Felt dolls made by Lenci (Italy) from the 1920s to the present

Lenci was founded in 1919 in Turin, Italy by Enrico Scavini, a business agent and his wife, Elena König.

The name ‘Lenci’ was an acronym for Ludus est nobis constanter industria [Play is our constant work]. The couple's first daughter had unexpectedly suddenly died during a Spanish influenza epidemic, and as reaction to the loss, Elena König had started to create rag dolls, imagining that they could be toys for her lost child. Distributed firstly only among the friends of the family, Elena König’s rag dolls soon achieved popularity with the wider public who appreciated them for their simplicity and creative and meticulous workmanship.

Their success was assisted by participation and awards from a number of prestigious trade fairs, including the International Exhibition of Decorative Arts held in Monza in 1923, the Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs et Industriels Modernes in Paris in 1925 and the International Exhibition more... in Turin in 1928. As the business grew, production encompassed wooden toys, cloth dolls, and furnishings for children's rooms and accessories for women.

In 1928 the company diversified into ceramics, producing figurines, wall plaques and decorative items hiring a number of well-regarded artists and modellers. By 1930 staff numbers had increased to 600, and the company had further diversified into production of ceramics to offset the decline of sales of dolls due to increased competition.

In 1937 the company was sold to Pilade Garella, and the Garella family ensured Lenci’s survival for the next 60 years, until 1997, when ownership passed to Bambole Italiane srl. Lenci continued to trade until 2002, when the company declared bankruptcy and the business was closed. less...