June 2024

“I wonder what it would be like to live in a world where it was always June.”

- L.M. Montgomery -

Who has read L.M. (Lucy Maude) Montgomery’s novel Anne of Green Gables or watched the “Anne with an E” series on Netflix?

Both the novel and the series are a delicious delight, and Lucy Maude Montgomery’s ponderance on the month of June is thoughtprovoking.

We want to share with you, our readers, that our Editor-in-Chief, Gay Bryant, retired on May 30th. Gay became our Managing Editor with the June 2016 issue of Antique DOLL Collector and Editor-in-Chief with the December 2016 issue. We will miss her and extend our sincere and heartfelt appreciation for the eight years she shared her talents with our magazine. She leaves us, though, with this, her final issue…

Our cover story is of historical significance. Author Eliza de Sola Mendes worked closely with the Royal Collection Trust, Windsor Castle, United Kingdom to bring us a comprehensive article in honor of Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House centenary celebration.

Samy Odin shares a collection of rare and wonderful early European paper dolls carefully collected with his beloved father, Guido.

Ann Hays gifts us with a fun and fanciful story of Shadowdancers.

Auctions continue and our advertisers offer a wide array of wonderful wares.

Have a safe and fun-filled summer! We look forward to seeing you at the UFDC Convention in Kansas City. Please stop by our table at Publishers’ Preview on Friday, July 26th.

“You never know what peace is until you walk on the shores or in the fields or along the winding…roads…in a summer twilight. You find your soul then. You realize that youth is not a vanished thing but something that dwells forever in the heart.”

- L.M. Montgomery -

Laurie McGill Senior Editor

27” Kestner 241 Known as Hilda’s Older Sister, beautiful facial molding & coloring, blue sleep eyes, antique mohair wig & clothing, repainted hands $2995.

15” Kestner Hilda beautiful molding & coloring, brown sleep eyes $1225. Or Both for $3995

Lt 20 w/ artesian made wolf $295.

9 x 6.5 x 2.75” Antique German Tin miniature Carriage/Pram, Marklin / Maerklin 1890’s all original in beautiful condition, some silk breakage on sunshade w/ celluloid doll $1595.

22” Kestner 214 6 ½ G 1/2, original clothing & mohair wig, sweet face, blue sleep eyes $645.

7” All original Effanbee Baby Tinyette w/ NRA dress tag, amazing coloring & condition $130.

UFDC Convention Kansas City, MO Marriott Downtown July 23 – 27, 2024 Looking Forward to Seeing You In The UFDC Showroom

Public Hours Fri. July 26, 12 – 6

Beautiful #1 Barbie in box with original stand, comes with TM tagged Gay Parisienne (not complete), Evening Splendor, Picnic Set, Suburban Shopper, Resort Set, Floral Petticoat, Peachy Fleecy, Winter Holiday, Sweater Girl $13,995.

20” Phenix 22 French Bebe by Henri Alexandre, beautiful PW eyes, pierced ears, appears all original pale pink dress, mohair wig $1850.

15” Pair of Norah Welling All Original Dolls in brown & green felt outfits, mohair wigs, beautifully painted $595.

17” K * R 122 Toddler w/ blue sl eyes, sweet expression, antique clothing $495. 15.5” K * R 121 Baby All Original, blue sl eyes, mohair wig $320.

21” Kestner 168 E9, blue sleep eyes, HH wig, beautiful coloring & molding $425. 10” K * R 116A All Original Baby, blue sleep eyes, mohair wig $750.

21” Vintage American Character Eloise 1957 all original w/ tag, wonderful face $155. 10” Effanbee DyDee Baby in wonderful condition – beautiful face w/ bubble pipe, Q-tips, booklet & extra clothes $250.

8” JDK 260 on 5 piece body, brown sleep eyes, sweet face $280. 14” Steiff Bendy Giraffe, mohair w/ pretty coloring $99.50

6.75” Seated Heubach Baby w/ molded bonnet & top, w/ arms up, great detailing $395.

7.5” Cathy Hansen Bru on beautiful leather body, blue glass eyes, mohair wig, sweetly dressed $285. 10.5” Little Red Riding Hood by Erica Cattelani, hand carved wood, hand painted,

www.antiquedollcollector.com

Publications Director: Lisa Brannock

Editor-in-Chief: Gay Bryant

Senior Editor: Laurie McGill

Production Director: Louann Wilcock

Art Director: Lisa Claisse

Administrative Manager: Valerie Foley

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Contributors:

Elizabeth Ann Coleman, Linda Edward, Bradley Justice, Samy Odin

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Subscriptions: adcsubs@gmail.com

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1. 22 1/2” Unique, wooden shoulder head lady, circa 1840, carved ringlets w/ rear bun, orig. finish except for light touch up at sides of forehead, cloth body, leather arms, antique clothing. $4,200.

