Frozen Charlotte  - undamaged - a white porcelain doll popularized in the late 19th century by the gruesome folk tale which relates the story of a vain young woman who froze to death while insisting on traveling 20 miles to a New Year's ball in an open sleigh wearing only a thin dress despite the pleadings of her parents..

Measures approx. 50mm 2 inches 

The photo is of a representative example of what I have,

Victorian 1880s  : excavated from one of the original late 19th century factory sites in Germany.

Frozen Charlotte is a name used to describe a specific form of china doll made from c. 1850 to c. 1920. The dolls had substantial popularity during the Victorian era. The name of the doll originates from the United States folk ballad "Fair Charlotte"  based on the poem "A Corpse Going to a Ball" by Seba Smith which tells of a young girl called Charlotte who refused to wrap up warmly to go on a sleigh ride because she did not want to cover up her pretty dress; she froze to death during the journey.

Here are two versions of one verse from "Frozen Charlotte" or "A Corpse Going to a Ball" by Seba Smith

He took her hand in his - O, God!
'Twas cold and hard as stone,
He tore the mantle from her face,
cold stars upon it shone;
Then quickly to the glowing hall,
her lifeless form he bore,
Fair Charlotte's eyes were closed in death,
her voice was heard no more.

He stripped the mantle off her brow,
And the pale stars on her shone,
And quickly into the lighted hall,
Her helpless form was born.
They tried all within their power,
Her life for to restore,
But Charlotte was a frozen corpse,
And is never to speak more.

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