Children of Japan

Children of Japan
Courtesy, R. John Wright

Hinges and Hearts

Hinges and Hearts
An Exhibit of our Metal Dolls

Tuxedo and Bangles

Tuxedo and Bangles

A History of Metal Dolls

A History of Metal Dolls
Now on Alibris.com and In Print! The First Book of its Kind

Alice, Commemorative Edition

Alice, Commemorative Edition
Courtesy, R. John Wright

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Emma, aka, La Contessa Bathory

Emma, aka, La Contessa Bathory
Her Grace wishes us all a Merry Christmas!

Annabelle

Annabelle

Emma Emmeline

Emma Emmeline
Our New Addition/fond of stuffed toys

Cloth Clown

Cloth Clown

Native American Art

Native American Art

the triplets

the triplets

c. 1969 Greek Plastic Mini Baby

c. 1969 Greek Plastic Mini Baby
Bought Athens on the street

Iron Maiden; Middle Ages

Iron Maiden; Middle Ages

Sand Baby Swirls!

Sand Baby Swirls!
By Glenda Rolle, courtesy, the Artist

Glenda's Logo

Glenda's Logo
Also, a link to her site

Sand Baby Castaway

Sand Baby Castaway
By Glenda Rolle, Courtesy the Artist

A French Friend

A French Friend

Mickey

Mickey
From our friends at The Fennimore Museum

2000+ year old Roman Rag Doll

2000+ year old Roman Rag Doll
British Museum, Child's Tomb

Ancient Egypt Paddle Doll

Ancient Egypt Paddle Doll
Among first "Toys?"

ushabti

ushabti
Egyptian Tomb Doll 18th Dynasty

Ann Parker Doll of Anne Boleyn

Ann Parker Doll of Anne Boleyn

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Tin Head Brother and Sister, a Recent Purchase

Tin Head Brother and Sister, a Recent Purchase
Courtesy, Antique Daughter

Judge Peep

Judge Peep

Hakata Doll Artist at Work

Hakata Doll Artist at Work
From the Museum Collection

Japanese Costume Barbies

Japanese Costume Barbies
Samurai Ken

Etienne

Etienne
A Little Girl

Happy Heart Day

Happy Heart Day

From "Dolls"

From "Dolls"
A Favorite Doll Book

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Jenny Wren

Jenny Wren
Ultimate Doll Restorer

Our Friends at The Fennimore Doll and Toy Museum

Our Friends at The Fennimore Doll and Toy Museum

Baby Boo 1960s

Baby Boo 1960s
Reclaimed and Restored as a childhood Sabrina the Witch with Meow Meow

Dr. E's on Display with sign

Dr. E's on Display with sign

Dolls Restored ad New to the Museum

Dolls Restored ad New to the Museum
L to R: K*R /celluloid head, all bisque Artist Googly, 14 in. vinyl inuit sixties, early celluloid Skookum type.

Two More Rescued Dolls

Two More Rescued Dolls
Late Sixties Vinyl: L to R: Probably Horseman, all vinyl, jointed. New wig. R: Effanbee, probably Muffy, mid sixties. New wig and new clothing on both. About 12 inches high.

Restored Italian Baby Doll

Restored Italian Baby Doll
One of Dr. E's Rescued Residents

Dolls on Display

Dolls on Display
L to R: Nutcrackers, Danish Troll, HItty and her book, Patent Washable, Mechanical Minstrel, Creche figure, M. Alexander Swiss. Center is a German mechanical bear on the piano. Background is a bisque German costume doll.

A Few Friends

A Few Friends
These dolls are Old German and Nutcrackers from Dr. E's Museum. They are on loan to another local museum for the holidays.

Vintage Collage

Vintage Collage
Public Domain Art

The Merry Wanderer

The Merry Wanderer
Courtesy R. John Wright, The Hummel Collection

The Fennimore Doll Museum

The Fennimore Doll Museum

Robert

Robert
A Haunted Doll with a Story

Halloween Dolls Displayed in a Local Library

Halloween Dolls Displayed in a Local Library

The Cody Jumeau

The Cody Jumeau
Long-faced or Jumeau Triste

German Princesses

German Princesses
GAHC 2005

A Little PowerRanger

A Little PowerRanger
Halloween 2004

The Island of the Dolls

The Island of the Dolls
Shrine to Dolls in Mexico

Based on the Nutshell Series of Death

Based on the Nutshell Series of Death
Doll House murder

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A lovely dress

A lovely dress

Raggedy Ann

Raggedy Ann
A few friends in cloth!