2. Music to the eyes and ears with this Continental automaton having two adult figures in 18th century style orig. clothing (some melting), heads molded in paper mache, and a small bisque child who dances to their accompaniment and direction, ca 1880. (12 3/4” wide, 10 1/4” tall) $3,850.

3. Set of antique doll furniture consisting of an inlaid wood armoire and matching chest, being sold separately. Armoire is 15” tall, $625. The chest of drawers is 6 3/4” tall, $325. Next comes a high quality, antique wooden table with lid that lifts to reveal a silk-tufted storage compartment, complete with an attached mirror and orig. key. Table top is 9 3/4” tall. $975.

Hope to see you next month at the UFDC National Convention Sales Room in Kansas City, MO!

P.O. Box 4327, Burbank CA 91503 • e-mail: nellingdolls@gmail.com Cell: 818-738-4591 Home: 818-562-7839 • Member NADDA and UFDC

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Important: We need your old address and your new address. The Post Office will forward magazines for 60 days only. Call 631-261-4100, email at adcsubs@gmail.com or write to us at: P.O. Box 349, Herndon, VA 20172

Fine Dolls & Precious Playthings from our Past www.beautifulbebes.com Always Buying! Trades and Consignments Considered Tel: 425.765.4010 Beautifulbebes@outlook.com

Clarmaid Bru Jne Artist Pair C. 1961Beautifully crafted pair using the Circle Dot mold for inspiration, these darling dolls were made in 1961 & 1963 respectively. Lovely soft painting of features, beautifully sculpted bisque hands and so charming together. Made by the famous American Doll Artist- Clara WadeMarked Claremaid 1961 & 1963 on the back of the head. Perfect head and hands. Brown glass paperweight eyes. Pierced ears. Clara Wade studied under the famous American doll Artist Emma Clear, who started the Humpty Dumpty Doll Hospital in 1913. $1,395 Pair

Sometimes, we just need a little treat!

This 5.5” cutie is just the ticket! Inquisitive blue glass eyes, single-stroke brows, sweeping lashes, swivel neck, & double-strap blue shoes. Antique dress & gorgeous wig. Encircled by three porcelain Erphila Pups from Germany, they look adorable alone or at her side. Aren’t you ready for a Little Treat? Mignonette $1690. Pups $285

Dreamy Articulated Huret - This earliest Huret model has an angelically beautiful face and is conserved to a fantastic articulated wooden body; certain to light up your collection! She is simply beautiful with a pristine pale complexion and wears a softly curled lambskin wig. Her dress is superb, a rich green windowpane silk & velvet, circa 1860s, with a coordinating antique straw & velvet bonnet and demure cotton blouse. Her antique leather boots are in excellent condition. She comes with a precious ecru purse. Two parasols are also available and priced below. Huret Poupée $25,950 as shown. Original Glass-Boxed Green Silk Parasol $1,100. Marked Huret Chair $7,500 (This issue only.) Ecru Silk Parasol $795

A charming twelve-inch Wax Child in overall wonderful condition with lovely blue glass eyes, rooted blonde hair and pink-hued complexion. This darling was awarded a ribbon in competition at the 2019 Nashville convention. So precious. Attributed to Meech. $995

A darling pair of 9” Armand Marseilles 323 Googly siblings in excellent condition are enchanted by a Candy Container Piggy carrying an adorable jointed bisque dolly on it’s back! Googlies $1185 Pr. Candy Container $795

Eliza de Sola Mendes

Queen Mary's Dolls' House was built between 1921 and 1924 for Queen Mary, consort of King George V, by the leading British architect Sir Edwin Lutyens. It contains works from over 1,500 of the finest artists, craftspeople and manufacturers of the early 20th century. Throughout 2024, The Royal Collection Trust is celebrating the 100th anniversary of Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House.

www.rct.uk/collection/stories/queen-marysdolls-house

Cover photograph, Courtesy of The Royal Collection Trust.

