The Future of Dolls

From Carl Fox:  "And what of the future, when dolls as we have known them will be joined with the newest technology and ultimately result int he nondoll, the nonhuman, the nonrepresentational, amorphous, nontoxic cloud?  It has its advantages.  In a world hard pressed for space there will no longer be a need for storage.   Collecting will have either vanished form the earth or become a frenzied scene of hands clutching even at straws "(39). 

This was written in 1970.  I'm sure he know of Bradbury and Fahrenheit 451. I'm glad to see that nearly 50 years later, people still collect, even in an era of downsizing, where a lifetime of hard work and achievement is forced to end in a tiny room in some nondescript nursing home.

In Romanian, from The Doll

Aici este un citat care părea să fi scris pentru noi; este de la papusa de Carl Fox, care a fost un curator de muzeu care colectează păpuşi. Este o carte superba, iar textul este inspirat, şi încă relevante. A fost publicat în 1970; "Văd păpuşi în oameni şi oamenii în păpuşi. I se încadrează în dragoste cu abandonarea totală şi încântare. Am imbratisa toate ciudat, nebun, frumos, trist, singur cifrele o umbra si substanta... Şi astfel este iubirea collector's. . pentru a capta în cantitate rânduri stralucitoare de portelanuri si ciorbelor, că unul nu poate acuza o avariţie sau monopol. Ei preocupare este evident. Multitudinea de păpuşi este o reflectare doar de o dorinţă neîmplinită pentru a proteja ei exemplare la care se încadrează în mai puţin merituoşi mainile. " (Fox 26).

Here is a quote that seemed to be written for us; it's from The Doll by Carl Fox, who was a museum curator who collected dolls. It is a gorgeous book, and the text is inspiring, and still relevant. It was published in 1970; "I see dolls in people, and people in dolls. I fall in love with utter abandon and delight. I embrace all the strange, mad, beautiful, sad, lonely figures o shadow and substance . . . And such is the collector's love . . to capture in quantity the shining rows of porcelains and bisques, that one cannot accuse her of avarice or monopoly. Her concern is evident. The multiplicity of dolls is a reflection only of an unfulfilled desire to protect her specimens from falling into less deserving hands." (Fox 26).

From The Doll by Carl Fox

Here is a quote that seemed to be written for us; it's from The Doll by Carl Fox, who was a museum curator who collected dolls. It is a gorgeous book, and the text is inspiring, and still relevant. It was published in 1970; "I see dolls in people, and people in dolls. I fall in love with utter abandon and delight. I embrace all the strange, mad, beautiful, sad, lonely figures o shadow and substance . . . And such is the collector's love . . to capture in quantity the shining rows of porcelains and bisques, that one cannot accuse her of avarice or monopoly. Her concern is evident. The multiplicity of dolls is a reflection only of an unfulfilled desire to protect her specimens from falling into less deserving hands." (Fox 26).

I've tried for years to find biographical information about Fox.  If anyone has information, please share.  He is an amazing writer and author, and has wonderful, eclectic taste in dolls.

Miss Charlotte Bronte meets Miss Barbara Pym: A Day of Literary Landmarks

Miss Charlotte Bronte meets Miss Barbara Pym: A Day of Literary Landmarks: Good Morning!  On this day, Shakespeare died in 1616; it may have been his birthay, too.  Cervantes was born and died in 1616, and his date ...

Evelyn Meade Chisman, Small Dolls and Other Collectibles. Drake Publishers, 1978: Finding things to sell at thrift shops and yard sales

Evelyn Meade Chisman, Small Dolls and Other Collectibles. Drake Publishers, 1978: Finding things to sell at thrift shops and yard sales

Public Domain; book available on Amazon.com

Chisman’s book, above, is a very handy and practical guide for collectors. She is great at identifying categories to collect, but also gives ideas for how to fund your collection.

90s vinyl baby, Cititoy Variety

18 inch dolls, not American Girl

We all know dealers who sell online as well as at shows.  Many have their own collections that they would like to subsidize.  I know collectors of antiques who gather Star Wars toys to sell at flea markets or online auctions.  A few high end dealers browse yard sales to look for Blythe dolls, Gene, Barbies, or other modern dolls that they can sell.

