Method And Records
Restoration That Leaves A Paper Trail
Philotes Dolls works slowly enough to record what arrived, what changed and what should not be hidden. The result is a repaired doll and a readable account of its treatment.
Principles
Retain Original Material Where It Can Survive
The workshop favours proportionate repair over cosmetic certainty. Original material is retained where it can be made stable, additions are kept as reversible as the object allows, and structural uncertainty is never disguised in the written notes.
- Conserve Before Replacing
A loosened wig, old pate or rubbed costume is assessed before any replacement is suggested.
- Reverse Where Possible
Adhesives and fills are chosen for strength, compatibility and future removal where the material permits it.
- Name The Doubt
If a crack cannot be fully read or a prior repair limits the work, that uncertainty stays visible in the report.
Inspection
The Incoming Bench Checklist
Photograph front, back, profile, crown, hands, feet, costume closures and any existing repair.
Check head, shoulder plate, sockets, stringing points, limb seams, eye rockers and plaster around the pate.
Test surface cleaning in small areas before deciding whether old bloom, dirt or polish should be removed.
Separate urgent stabilisation from optional improvement so the owner can approve a measured scope.
Treatment Notes
Plain Language About Materials
Adhesives are selected for the material in front of the bench, not by habit. Bisque cracks may need stabilisation and fine infill. Composition losses may need layered fills that move with the old surface. Elastic is replaced only after hooks, sockets and limb weight have been checked.
Textile support is kept discreet: a weak cotton shoulder seam may be backed rather than washed, and a kid body may be supported so its wear remains readable. Seal coats are used to protect a repair, not to varnish the whole doll into a false finish.
Finish Samples
Matching Gloss, Bloom, Blush And Age
Adjusted so infill does not flash brighter than old bisque or sealed composition.
Retained where it belongs to age, reduced where it comes from failing surface treatment.
Cheek colour is matched to surviving tone, never repainted as a modern theatrical face.
Fine crazing and small rubs may remain visible because they carry the object’s history.
Records Returned
What Comes Back With The Doll
Completed work is returned with a concise treatment note, before and after photographs where useful, a list of materials used in plain language, and any care cautions specific to the doll. Full restoration programmes include a written scope, progress photographs and final notes for the owner’s file.
For planning, a written condition assessment is £28 for one doll and £12 for each additional doll at the same appointment. Standard repairs are currently 6 to 10 weeks, full restoration programmes are 12 to 18 weeks, and the minimum workshop charge is £38.
Ask About A Treatment Record