3) Luscious 18” Portrait Jumeau w. Signed Shoes - sexy blue PW’s, shaded lids, applied ears, orig. coil, pate, wig & sgnd. Stiff Wrist body wearing vintage teal gray Silk Velvet Ensemble w. Chapeau & Signed Shoes. $6900

4) High Style 20” Closed Mouth ‘Bebe Phenix’ - red stamp & incised ‘Star 92’, ivory pure bisque, bl. PW’s, original fully jointed body in lovely antique Silver Blue Couture. Arresting! $2895

5) Antique Lambswool Pull Toy - luxury on wheels w orig. bisque head child riding in her Factory Ensemble 12”x10” $1800

6) Rare & Exciting ‘Smiling Byelo’! - 13”c. head important fully signed rarity w Closed Mouth Smile, twinkling bl. sl. eyes, ‘oily’ bisque, sgnd. body in extravagant heirloom layers. One in a thousand! $3500

7) French ‘DEP’s ‘- original Jumeau bodies. Left: 13” Little Sister in original dress & hip length French wig. $495; Right: 23” Big Sister w bl.sl. eyes, dewey bisque, dense Factory Wig & Pate, fine original clothes. $850

1&2) Spectacular 29” Baby Girl & Boy - Orig. K*R bodies and 20” cir. heads! Bl. sl. eyes, perfect bisque & sweet. Orig Play Clothes $695 each or $1100 the Pair.

8) Extremely Rare 7” Large Oriental All Bisque - glass eyes, silk clothes, Halbig w knee length Queue, lovely amber tint, ‘over the knee’ white stockings,pointy Blue Slippers. $1495 9) Elusive Glass Eye 12” Kestner ‘206’ Character - a rarely seen ca: 1909 cabinet gem in Factory Wig, Pate & delicate Original Clothes. So special. $10,000 only $5250

13) 17” Bliss House w. Balcony - Original papers in & out, bright color & high shine, some age, re’plcd. steps. $695

14) 5.5” Slender

Limb Socket Head - fine quality, such a pretty delicate dress & long mohair wig!

$395

15) 5.5” Early Size ‘0’ Barefoot Kestner – bl. sl. eyes, orig. long Wig, Clenched Fists & peg jointed.$1695

16) 5.5” Exquisite French Mignonette - Factory Wig & Dress, peg joints, slender limbs, lovely quality & smile. $1895

17) Miniature 3” Yellow Stocking Kestner ‘310’ - socket head, clo.mo, big eyes, a doll’s doll! $475; 5.5” Kesnter ‘720’ - well-dressed w. 2-strapped 2-tone Heeled Slippers. $215

18) 4” Bent Limb

‘833’ Jointed Baby - gl sl. eyes, Factory Wig. $195; 5.5” Character ’83-760’ bl. sl, Factory Braids, chubby limbs! $225

19) 5” 2-Strap Klingshirred stockings, sl. eyes, pretty original dress.$295; 6” Kestner ‘150’ - sl. eyes, smile, carved teeth, Full Factory Wig & Orig. Clothes $275

10) 17” Unusual Early Converse - a Bliss compatible size & styling, cut out windows, 2nd floor balcony, op/clo door, printed interior too! Excel. condition $795 11&12) Exceptional Kammer & Reinhardt ‘Children’ - (see page 7) 29” long, 20” heads, bl. sl. eyes, chunky baby bodies in prettiest original play clothes. Outstanding display dolls! $1100 the pair.

20) 4.5” ABG’83’ca:1911, bl gl.eyes, tiny o.m, wht.hose, Silk Ensemble w. Hat, $295; 3.5” ‘Germany’ Boygreat facial & hair details & period Crochet Suit matches Shoes. $185

21) 4” Adorable Googly ‘217’Factory Wig/ Clothes, short bl. socks, sl. Eyes. A pip! $425

22) Luxury All Bisques! (see #15 & #16)

23) Pair 4.5” & 5.5” Little Boy Blue & Girl - ‘5001’, both lovely quality & clothes. Pair $250

24) Sgnd. Germany ‘MIBS’4” Baby Ballerina -mld. hair/bow & Factory Tu-Tu $215; 5” ‘Made in Germany’ Wigged MIBS - turned hd., curved arms, Factory Dress, identical footwear $350

25) 5.5” Gl.Eye Chubby - orig. dress, Factory Braided Wig ,sl. eyes tan shoes. $215; 6” ‘P-607’ Chubby - big Sister, same as first, original crochet. $215

26) 17” Wide Hip Kathe Kruse ‘Doll I’ - Signed feet & original facial paint w. brush marks & no touch-ups in sweet layered heirloom clothes & Factory Shoes. $1850