Mini licensed PVC figure from Toy Story

Chisman talks about finding miniatures and doll related items that could be put on consignment, or sold at a show or booth at an antiques mall.  In fact, if you are a follower of Barbara Allan mysteries, you’ll love Antiques Maul, which features the protagonist and her mother scouring sales for treasures to stock a booth at an antique mall. 

Bratz doll from a yard sale

Here are some ideas for finding small items inexpensively, then selling them at a modest profit to help fund your own collections.  It’s a pleasant way to spend a morning, especially on the weekends, and you can take your coffee, roll the windows down, and follow your usual route, or find a new one.  Have plenty of cash, lots of pockets, an easy purse to carry, or no purse.  Be quick, but I don’t recommend leaving your keys in the ignition.  Start early. 

• Children’s books, particularly those about dolls like Raggedy Ann, Beatrix Potter books, paint books, coloring books, board books.
• Peanuts characters and book; Charles Schulz characters and comics are popular collectibles.  Many have been made into dolls.  Hallmark did some nice jointed bisque dolls; Sally is especially cute.  Snoopy is made in plush for every holiday in all sizes; so have Woodstock, Brother Spike, and Sister Belle. 
• Videos, BlueRay,  and DVDs  related to dolls; Chisman mentions Strawberry Shortcake and friends, but others include Raggedy Ann and Andy, Smurfs, Jem and the Holograms, Barbie, assorted horror movies including Dolls and Child’s Play, Hugo, Child of Glass, Shirley Temple Films, the 90s A Little Princess, and soon, Ugly Dolls (In Theaters May 3).
• Disney characters and films.  These include T-Shirts, other clothing, jewelry, as well as paper items, books, dolls, plush. 
• Cross-collectibles:  Jim Shore figurines and his version of Disney, Gone with the Wind and other popular culture icons.  Coke memorabilia, breweriana, Pokémon and Manga items, comic characters, action figures.
• Other toys for kids of all ages, sometimes these cost under a dollar, or are in the free box.  I used to find dozens of Happy Meal and fast food toy premiums; not any more.  That should tell us something on the state of collectibles.
• Greeting cards, wrapping paper, and other paper items with dolls or doll related licensed characters as motifs.
• Barbies, usually from 2000 on.  You can find whole bags of clothing for under $3.  Sometimes, there are examples of Barbie furniture and houses.  I’ve seen boxed dolls, usually pink label or Avon dolls selling for $10 and under. 
• Babies and dolls by Cititoy, which began in 1979 and is located in Hong Kong S.A.R., China.  These are decent quality, and were very plentiful during the 90s and early 2000s.  Many are babies, but they make an American Girl type 18 inch doll.  Many like to collect the 18inch non-American girl dolls because they are less expensive, fun to dress, fun to hair style.
• Small figurines and pieces of china, what British author Barbara Pym would call in her cozy way, “bits and pieces.’
• Baby clothes and shoes, small blankets, sometimes yard goods.  You can resell these, or use them for your own dolls.
• Holiday decorations, especially Christmas ornaments and Santas, Halloween ornaments like witches and scarecrows, and Easter Bunnies.  Many of these are dolls, and are often sold cheaply.  You can find lots of great midcentury sixties ornaments if you look carefully.
• Radios made to look like different characters, comforters and quilts, baskets, baby buggies, doll buggies, strollers, old cradles, buttons, craft goods, are all great items to buy and to resell, but also fit well with doll collectors.
• Tins old and new, especially candy tins and cookie tins decorated for Christmas.  
• Old Valentine's and candy boxes.

 

Small tin with a Victorian motif; it cost around a quarter at a yard sale. Lithographed tins
of all kinds make nice accents for doll collections; some feature dolls, like one from Current that is
decorated with French Fashion dolls.

You can always keep what you find for yourselves, or keep them as doll club prizes or fun items to trade.  So, “let’s be careful out there, “ but let’s also have fun!!

Christmas items are good finds for resale.  This is an early 2000 vintage snow man 

Vintage Halloween cat with molded toys

Meet Thomas Edison's phonograph doll - Antique Trader

Meet Thomas Edison's phonograph doll - Antique Trader: Introduced in 1890, Thomas Edison's phonograph doll is a rarity sought out by collectors. It played wax cylinders created by Alexander Graham Bell.

