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

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!

Sunday, December 23, 2018

Electicism in Dolls


Electicism, Perhaps I've Made up a Word!

 

My friend, noted author and doll artist R. Lane Herron writes a series of articles for Doll Castle News called The Elite World of Dolls.  He has traced the history of modern doll collecting from roughly the 20s to 80s in great detail by spotlighting renowned collectors and their treasures.

 

He notes, as I do, that we don’t collect the same way we did when the UFDC was created over 50 years ago.    During the days Max von Boehn, Alice Trimpey, Eleanor St. George, Janet Pagter Johl, Faith Eaton, Mary Hillier, Dr. Manfred Bachmann, Carl Fox,  Genevieve Angione, Pat Smith, Helen Young, John Noble, and others wrote, few collectors specialized.  There were many revered doll and antique dealers, and some of these authors also made or sold dolls.  While it’s true we know more than ever about dolls and marks, it is also true that the doll is more than the sum of her attributes and the dollar amount listed in price guides.

 
Melinda, an A&M painted German Bisque; she was my first
German Bisque Doll.

Antique Mignonette

Vintage Christmas Figures

Pat Thompson Vlasta Dolls



These early author/collectors were pioneers in early material culture studies, the predecessors of writers like Susan Pearce, Kenneth Gross, and Marilyn Gelfman Karp. Early collectors had eclectic collections, and Ruby Short McKim of Kimport and others like her helped them build unusual and varied displays of dolls. 

 

Personally, I love reading these book and seeing just how far the definition of doll could go.  I loved the doll motif concept of Lea Baten, who defines dolls also by how they pop up in related disciplines, like graphic art, sculpture, folk art, utilitarian crafts, and more.  I loved how Max von Boehn, a museum curator, and Laura Starr, a teacher, explored the importance of dolls to many cultures, some  lost today, and the uses of doll like objects, from bee hives to figurines. G. Stanley Hall and Caswell Ellis studied the psychological and sociological importance of dolls, and stressed their educational value in “A Study of Dolls.”

Vintage Closed Mouth Bisque Doll

Vintage Artist Bru Teteur

Three Artist Bisque Dolls, 70s vintage, Gibson Girl is Center

Primitive Black Doll Lower Left, Lower right, Vintage European Vinyl, above counter clockwise Bratz, Cener
Carlson Dolls Cow Girl, Upper Left, Cloth artist Mrs. Claus

Antique German Bisque with Chatty Cathy Looking over her Shoulder


 

Kimport’s Doll Talk newsletters had articles and also sold everything from antiques to dressed fleas from Mexico!  If anyone out there has a set, I want one!   Hillier talked of clock figures and ancient idols, even gingerbread men. Young discussed ancient paddle dolls and crèche figures.

 

Max von Boehn and Bachmann talked of prehistoric goddess figures, idols, Santos, and Fox included masks and fetishes.  All are dolls.

 

None of these writers sneered at tourist dolls or international costume dolls; Luella Hart even wrote her own books on these as well as antique dolls.  St. George included contemporary dolls like Patsy and Shirley Temple in her books, so did young.  Fox and Starr discussed folk dolls at length.

Parian Statue, 19th century

Wax over Doll from Germany

Variety of Dolls, including a Kachina, Lower Right

Storyteller; this concept was created by Helen Cordero

Mask, with Modern Plush Upper Left


 

Early writers acknowledged price; early collectors coveted china heads and Parians, and later automatons, which Lindbergh favored, and French fashions ruled the doll world. But, investment and price weren’t what mattered most. People didn’t write ten page articles on hang tags and certain marks as they do now.  It was about beauty, the need to curate and preserve, variations on a theme, and love of history, beauty and collecting. 

 
German Papier Mache

Artist Emma Clear's Grape Lady




Food for doll thought, at least.  Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and Peace in 2018.

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