27) 17” Rare 1870’s Halbigunusual male in vintage Linen Suit, w. leather gusset body, PWs, Clo. Mo. & signed plate. Handsome $1795

28) Choice 10” Revalo Coquettepristine cabinet details, great jtd. body & fine Original Clothes. $795

29) Horsman 9” Tinie Babyoriginal Wig, bl sl.eyes & John Wanamaker PA store label on torso. As found only $1200

30) 17” Heirloom Kestner ‘A.T.’Factory Pate/Wig to Factory Shoes, & bisque arms. $450

31&32) Rarely seen 16” JDK ‘220’ Toddler - pristine bisque, mohair wig, gentle smile & soulful eyes. True Kestner character only $2495

33) Very Unusual Antique Pink Teddy - sweetheart hugger w orig pads, full coat & fresh bright color $375; Yellow Bear - clean jtd. baby, orig. pads & eyes. $225

34) Pre-1900 Closed Mouth Kestner - 24” of antiquity, Schmidt style body, beautiful Victorian clothes & original Hip Length Wig/Pate. Near perfect $1800 just $895

35) Special Event 20” Schoenhut Boy - Factory Wig, signed Pate, Original Pin, tin litho sl. eyes, 4-H Club Blue Ribbon. Unique & unplayed. $1200

36) All Orig. 14” Simon Halbig ‘1260’ - a shelf size attic doll in adorable crisp Original Clothes, Wig & body. $395

37) Tall & Slender Kestner Lady - 28” splendid owner original fashion, 2-piece gown & boots, turned head, Clo. Mo, Factory Wig/Pate, creamy bisque. Can sit 17” $650

38) 19” Heirloom Original. Handwerck - classic beauty, Mohair Wig to Factory Shoes $495; Pint Size 13” Halbig - orig. wig, shoes & lively period clothes. $350

39) 14” Mme. Alexanders w. Clear Eyes - ‘Amy’ is clean & original w. Floss Wig, $295; ‘Tommy Bangs’ - very rare in Orig. Clothes w. Label & his Cap! $395

40) 23” D. & A. Child - big round eyes, orig. Silky Wig, & fussy period clothes. A dear. $250

41) Signed Heirloom Kruse – w. separate thumbs. (see #26) $1850

Come join us for Public Day at the 75th Annual United Federation of Doll Clubs Convention Friday July 26, 2024, Noon – 6 PM Kansas City Marriott Downtown 200 W. 12th St., Kansas City, MO 64105

Browse at the Publishers Preview

Shop in the World Class Sales Room and UFDC Boutique Junior Event (you need to bring an adult with you)

Learn more about UFDC, and if you like what you see, you can join us as a member. For more information about Public Day and UFDC, contact us at  info@ufdc.org.

Come See Us! Booth #314-315 for the 75th Annual UFDC Convention in Kansas City!

Valerie Fogel’s Beautiful Bébés Antique Dolls

“Fine Dolls & Precious Playthings from Our Past” www.beautifulbebes.com | 425.765.4010 beautifulbebes@outlook.com

Check Out Our eBay Storegigisdolls2010

Gigi’s Dolls & Sherry’s Teddy Bears www.gigisdolls.com | 773-594-1540 questions@gigisdolls.com | Member UFDC & NADDA

Joan: 317-627-4665 www.JoansAntiqueDolls.com Amy: 317-627-1006

Amy’s Ruby Lane - Treasures from the Attic

Mary Ann Spinelli Burbank, CA

Tel: 818-562-7839 Cell: 818-738-4591 nellingdolls@gmail.com www.maspinelli.com Jackie’s

Countess Maree Tarnowska 803-643-1021 Aiken, South Carolina

You can visit his new gallery in the heart of the old medieval city of DINAN.

You can also discover his booth at the UFDC annual convention in Kansas City, July 23-27, 2024. +33673013051

6,

Book Review - The Miniature Library of Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House

Reviewed

by Laurie McGill

Just in time for the 100th anniversary celebration of Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House, where it has been on display at Windsor Castle since 1925, the Royal Collection Trust has published a beautiful book entitled The Miniature Library of Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House.

The author, curator of books and manuscripts at the Royal Collection Trust, Elizabeth Clark Ashby has offered readers a delightful visit to the small-scale Edwardian library housed inside the dolls’ house. This impressively detailed library expands across the entire length of the house’s ground floor.

With a special foreword by Her Majesty Queen Camilla, the book is a must-have for those who are interested in miniatures, literature, art and history. Contributors to the book are Kate Heard, Kathryn Jones, Sophie Kelly and Emma Stuart.

