Q: I have been trying for months to figure out the age, name, and value of this doll. Can you help?

A: Your doll is called a “boudoir doll” or “bed doll.” These dolls weren’t made for little girls to play with, but were made to decorate a woman’s bedroom. Most of the dolls were at least 26 inches long and were dressed in fancy clothes. They had composition heads, cloth bodies, and composition lower arms and legs. The dolls were first made in France and debuted in a fashion show given by one of the top designers in Paris in 1910. His fashion models carried dolls dressed in outfits identical to their own. Boudoir dolls became fashionable in France, England, Germany, and the United States, and several well-known companies made them. Flapper dolls were popular in the 1920s and ’30s. We were surprised to see “smoker” dolls made in the 1920s, when it became acceptable for women to smoke in public. A smoker doll holds a cigarette in her mouth. Boudoir dolls like yours sell for $50 to over $500, depending on condition and rarity.