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

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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.

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

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Monday, January 28, 2013

More Images of Charlottes and Penny Dolls

Frozen Charlottes and All Bisque Dolls, also Penny Dolls

Here is a link from The Doll Works whttp://www.thedollworks.net/items.asp?cg=%7BCE240055-101C-44CB-89B5-395765919496%7Dith great pictures.  I will post more images from my files, too.  I love these little dolls; my first real antique doll was a Frozen Charlotte, named other things, too, but especially for a folk ballad made popular by Lorenzo Carter, about a young girl who froze to death on her way to a party because she was too vain to wear a coat on a 15 mile sleigh ride.  Living Dead Dolls has created their own version, but it is not like the traditional.

I have hundreds of these dolls by now, ranging from less than 1 inch to 1 foot high.  My rarest is an anatomically correct boy doll.  I know of one in Dolls in Wonderland, Brighton, and one in the former Mary Merritt Doll Museum.  I wrote an article on these for National Doll World, no longer published, in the early 80s.

While I don't usually cite Wikipedia, here is a short article with references that is quite accurate and a sort of intro:
Frozen Charlotte is a name used to describe a specific form of china doll made from c. 1850 to c. 1920. The name comes from the American folk ballad Fair Charlotte, which tells of a young girl called Charlotte who refused to wrap up warmly to go on a sleigh ride and froze to death during the journey.[1]

[edit] Description

The Frozen Charlotte doll is made in the form of a standing, naked figure moulded all in one piece. These dolls may also be seen described as pillar dolls, solid chinas or bathing babies.[2] The dolls ranged in size from under an inch to 18 inches plus. The smallest dolls were sometimes used as charms in Christmas puddings.[2] Smaller sizes were very popular for putting in doll's houses. Occasionally versions are seen with a glazed china front and an unglazed stoneware back. This enabled the doll to float on its back when placed in a bath.[3]
They are also made in bisque, and can come in white, pink-tinted, or, more rarely, painted black.[2] Some rare examples have moulded chemises. Male dolls (identified by their boyish hairstyles) are called Frozen Charlies.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Dolls Antonia Fraser, 1963, p. 62
  2. ^ a b c Coleman. Dorothy S., Elizabeth A. and Evelyn JK.; The Collector's Encyclopaedia of Dolls Volume One, (USA, 1978)
  3. ^ Eaton, Faith; Dolls In Colour (London, 1975)

Also, see the Natalie Merchant song on her album Ophelia, and note that Frozen Charlotte is a type of dessert.

Penny dolls can also be wooden dolls of the type of dolls in Two Dutch Dolls and a Golliwog by Florence K. Upton.  These are the types of dolls Queen Victoria liked to dress.  When I was young, penny dolls referred to all bisque, jointed at the arm or unjointed Japanese bisque dolls that represented different themes.

They could also refer to little German bisque versions.  Penny toys are tin toys that cost a penny and were often mechanical.  These dated from the 19th c. 

I have read of all china, jointed Frozen Charlottes, but if they are jointed, then they technically are not Pillar or Frozen dolls.  I have badekinder in sitting positions, in little tubs, and one rare esamle of a little boy astride a cigar that is also a whistle.  A toy like this allegedly began the collection of noted author and collector, the late John Noble, once curator of the toy and doll collection of The Museum of the City of New York.

I have Charlotte dolls in wood, metal, china, wax, teracotta clay, comosition, and papier mache.  Newer versions are made, so be ware.  Some have molded clothes and fancy hairdoes.  My mother used to make wardrobes for them, and I have seen others with entire ensembles.  They are oftenused in doolls houses and as dolls' dolls.  Fragments of them are sold on various auction sites and are made into jewerly and art dolls.  I myself have one that lives in a watch case, and a barrette I made with a row of them.  I do not wear it; I'm too afraid of losing my dolls!