The book has ten chapters, a bibliography, and boasts

The Miniature Library of Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House is available from: www.royalcollectionshop.co.uk and www.amazon.com

Publisher : Royal Collection Trust, April 23, 2024

Language : English

Hardcover : 160 pages

ISBN-10 : 1909741574

ISBN-13 : 978-1909741577

historical period photographs in black and white as well as photographs in color of many of the nearly 600 tiny tomes’ fine bindings and their handwritten contents by famous authors of the day, including A. A. Milne (of Winnie the Pooh fame) and James M. Berry (Peter Pan).

Doll collectors will be particularly fascinated with the chapter, “Books for Dolls,” in which Ashby discusses the 1920’s authors-of-note who penned books about dolls for the dolls’ house library.

Eliza de Sola Mendes, the author of the cover story for this June issue of Antique DOLL Collector goes into more detail about the library and the history of Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House.

Brunch with Valerie Fogel “Huret, A Family Affair”

Luncheon with Bradley Justice “Barbie’s 65th Birthday Bash”

Afternoon Tea with Robert Tonner “From Clay to Computer to AI, the Changing Landscape of Doll Design”

Candlelit Dinner with Fritzi Martinez “Decorating Antique Dolls Houses with a Theme”

Auction News

Agala doll event took place in Germany on the weekend of April 12 and 13, 2024 at the auction house of Ladenburger Spielzeugauktion in Germany.

To mark its 35th anniversary the Seidel family, which consists of two generations of auctioneers since Herr Götz Seidel and his daughter Pia Fast-Seidel are both in the business, turned their annual spring auction into something very special.

Ladenburger’s exhibition space and museum were presented in their new splendor and the Anniversary Auction took place in the museum, filling the room with positive energy. On Day One a special collection of rare optical toys was auctioned off. One of the highlights, Lot # 524, a hexagonal Lampodophor magic lantern made of paper and cardboard by Alphonse Giroux, Paris, achieved twice the floor price with a hammer at EUR 2,600. Lot # 646, an unusual early 19th Century round box decorated with three levels of scenery and animated by a sand mechanism, was also highly sought after and finally sold for EUR 3,600.

Day Two started with Christmas tree decorations. The excitement in the room grew with lot # 1849. This special group from the Erzgebirge with the name Turk’s Camp is a museum piece and mentioned in the Waldkirchner pattern book. With a starting price of EUR 1,800, there was great interest among bidders in the room, online, and on the phone. The hammer price of EUR 11,000 was met with thunderous applause from the audience in the auction room.

A particular highlight at Ladenburg - the often underappreciated Dresden cardboard items. With hammer prices of EUR 2,800 for an unusual steam sailing ship (lot # 2056), EUR 2,700 for a filigree sledge (lot # 2867) and EUR 3,200 for a very rare lighthouse (lot # 2871), the hammer price was once again alternated between telephone bidders and online bidders.

Another highlight of this year’s spring auction was the dolls section. In addition to some extremely rare Käthe Kruse dolls, and porcelain head dolls from premier collections, part one of Karin Schmelcher’s collection was also auctioned.

Left: Lot 524, a hexagonal Lampodophor magic lantern made of paper and cardboard

Center: Lot 2871, a lighthouse

Right: Lot 2056, an unusual steam sailing ship.

Left: Lot 646, an unusual early 19th Century round box for sugared almonds.

Center: Lot 1849, Turk’s Camp, Christmas tree decorations.

Right: Lot 2867, a filigree sledge.

Auction Calendar

Withington Auction

May 15-22, 2024 - Online

“Timed” Absentee Auction

DoubleTree by Hilton, 2 Somerset Pkwy, Nashua, NH 603.478.3232 | withington@conknet.com www.withingtonauction.com

Theriault’s

Saturday-Sunday, June 1-2, 2024, Preview 9 AM, Auction 11 AM ET

Marquis Antique Doll Auction Weekend: Private collections of Sharon Jerome, Gloria Duddleston and Susan Germ, Theriault’s Gallery

Friday, June 7, 2024, Auction 7 PM ET (Timed)

50 Forward: Paper Dolls and Paper Ephemera

Wednesday, June 12, 2024, Auction 7 PM ET (Live) Wednesday Night at the Auction - Half Dolls

Friday, June 14, 2024, Auction 7 PM ET (Timed)

