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

Translate


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

Popular Posts

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!

Monday, March 25, 2019

Suzanne Gibson, NIADA Artist and Virtual Doll Collection


Many artists turn to creating dolls because they are a fresh medium, something to take their art in another direction.  Artists who recognized the importance of the relationship between dolls and art founded the National Institute of American Doll Artists, NIADA, in 1963. Originally, four artists founded NIADA, Helen Bullard, Gertrude Florian, Magge Head, and Fawn Zeller. Today, there are over 60 members elected by their peers and member-patrons.  The purpose behind founding NIADA was to recognize the art behind original, hand made dolls.  Members hold annual get-togethers that include visiting doll makers and doll fans to share work and ideas with each other.  There is also a NIADA school for those who wish to learn doll making techniques from the artists of NIADA. The artists’ group also offers publications on artist dolls.  For more information about the annual conference and school, visit the NIADA website, www.niada.org.

 One of the Vinyl Kalico Kids, Tsagaris collection.



For many years, I was a pen pal of the late Suzanne Gibson, a NIADA artist known for her Kalico Kids and porcelain little girl series.   She was trained as a ballet dancer and was from Capitola, CA, not far from my family.  When I was nine my dad bought me one of the little girl dolls of porcelain from Knott’s Berry Farm.  The legend was that Gibson only made three dolls from each mold then broke it, though the dolls were clearly sisters.  They resembled each other closely.  My Dad used to say that his hand hurt from writing the check.  She is a lovely little girl with long lashes, long, strawberry blonde curls with pink ribbons, and a white eyelet dress and bloomers. Her shoes and stockings are also white.  There were other little girls, and Suzanne sent me a picture of one with dark curls and a pink dress.  She made vinyl dolls for several years with Reeves International, including a Mother Goose set in collaboration with Steiff.  The Kalico Kids were a departure, and based on her own childhood.  She sent me an autographed copy of her book about them at one point.

S. Gibson Holly by Reeves International via Public domain




When I went to a doll show, I would check on her dolls, if any.  I only found vinyl versions of the Kalico Kids and other dolls.   Currently, the Reeves dolls are a bargain on ebay.

Spinning Wheel's Complete Book of dolls features Gibson in an article; there is a great scion on doll artists in the book.  The NIADA sight is full of information, of course.  Many artists are past members of NIADA, and there are other groups, but notable artists include Debbie Ritter, Uneek Doll designs, R. John Wright, elinor peace bailey, Greg Ortiz and many BJD artists and designers. Glenda Rolle, featured in photos on this blog, does great sand babies and jewelry.

Teracotta doll bust by the author, c. 1988.

Spinning Wheel’s Complete Book of Dolls has a good article about her, and a good section on Doll artists.  Other books include Max von Boehn’s Dolls, Carl Fox’s The Doll,  Clara Hallard Fawcett’s books, Janet Pagter Johl’s and Eleanor St. George’s books that talk about Emma Clear, Helen Young’s The Complete Book of Doll Collecting, Edwina Ruggles’, The One Rose, Spinning Wheel’s Complete Book of Dolls, vol. I, Doll Reader Magazine, Doll Castle News, Kimport’s Doll Talk, Manfred Bachman’s Dolls, the Wide World Over, and Bernice’s BambiniWonderful books by NIADA include   Krystyna Poray Goddu, ed., The Art of the Doll: Contemporary Work of the National Institute of American Doll Artists. NIADA, 1992, and other books by Goddu on the artists. NIADA serves many wonderful purposes in the world of dolls, but the artists remind us above all of the historical and artistic value of dolls for collectors and doll lovers of all ages.

R:  Dealer Laverne Koddy with a Jan McClean doll.

The author's Baby Dear, originally designed by Eloise Wilkin.
This version c. 1964,  and she wears a dress from her varied
wardrobe.  She is the author's favorite doll. 

Fairy with butterfly wings, artist made

Art doll by Joniak.

COD character doll, coinciding with movements in the Bauhaus Art
Movement and German Realism.


Older artists and designers include Joseph Kallus, Cameo Doll company and innovator of the modern vinyl Kewpie, Rose O' Neill, Grace Story Putnam, Grace Drayton, Grace Corey Rockwell, Johnny Gruelle, A. Marque, Picasso, Degas, Tony Sarg, and Bil Baird.


Doll on lower right holding Joan Walsh Anglund Doll
is porcelain S. Gibson little girl doll


Other doll artists, some former NIADA members are Magge Head Kane, R. John Wright, Glenda Rolle [see her sand babies on this blog], R. Lane Herron, and Teri Long-Long Gone Dolls.  A. Marque and is an artist of the past that created dolls, as did DeWees Cochran, Madame Alexander, Dorothy Heizer and Emma Clear .  Peggy Jo Rosamund is an amazing paper doll artist.  Robin Woods did amazing work, and so did Anna Avigail Brahms.  The list goes on.


Bil Baird Puppet, photo the author

Dolls and art have gone hand in hand for centuries.  Even in prehistory, humans were creating small statues of women and an occasional man according to their standards of aesthetic beauty.  Artists used small articulated models or lay figures to create masterpieces of art.  A few artists like Marque, Picasso, and Degas,  either created dolls, or were inspired by dolls to create other works of art.  Many great artists, including Rembrandt, were collectors themselves. Leonardo da Vinci dabbled in creating automatons, along with other gadgets and machines.  Artists like Joseph Cornell and Jarvis Rockwell created works of art using dolls.  Norman Rockwell, father to Jarvis, painted them, as in his Doctor and Doll. The artistry of antique dolls influenced Pleasant Rowland’s American Girls.  Of course, sculptors and artists have always been involved in creating dolls for play and to collect. There are many non-NIADA books and magazines  about doll making including The Art Doll Quarterly.   Behind every Barbie, Kewpie, or Betsy Wetsy, there is an artist or sculptor working his or her particular doll magic.


Artist doll after the work of Ted de Grazia.  Author's collection.

Other great books abound on dolls and art, as well as videos of the Santa Fe Doll Art conventions. Just remember, behind every great doll, there is a great artist!  We will be featuring Helen Kish, George Stuart, Shelley Thornton and more at the June Virtual Doll Convention.

Pat Thompson, Vlasta Dolls. Author's Collection












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