The Ballad:
Young Charlotte (Collected by Kenneth Peacock) with lyrics
(Frozen Charlotte)
Now, Charlotte lived on the mountainside,
In a bleak and dreary spot;
There was no house for miles around,
Except her father's cot.
And yet on many a wintry night,
Young swains were gathered there;
For her father kept a social board,
And she was very fair.
One New Year's Eve as the sun went down,
Far looked her wishful eye
Out from the frosty window pane
As merry sleighs went by.
In a village fifteen miles away,
Was to be a ball that night;
And though the air was heavy and cold,
Her heart was warm and light.
How brightly beamed her laughing eye,
As a well-known voice was heard;
And driving up to the cottage door,
Her lover's sleigh appeared.
"O, daughter dear," her mother cried,
"This blanket 'round you fold;
It is a dreadful night tonight,
You'll catch your death of cold."
"O, nay! O, nay!" young Charlotte cried,
And she laughed like a gypsy queen;
"To ride in blankets muffled up,
I never would be seen.
"My silken cloak is quite enough,
You know 'tis lined throughout;
Besides I have my silken scarf,
To twine my neck about."
Her bonnet and her gloves were on,
She stepped into the sleigh;
Rode swiftly down the mountain side,
And o'er the hills away.
With muffled face and silent lips,
Five miles at length were passed;
When Charles with few and shivering words,
The silence broke at last.
"Such a dreadful night I never saw,
The reins I scarce can hold."
Fair Charlotte shivering faintly said,
"I am exceeding cold."
He cracked his whip, he urged his steed
Much faster than before;
And thus five other dreary miles
In silence were passed o'er.
Said Charles, "How fast the shivering ice
Is gathering on my brow."
And Charlotte still more faintly said,
"I'm growing warmer now."
So on they rode through frosty air
And glittering cold starlight,
Until at last the village lamps
And the ballroom came in sight.
They reached the door and Charles sprang out,
He reached his hand for her;
She sat there like a monument,
That has no power to stir.
He called her once, he called her twice,
She answered not a word;
He asked her for her hand again,
And still she never stirred.
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.
And there he sat down by her side,
While bitter tears did flow;
And cried, "My own, my charming bride,
You never more will know."
He twined his arms around her neck,
He kissed her marble brow;
His thoughts flew back to where she said,
"I'm growing warmer now."
He carried her back to the sleigh,
And with her he rode home;
And when he reached the cottage door,
O, how her parents mourned.
Her parents mourned for many a year,
And Charles wept in the gloom;
Till at last her lover died of grief,
And they both lie in one tomb.
####.... Said to be based on a true event recorded in an original poem by Maine humorist and editor Seba Smith [1792-1868] and set to music by William Lorenzo Carter. [Laws G17] Native American Balladry (G. Malcolm Laws, 1950/1964) ....####
This variant was collected in 1958 from Charlotte Decker of Parson's Pond, NL, by Kenneth Peacock and published in Songs Of The Newfoundland Outports, Volume 3, pp.735-737, by The National Museum of Canada (1965) Crown Copyrights Reserved.

Kenneth Peacock noted that several attempts have been made to relate this American ballad to an actual event, all without real success. If Charlotte existed, however, we can be reasonably certain she lived somewhere in New England. What we do know is that part of the ballad appeared in The Rover in 1843 and was credited to Seba Smith, a well-known journalist of the period. It is not known whether he composed it himself or learned it from oral tradition. In any event, it has spread all over the continent and is especially popular in Newfoundland where it is sometimes called Frozen Charlotte.

The New York Observer reported on February 8, 1840, that a girl froze to death on her way to a ball on January 1, 1840.






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Doll Museum: The Early 19th Century

Doll Museum: The Early 19th Century: Early dolls of this era come in many varieites. Materials include carton, wax, and wood covered in gesso. Some of the so called Queen Anne ...

The Paper Collector and Paula Hills' Open House

One of the blogs we follow at The Museum is that of The Paper Collector, a must for those who love paper dolls. Here is a link to a holiday openhouse that is simply charming. http://thepapercollector.blogspot.com/2009/01/visit-with-paula-hill.html#links You will really love this blog, and this set of photos. Enjoy.

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Doll Museum: Welcome to our New Follower!

Doll Museum: Welcome to our New Follower!: Welcome with all our heart! You may also like our other blogs, including Dr. E's Doll Museum at wwwwdollmuseum.blogspot.com. For those int...

Friday, January 18, 2013

For Sharon

Please bear with me if I post the same photos; a friend of mine needs some of these for a project, and we can't seem to make our email work. These are the darkest days of winter for me, weather and memory wise. My mom was born Janury 15th; I lost her and my Grandfather, although many years before, on January 29th, and this year, the date falls on Tuesday, when mother died. It takes all I have to get through the next two months. I perk up again in March. Here, Sharon, are the photos. I hope you like them. My husband, Dino Milani of Milanipc.com took them.

My Pinterst Board Doll Collection

You will enjoy these photos; check out my other boards, too. http://pinterest.com/etquest/doll-collection/

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Memoir; Writing your Life Story: A Recipe Book

Memoir; Writing your Life Story: A Recipe Book: Good Morning! I am writing/compiling a recipe/craft/puzzle book to sell as a fundraiswer for my school club. We sponsor local charities, c...