50 Forward: Mid-Century American Child Dolls

Monday, July 22, 2024, Preview 9 AM CT, Auction 11 AM CT

Marquis Antique Doll Auction, Hotel Kansas City Hyatt, Kansas City, MO

410.224.3655 | info@theriaults.com www.theriaults.com

Alderfer Auction

July 10, 2024 at 8 PM ET

Barbie Auction Online at Alderferauction.com

501 Fairgrounds Road, Hatfield, PA 19440 215.393.3000 | www.alderferauction.com

Frasher’s

Sunday, July 22, 2024

Preview: 9 am; Auction: 10:30 am

“Simply Irresistible” Auction at KCI Expo Center & Holiday Inn Hotel, 11730 NW Ambassador Drive, Kansas City, MO 2323 S Mecklin Sch. Road Oak Grove, MO 64075 816-625-3786 | frasher@aol.com | frashersdollauction.com

Sweetbriar Auction

Saturday, June 8, 2024

Preview: 8 am; Auction: 10 am

Antique & Vintage Doll Auction Crescent Shrine, 700 Highland Drive, Westampton, NJ 410.275.2213 | sweetbriar@live.com sweetbriarauctions.com

Ladenburger Spielzeugauktion

Friday-Saturday, June 14-15, 2024

Summer Auction

Saturday, June 29, 2024

Steiff Special Auction in Giengen

Friday-Saturday, October 11-12, 2024

Fall Auction 0049 (0) 6203 13014 | mail@spielzeugauktion.de www.spielzeugauktion.de

SAS (Special Auction Services)

Tuesday-Wednesday, June 18-19, 2024

Dolls & Teddy Bears Auction

Tuesday, September 10, 2024

Dolls & Teddy Bears Auction

Tuesday-Wednesday,November 26-27, 2024

Dolls & Teddy Bears Auction

Newbury, UK | +44 (0) 1635 580 595 mail@specialauctionservices.com | specialauctionservices.com

Joyce Kekatos joycedolls@aol.com

LAYAWAY AVAILABLE • Member UFDC & NADDA www.grandmasatticdolls.com • Look for me on Ruby Lane!

7” RARE Large All Bisque Bye-Lo, gl. sl. eyes, “All Original”, pink shoes, perfect bisque overall, “swivel neck”. RARE size (18) second to largest. Bassinet included. ADORABLE!! $1175.

11.5” Early Sonnenberg, mint bisque, pw eyes, early “closed dome”, orig. ant. mohair wig, ant. batiste & lace dress, orig. panties, camisole & orig. leather shoes, on orig. fully jointed Sonnenberg body w/early str. wrists, great cabinet size & GORGEOUS!! $1995.

Private collection coming soon!

11” Miniature Antique Grandfather Clock made by Hamburg Amerikanische Ohrenpabrik in Hamburg, Germany, ca. 1892. It is made of wood with golden metal decorations, in working order, gorgeous & looks great with my dolls. It is a RARE ant. piece & one you will treasure. SALE! $2475.

Puddleduck Candy Container, 16” high X 11” from chest to tail, left wing opens up to hold candy, ca. 1800’s, orig hat & ribbons, stands nicely & darling with your dolls. I have had her for about 20 years or more. She’s LOVABLE!! SALE! $2350

Auction News (Ladenburger

Lot 4065, early Simon & Halbig and Lot 4066, early Simon & Halbig with mold number 919,

Karin Schmelcher is known far beyond the borders of Germany, having co-written many of Lydia Richter’s books. The books on Bru and Heubach are standard works that still inspire collectors today. The audience included collector friends who had not been seen for a long time; in fact, a veritable who’s who of collectors from Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, and Holland attended, as well as countless online and telephone bidders. The room was filled with positive energy, and it felt like a big family party.

All the dolls were in demand and fetched high prices. By the time the hammer price of EUR 8,800 was reached for lot # 4060, a particularly expressive Steiner C with dramatic blue eyes, it was clear this auction would make doll history. The bidding continued with lot # 4061, an extraordinary E.J.A. with amberbrown eyes and original brown checkered Jumeau silk dress. The bidding battle between German, Belgian and Austrian collectors and several telephone bidders was ultimately won by a telephone bidder with a hammer price of EUR 31,000. Thunderous applause relieved the tension briefly.

The auction continued seamlessly with highlights from Simon & Halbig, and here too every object was coveted. Lot # 4065, an early Simon & Halbig with the mold number 919 in the rare version with a slightly open mouth, fetched a hammer price of EUR 5,400.

