Why Metal Dolls?

Why Metal Dolls? People ask me this all the time when I tell them I wrote a book about them. I like them because, honestly, I like jewelry and copper molds and pots, and aluminum ware, and other things made out of metal. Maybe it is a pack rat thing. Also, I love an underdog, and I first read about metal heads in Helen Young's book, The Complete book of Doll Collecting; her chapter was titled "Dolls called Secondaries." It included foreign dolls, half dolls, and metal heads. They are survivor dolls; beautiful when "young" and new, their beautiful paint gleeming as brightly as the chrome on any priceless sports car, their beautiful eyes clear and intelligent. Then, life deals them a few blows; usually these are the result of some child's "tough love." Their paint wears off and they become dented, and and are consigned to the realm of old tin cans. But, like an old oil painting obscured by years of dirt and yellowing varnish, their underlying charm is there. I like metal dolls because no one else did, at least until now, and because they were a challenge to reasearch, a real detective story.

And I love their origins. They were initially created as precious, ritual objects of gold and silver, and then many centuries later, as beloved childhood toys because they were meant to last, and not break the way porcelain dolls did, or fall apart the way rag dolls could. They were created with a good and benevolent purpose, and so I think they deserve a history, and to be preserved. Also, I've always thought of Blake's poem, "The Tiger," and think metal dolls as being the hybrid children born of the clash between the pastoral, traditional feudal societies and The Industrial Revolution.

Look for more posts coming up, and follow us on Twitter. Thanks to all my Twitter friends and followers. Till next time.