Fennimore Doll and Toy Museum, WI

Fennimore Doll and Toy Museum, WI
Pixar Animator's Collection

Little PM sisters

Little PM sisters
Recent eBay finds

Dressed Mexican Fleas

Dressed Mexican Fleas

Really old Dolls!

Really old Dolls!

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Dolls That Played Hard to Get, Wuthering Heights, and Houses of Sand and Fog

I stepped out this morning and looked back at my little brick house shrouded in mist and fog. You could barely see its gables, even a few feet away. For a moment, I felt like a time traveler standing on the moors of Wuthering Heights. If Cathy, or Emily B. herself had stepped out of my front door, I wouldn't have been surprised.


Weather like this makes me muse, and ponder, and day dream. Last year we had a blizzard, now we have 60 degrees and foggy mornings, sort of like my days in grad school when I took a backroad past an abandoned insane asylum, in daily mist, where car lights barely shown like fairy lamps.

I am reading Broken for You and Sing them Home, both by S. Kallos, and in each, objects and their stories play prominent roles, even becoming characters. Of course, this line of thought leads me to dolls and their stories, so here are some of mine with tales of why they were hard to get.

1. General McCarthur. I first saw him in Lolly's in Galena, and another also in Galena, in a restaurant that had dolls in a display case. My whole family has been in the military, and I bonded instantly. My mom used to say when I was a toddler that I ran up to any man in uniform and cried, "Daddy!" because mine wore an airforce uniform. Must have been fun for the men. I've loved toy soldiers every since. I got him 40 years later after I made an offer on eBay. I'm looking for boots for him.

2. French Fashion; many fine replicas and bits and pieces of Frency dolls later, I found my first FF at a doll show in California, from the friends of Jim Fernando, legendary dealer/collector in all things French. His friends even put her in a French bag, which I still have. 23 years to find this one.

3. My first antique bisque, a German bisque Floradora, dressed now in remnants of my grandmother's French wedding gown came from Saratoga, CA, from the Marionnette Doll Hospital. I was 14, and it was July 4th. Nine years for this one.

4. First ship's figurehead, a doll-like figure discussed in Leslie Gordon's early books on dolls, same summer of '74, Monterey Bay. Two years since I first read about them.

5. Ivory Doctor's Lady from China; I saw her in the early 80s in a miniature show. I wrote to the owner after the show, and she mailed me the doll on the honor system. I sent her a check right away. She was a lovely lady named B.J.Huston from Texas. Sixteen years to find her.

6. Ashanti doll from Ghana; my first came from Sausalito, CA. It took me 4 years to find her, but it was 28 years before I found another one. Now, I can find them in various manifestations in import stores.

7. Japanese Festival Dolls; I first read of these in R. Godden's Miss Happinesss and Miss Flower. I have a pop up card my Uncle brought from Korea, but I didn't get my first one till 15 years after I read the book, at the same miniature show I found my Doctor's lady. Now, I have bought several in California, in local museums, and in antique stores. I don't pass them up if I see them reasonably; they are disappearing again.

8. Good black, French doll; 43 years from the first time I read of them in John Noble's Dolls, my first doll book.

9. Acupunture figure; first heard about when Barbara Walters showed one she bought her daughter in China, around 1969 or 70 when President Nixon went. Nineteen years later, I found my first one. A local chiropractic clinic ordered her for me after I saw her in one of their displays.

10. Miss Barbie; 25 years. I found her in San Jose, purchased from Mr. Franklin Lim Lao.

These are just a few of the dolls I have that were "hard to get." There are more, including the pewter Huret, and the photos of the zinc boided Steiner that is key wound.

I am still looking for a pair of dressed Mexican fleas. I would like an autoperpatetikos and an Edison phonograph doll. I would like a Vincent Lake all Steel doll, and the rest of my Lil Abner Piano. I did manage to find Mammy Yokum again. Also, always looking for giant jointed and not jointed bears of the 1940s, and Peter's little ward from Bachelor Father, a paper doll. Also, a hand knitted sweater with Henry VIII and his six wives, and hand knit sweater with Scarlett in front of Tara, and a black, sleeveless dress sold at Emporium in 1972,with antique dolls printed all over it. Any help is much appreciated!

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