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Etrennes

From: Infoplease.com: (2 syl.). New-year's gifts are so called in France. Strenia, the Roman goddess, had the superintendence of new-year's gifts, which the Romans called strenæ. Tatius entered Rome on New-year's Day, and received from some augurs palms cut from the sacred grove, dedicated to the goddess Strenia. Having succeeded, he ordained that the 1st of January should be celebrated by gifts to be calledstrenæ, consisting of figs, dates, and honey; and that no word of ill omen should be uttered on that day Read more: Etrennes — Infoplease.com http://www.infoplease.com/dictionary/brewers/etrennes.html#ixzz2HbrjIieK

More Portraits

Jointed, all wooden folk doll, painted features. Age unknown at this time.
Modern bisque, very good quality procelain, cloth body and wire armature. Clara from The Nutcracker. Gift of my mother.
Effanbee vinyl fashion doll; 1990s. Photo, Dino J. Milani.
Hong Kong Lili

Portraits of some of The Museum Residents

These are all faces of The Museum from our collection; my husband took most of the photos, and more of his work is at Milanipc.com. Thanks for looking.
Modern automaton, grey-eyed A & M 370 on Kid body, dressed by Dr. E, 1988 Hamilton Bru.
Brooch made by Dr. Ellen, M. Engelbreit inspired card, vintage beads, antique glass and buttons.
Modern Cody or Long-face Jumeau on ball-jointed body. Purchased in Galesburg, IL, many years ago. Costume assembled by Dr. E, afghan knitted by her mother.
Modern African doll, hand carved of wood.
Papier Mache Puppet from 1930s; perhaps WPA? <

Monday, January 7, 2013

Experts, Artists, Collectors

I tend to podner a lot, especially about dolls and collecting. I've read that artists are collectors, and I refer my readers to Austin Kleon's Steal Like an Artist for further elaboration. Collectors are artists; we collect selectively, often to create a pattern. Some artists like Dina Vierny, Joseph Cornell, and Rembrandt, literally collect, sometimes to find objects to create art, but sometimes just because they like other things, too.
There is an art to building a collection, to displaying it, arranging inventories, catloging, and hunting out and seeking. Marilyn Gelfman Karp says it more eloquently than I ever could, and she, incidentally, is an artists, art collector, and art professor. See her book, In Flagrante Collecto. What makes a collector an expert in her field? The Uniform Commerical code basically defines an merchant as an expert because of knowledge gained in an area, which knowledge is not exclusive to buying and selling a good or service. So, collectors, whether dealers or not, are often experts.
The trend I see in dolls, and some other collectible fields, is that expert usually means lots of money to buy high end, and knowledge of marketing and sales. I know plenty of great dealers and museum curators who know their product inside and out; many are collectors, some not. But, I throw out this idea as food for thought; I venture to guess that most experts in Leondardo da Vinci and his works do not own an actual Leonardo painthing, and most experts in Chaucer, Bronte, or other great author, do not own an original manuscript. Yet, they study what is available, read, visit museums and libraries, accumulate their own archives and libraries, and sometimes, their own collections. So does a doll collector; so it is possible to know, study, even handle the "high end" dols, without actually owning or buying/selling them. Too often "serious" collector means rich, and quality or high end means it cost over, say $5000. I disagree. I don't want to start something. I certainly don't want to bring down doll prices. But, I've heard very "high end" dealers complain about people who are collecting money, not dolls and who have lost track about the joys of a hobby, and researching it, and its history. I've articles in the same spirit by A. Glenn Mandeville about Keeping Dolls so MIB that we collect boxes, not dolls, and by R. Lane Herron redfining rarity, e.g., "Will the Rare Doll Please stand up?"
Happy Dolling. Even I, who have viewed/handled tens of thousands of dolls in my collecting history, will tell others to slow down, collect what they like and invest in CDs and IRAs, spend time taking stock, repairing, organizing, dressing, even making dolls. It isn't all about one upping someone on eBay. Happy New Year, and I'd like to hear your thoughts. Sorry in advance for typos. My arm is killing me.

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

New Pins to our Pinterest Board, Doll Collection

We have new pins to our board, Doll Collection, but check out our other boards, Holidays, Legal Study Books, Wonderful Books, Pets, Women's Apparel, Photography, and Erzebet and the Lady Vampyres! Happy 2013; May you find the doll of your dreams for your collections! And, also to our friends at Content 2 Antique Dolls page.