For Notre Dame, Our Lady

We at the Dr. E Doll Museum Blogs [Greek, Spanish & Japanese], American Doll and Toy Museum, and International Doll Museum express our deep sorrow at the calamity that has befallen Notre Dame Cathedral and the French People. We empathize with you and we know you will rebuild and persevere.  Notre Dame is so much more than a building or a historical artifact; it is the spiritual center of France, and steeped in history and art.  It is a citizen of the medieval world that still stands today, immortal, even when cruelly attacked.  The noble Gargoyle will still keep watch, and God’s grace will help you rebuild.

When Opposites Attract; the Startling and Wonderful Jewelry of Margaret de Patta

“I’ll be your leather; take from me, my lace . . “

            Stevie Nicks

When Opposites Attract; the Startling and Wonderful Jewelry of Margaret de Patta

She was born in Tacoma, Washington in 1903, but moved with her family to San Diego in the 1920s.

She was influenced by the German Bauhaus movement and by Russian Constructivism.  In some way, her work reminds one of Louise Nevelson.  Her early paintings involved overlapping planes and translucency, designs which later reappeared in her brooches and other jewelry.

Bauhaus began in Germany in 1919; at that time, de Patta was studying painting.  By the 1930s, when she was in her late twenties, she turned to painting. Bauhaus artists were well rounded and studied various types of arts and techniques. At its heart, Bauhaus involved creating superior design destined for later industrial production. Bauhaus artists were often metal workers, but also painters, sculptors, photographers, film makers, etc.  Many followed the architect Hugo Gropius.  Often, old world ideas mixed with new, modern styles and themes.  Opposites did attract, and it worked.  It was sort of like mixing leather and lace a law the old Stevie Nick’s song.

Margaret de Patta Brooch, c. 1950 Public Domain

Laszlo Moholy-Nagy was one of the original artists of both the Constructivists and Bauhaus movements.  He left Russia in 1917, and then fled Germany when the Nazi’s came to power and temporarily put an end to Bauhaus in Germany. Moholy-Nagy’s gift was to be able to ignore the political themes inherent in much Russian Constructivism,  yet take different components and assemble them into art.  His sculpture Space- Modulator looked like a machine and played with light and space.  Moholy-Nagy came to the US to found the Chicago Bauhaus, with his headquarters located in an old house once owned by Marshall Field.

The concept de Patta used to describe her jewelry was “vision in motion.” She followed the ideas of Moholy-Nagy, but also studied all kinds of jewelry, especially ethnic jewelry.  Allegedly, she stumbled onto jewelry making when she was looking for a wedding ring in 1929.  She wanted a modernist style, but couldn’t find one, so she made her own ring.  No one knows where it is today.  Later, de Patta cut shapes from sheet of silver and assembled them to make pins.  She liked using lapidary techniques and cutting translucent stones like quarts and certain types of agate to add to her jewelry.  She got interested in photograms, or “painting” with light, where negative images of objects are created, often in stark, almost black/white contrast.  According to one expert who wrote “THE TRANSCENDENT JEWELRY OF MARGARET DE PATTA: VISION IN MOTION ““Photograms are made without a camera by placing objects directly onto photosensitive paper and then exposing it to strong light. The result is a negative image with variations in tone that depend on the transparency of the objects used.” (Ursula Ilse-Neuman 6)

Margaret de Patta also wanted her predominantly abstract work to have social influence.  She strived to create quality, “wearable” sculpture jewelry for the general public, and did not necessarily want to create luxury items, though today her pieces are pricey and hard to find. The effort ultimately cost her life; after suffering business and financial failure, she committed suicide in her early sixties.   Her jewelry, however, with its touches of architectural construction and contrasting pieces lives on, and is enjoying a renaissance in the world of art jewelry and design.

The International Doll Museum blog: Sub Collections and a Post in German

The International Doll Museum blog: Sub Collections and a Post in German: Wie viele von euch haben Sammlungen von Puppen in Ihrer wichtigsten Sammlung?  Ich habe zum Beispiel Sammlungen Plüsch Spielzeug Lämmer, Sc...

Memoir; Writing your Life Story: April 2019 Skyward by Dr. David Levy-Astronomy

See below; Dr. Levy questions why so few young people are interested in astronomy, as we discuss how few young people are interested in dolls and collecting.





Memoir; Writing your Life Story: April 2019 Skyward by Dr. David Levy-Astronomy: Skyward April 2019 During our monthly star nights at our neighborhood Corona Foothills Middle School, I sit down on a chair near t...