Next came her sister lot # 4066, with the same mold number, but a unique, extraordinary modeling of the nose, chin, cheeks and eye area. Only one other example is known in a similar version of this extraordinary character face, but with a closed mouth. With a starting price of EUR 1,500, this doll was highly coveted and the price quickly climbed to EUR 10,000. Two bidders on the phone and one in the room continued, and from EUR 12,000 the tension in the room grew ever greater. One

telephone bidder from America and one in the room remained. At EUR 16,000, the telephone bidder dropped out and the room applauded the collector in the room.

We continued with the French dolls. The magic name Bru inspires every collector. A “Golden Age” Bru Jeune 10 (lot # 4067) with a heavily sculpted tongue and restored fingers was knocked down for EUR 24,000.

Lot # 4068 - the highlight! A Bru Jeune 9 with exceptional presence and extraordinary original clothing, in red luxury and pure elegance. Everyone present kept sneaking around this doll - it was clear that the doll was highly sought after. With a starting price of EUR 6,500, the price quickly climbed to EUR 20,000. Collectors in the room, online and on the phone continued to outbid each other at a rapid pace, while the tension in the room grew. The last bidder, an Austrian collector, in the room, dropped out at EUR 35,000, leaving four telephone bidders. At EUR 50,000, two telephone bidders remained and the winning bid was accepted at EUR 65,000, including premium fee, around EUR 80,000 or USD 86,000 at the current exchange rate, a sensational record price. Thunderous applause!

Left: Lot 4061, EJA with abmer brown eyes and original brown checkered Jumeau silk dress.

Right:

open mouth.

Left: Lot 4067, “Golden Age” Bru Jeune 10 Right: Lot 4068, Bru Jeune 9

A Royal Tribute: Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House 100th year Anniversary Celebration

By Eliza de Sola Mendes

marks 100 years since the 1924 opening of Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House to the public, and a whole host of special events and activities are planned with Windsor Castle all through the year. In honor of the anniversary, HM Queen Camilla has commissioned 20 new miniature books for the Dolls’ House library from some of the UK’s most famous contemporary writers, including Sir Tom Stoppard, Dame Jacqueline Wilson, Alan Bennett and Sir Ben Okri. The original library, with works by the renowned writers Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930), and Thomas Hardy (1840-1928) has almost 600 books. According to Elizabeth Clark Ashby, Curator of Books and Manuscripts at Windsor after being exhibited this year, “in due course, the new miniature books will join the Royal Library at Windsor Castle.”

The opening celebrations, which took place in January, included a reception for the authors, illustrators and miniature bookbinders who created these new additions to be part of an accompanying exhibition in the Waterloo Chamber of Windsor Castle. HM Queen Camilla, well known for her passion for the written word, contributed her own 16-page miniature book with a handwritten forward that was bound in the Royal Bindery at Windsor Castle. In honor of the anniversary, a new book about the dolls’ house, The Miniature Library of Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House has been released written by curator Elizabeth Clark Ashby. Ashby says, she “read through hundreds of letters from authors who contributed tiny books.” HM Queen Camilla wrote a letter

Exterior of The Queen’s Dolls’ House Courtesy of The Royal Collection Trust

Miniature books created for the Centenary Celebration of The Queen’s Dolls’ House. Courtesy of The Royal Collection Trust.

for the occasion of the anniversary which introduces the new volume on the miniature Library. Her Majesty remarks, about the dolls’ house that it is “…a showcase of the excellence of British and Irish craft,” with “a trove of unexpected, thought-provoking and witty gems: a pot of real cold cream, a Faberge mouse, a working trouser press, a fully plumbed bathroom… Above all, it is a unrivalled snapshot of 1920’s culture, with a library containing hundreds of printed books and drawings, and original manuscripts penned by the most significant writers of the day.”

The Queen’s Dolls’ House was first conceived in 1921, as the inspiration of Princess Marie Louise (1872-1956) a first cousin of King George V (18651936), who wished to please Queen Mary (1867-1953) whom she knew was very fond of miniatures (In fact, there are cabinets in the doll’s house made to look exactly like ones she had filled with her collected treasures, which included miniatures). The dolls’ house was to be a gift to the Queen and the Nation and to be a showcase of British arts, crafts and manufacturing in post-World War I England. The dolls’ house was built by Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens OM (1869-1944), a renowned British architect of the period and was first shown at the British Empire Exhibition in Wembley in 1924, where it

The Queen’s Dolls’ House Library. Courtesy of The Royal Collection Trust.

