paint, the wig starts getting spruced up.
It starts as a bit of a matted mess.

Some time later it looks like this.

And then, more time later, it looks like this.

Curlers out.......

....and chemise on.

This is the way many German dolls were sold. Barefoot and wearing only a chemise.

This doll arrived with a very nice factory made pink outfit that just needed a bit of mending. She may have been an upgraded doll that was sold with a real outfit......one step up from just a chemise. She would have had oilcloth or paper shoes to go with this outfit but they are long gone. She is wearing a modern equivalent pair in the picture.

Time for her to head home!