Marin 1928-2014 and the Marin Dolls Museum Factory

Marin 1928-2014 and the Marin Dolls Museum Factory

Dolls by Jose Marin Verdugo were icons anywhere dolls from Spain were sold.  A few, now in my collection were once part of the Boca Raton Children’s Museum.  My aunt in Greece had one, a flamenco dancer.  My first was a guitar player lavishly dressed in pink lace.  She came from Madrid.  Marin Dolls were made in porcelain, plastic, and rubber.

Marin flamenco dancers are icons all over the world; a large doll dressed in blue appeared as a prop in Murder she Wrote.  Another appears every week in Daisy’s flat in Keeping up Appearances. My grandmother in Greece and my grandmother in California both had Marin dolls.

These dolls have become so iconic, that collectors often dismiss them as souvenir tourist types, thereby ignoring the rich history behind them.  As a company, they began in 1928, created by an artist named Jose Marin Verdugo (1903-84).  It sort of gives me chills to know he was alive and operating both times I was in Spain, in part, to buy his dolls!  After his death, his daughter, Ana Marin, ran the doll company.

Traditional Portrait of a Bull Fighter, unknown artist.  Bought
1994. 

Marin Bullfighter public domain image.

Also, 1928 was my mother’s and Mickey Mouse’s birthday; in my world, those are two more, huge cultural icons! 

The firm closed in 2014; in longevity, it rivaled Lenci from Italy.   During its long life, Marin won many honors including the Spanish Medal of Merit of labor.  From Krakow, Marin received the first World Doll Award.  The Marin Doll factory was located in Chiclana de la Frontera, province of Cadiz.  The dolls are usually marked with a small tag with a doll logo and the words “Marin Chiclana.”

Many flamenco dolls were made, some in tiny 5-6 inch sizes perfect for doll houses, while others were nearly three foot high flamenco female guitarists, seated on a stool, holding a tiny, but detailed guitar.  The first doll I bought was about 12 inches high, swathed in pink lace, and wearing a comb in her black, perfectly coiffed mohair wig.  We bought her in Madrid, along with many small dolls, including male flamenco dolls that seemed to channel Jose Greco, and tiny bull fighters.  We found more of them in Old Town, Albuquerque, and on various trips to Mexico.  Truly, the dolls by the mid sixties-eighties were being exported all over the world.  Flamenco music, art, and culture are important in Andalucía.  Flamenco’s origins date to around 1492, and reflect the mix of cultures and ethnicities that lived in Spain before Queen Isabella, Katharine of Aragon’s mother and Columbus’s mentor, expelled them.  These ethnicities  include African, Jewish, Mediterranean, Gypsy, Andalucían, and Moorish cultures.

Flamenco Dolls, Marin, public domain

Close-up of an early Marin doll showing traditional face. This doll may be of clay. Public Domain

Because so many types of dolls were being made, Marin opened a museum to chronicle its history in 1997.  Showcased were the dolls, handmade dolls, molds, sculptures, and antique designs.  The first dolls represented flamenco costumes from Andalusia.   Later, the chulapa of Madrid and falls of Valencia were included.  I’ve also seen dolls representing traditional outfits of the Spanish Pyrenees and The Canary Islands.

Typically, the dolls have side glancing eyes and smiling, open mouths with tiny molded teeth.  Early dolls were also hard rubber, and some are porcelain. 

Female dolls dressed in 19^th century bustle dresses ranged in size from 7 inches to around 18 inches.  Historical series in marked in connection with Lloyderson dolls ranged from 10 inches to 18 inches.  The 18 inch dolls representing various centuries of clothing were incredible and detail.  The Siglo XIV doll, or 14^th century, was named Jimena, in honor of the wife of El Cid, though the original lived over three hundred years before.  She wears the cone shaped head piece and wimple popular at the time, and a rich black velvet gown trimmed in fur.  I took the bus alone to Madrid from my college to buy her; at one point, a couple from Portugal and a gypsy woman gave me directions.  I had originally gone to buy the 18^th century doll, inspired by a Goya painting, but the store wouldn’t sell her to me.  I’m still not sure why.  I found her many years alter from my friends at Ragamuffin Dolls.   At first, these large figures were not available in the state; if they were, they were impossible to find.  I found several recently through Ruby Lane, and I saw a Henry VIII portrait doll on ebay.  Many years ago, I believe they also made Don  Quixote in this size, based on Cervantes’ quixotic hero, Don Quixote de la Mancha.  If you ever get a chance to see La Mancha with its windmills and ancient homes, go.  Next to the windmill is an abandoned castle of the Knights of Malta; we were able to climb in and tour it.  Nothing can describe that feeling.

Marin 18th century, c. 1793, inspired by Goya, public domain

,

Marin Jimena, 14th century. Public domain.

The Marin website is still up through Wayback Machine, https;//web.archives.org, or find it in the references to the Wikipedia article on the Marin Dolls Museum-Factory.  It is in Spanish and English. Featured on the site are dolls since 1928, including some 10 inch toddlers wearing regional costumes.

The porcelain dolls come in various sizes and wear regional outfits, especially lovely costumes from Valencia.  Some are very large.  Their faces are not like those of the traditional hard plastic dolls; th larger dolls resemble the bisque dolls created in France by the S.F. B. J.

Marin Porcelain Doll, public domain

The factory closed in 2014, yet apparently, the museum is still there.   Marin dolls are not just souvenirs, though souvenirs were as important to the factory as they were to Lenci.  They are dolls created to further the cultural heritage of Spain, made with traditional skill and artistry, using traditional fabrics and accessories.  Their history is worth remembering, and their dolls are worth collecting. An excellent source is a book on Mexican dolls and their Spanish heritage, Sandy Hargrove’s, Costumes of Old Mexico Carselle & Poveda Souvenir Dolls.

Portrait of  Jose Marin Verdugo and display from Marin Museum, public domain

The Doll Collecting Blues

 Lately, times have been less than happy or easy.  We are very close now to getting a building, and are holding fundraisers.  Yet, it is easy to be discouraged.

PM Bru, photo TOC antiques, auithor's collection

I do my best to work on my writing, and today, I found a moment to put away some dolls and arrange them they way I wanted.  It’s a small step, but it is satisfying.  Storage is a necessary evil in the museum/collecting world, and we are trying to keep it all together.  I always said managing a large collection of anything is like managing an office.  I have read a lot of Harry Rinker’s columns in Antique Week; he, too, seems to lament that younger people are not interested in antiques or collectibles.  I can’t think why not; I was introduced at a very early age.  Shari Lewis wrote Things Kids Collect to inspire young collectors; the old magazine Doll Stars was aimed at kids.  Somethings beg to be collected; dolls, shells, rocks, Hot Wheels, to name a few.   What child doesn’t love stickers?  I was busy, too, with extracurricular things, lots of dance and music lessons, art lessons, etc.  I still stuck with my dolls. 

Aka, Hawaiian Shirley Temple, from ebay.  Author's collection. I looked a long time
for her, and finally found her.

As I’ve said before, we all need a passion, one Barbara Pym called something to love, or what Virginia Woolf indicated was a room of one’s own.  The desire to buy dolls seems to wane for me, but somehow, I love looking at them, looking for them, arranging them.  I do pick up good examples for the museum.  It’s hard to leave some good dolls out there.

Poppet from UFDC charities.  Author's Collection.

I read a lot on the study of material culture and collecting, including dolls.  Susan Pearce’s series Collectors’ Voices is excellent, so are Kenneth Gross’s books On Dolls, and On Puppets.  Susan Stewart’s On Longing is another work on the subject that is worth reading.

When the going gets tough, the tough hunt dolls or print paper dolls.  We read about them, we watch trends.  For example, the local thrift store’s can’t seem to keep their Cabbage Patch Kids in stock.  Dolls  in general seem to do well; they know me, but seldom comment.  If they ask what I do with them, the clerks are impressed when I tell them about the museum.

Darrow Rawhide Doll, from ebay.  Author's collection.

We’ve added two papier mache Bru twins, a Sophia china head, a Kathe Kruse Boy, and SFBJ bébé and several other lovely French dolls and German characters.  We keep looking.

Some Antiques and Vintage Dolls

We also keep reading.  It’s important from time to time to find the person we were.  For me, that meant making things, getting excited over a new book, over a new doll.  It meant putting my own outfits together, and caring how I looked when I went out the door. It’s hard to give up who we were in the face of crushing responsibility, but it happens to most of us.

Try to make some time to go to that room of your own, that happy place.  Dust the doll shelves, read a new doll article on something you don’t know about.  Take out your needlepoint if you can.  Plant some flowers; pansies do great this time of year.  And remember, just breathe.