Wembley Exposition Palace of Arts, postcard 1924. Location of the Queen’s Dolls’ House when first exhibited to the public on the grounds of the Wembley Empire Exhibition. Printed & Published by Fleetway Press, Ltd. Collection Eliza de Sola Mendes.

Left: The Queen in all her Regal Finery, London England. “An unusual Studio Portrait of Queen Mary showing her wearing The Royal Crown and Jewels in which she appears at Court and on Special State Occasions,” 1935 Wide World. Collection Eliza de Sola Mendes.

Right: Souvenir Book The Queen’s Dolls’ House Published by Gracious Permission of Her Majesty The Queen, 1924. Oxley and Son (Windsor) Ltd. High St Windsor. Compiled from the larger work called The Book of the Queen’s Dolls’ House edited by the late Dr. A.C. Benson and Sir Lawrence Weaver. Proceeds from the book devoted to the Queen’s Charity. Collection Eliza de Sola Mendes.

Clock, The Queen’s Dolls’ House. Courtesy of The Royal Collection Trust.

was seen by well over a million and a half visitors and then for numerous charities of the Queen before eventually being put on permanent exhibition at Windsor Castle in 1925.

In her memoirs, Princess Marie Louise said Lutyens remarked: “Let us devise and design for all time something which will enable future generations to see how a king and queen of England lived in the twentieth century, and what authors, artists and craftsmen of note there were during their reign.” This was quite true as with the help of Sir Herbert Edward Morgan OBE (1880-1951) and a specially formed committee, more than 1,500 people would be involved in the creation of the dolls’ house including: 250 craftsman and manufacturers, 60 artist decorators, 700 artists, 600 writers and 500 donors, many household names still today. Antique and artisan works were to be shown side by side in the décor, providing an historical record of the ideal home in early 20th century England, on a royal scale of course. When completed, this dolls’ house residence would have lead statues of the four patron saints of the British Isles on the corners of the balustrade with St. George and St. Andrew facing north, and St. David and St. Patrick holding the last Irish snake, facing south. Queen Mary’s coat of arms adorns the house between two Corinthian columns on the façade.

Before Lutyens had created the Queen’s Dolls’ House, historically, doll’s houses both crudely or finely made, were mainly filled with a motley assortment of furniture

and accessories of all shapes and sizes. The professional architect Lutyen’s insistence on using the one inch to a foot scale, (still the most popular standard used today) would inspire a new generation of adult miniature collectors worldwide. Visitors purchased postcards, brochures, and books about the dolls’ house, and most notably “Everybody’s Book of the Queen’s Dolls’ House” (1924) edited by the essayist and poet Arthur Christopher (A.C.) Benson CVO (18621925) and the architectural writer Sir Lawrence Weaver KBE (1876-1930). This book was a condensed version of a rare, limited edition (1,500 copies) two volume set which was also produced. The set includes one book devoted entirely to the library in the Queen’s Dolls’ House. The volume on the miniature library was edited by the humorist, essayist playwright, publisher, poet, novelist, and biographer Edward Verrall (E.V.) Lucas (1868-1938). The sales of the books supported Queen Mary’s charities.

Originally, there were plans for dolls to be residents, but in the end it was decided that just guard dolls would be created, so the “family residents” were to live only in the imaginations of millions of people who have seen the dolls’ house on their visit to Windsor Castle. To be noted though, three miniature mice do reside in the kitchen as well a stout miniature cat. Certainly, viewers who make the “pilgrimage” to Windsor to see the dolls’ house might not only imagine dolls occupying the magnificent miniature rooms but they themselves. Kathryn Jones, Senior Curator of Decorative

Vacuum Cleaner, The Queen’s Dolls’ House. Courtesy of The Royal Collection Trust.

Right: Everybody’s Book of The Queen’s Dolls’ House, 1924. A.C. Benson, C.V.O & Sir Lawrence Weaver, K.B.E. Published by The Daily Telegraph and Methuen & Co. LTD London. Proceeds from the sale of the book where for the Queen’s charities. Collection Eliza de Sola Mendes.

Crown, The Queen’s Dolls’ House. Courtesy of The Royal Collection Trust.

Arts at Windsor Castle said when asked about the lack of doll inhabitants, “The intention had always been to include dolls in the house, and there were early designs for a miniature Royal Family and staff, but eventually it was felt impractical to try and include them and the only legacy of this intention are the guardsmen, one of whom is usually displayed in the corridor display alongside the house (currently not on show during this year’s exhibition).”

Intriguingly, we do know from a 1922 article in the New York Herald more of what the dolls might have looked like had they been created. Dolls’ house historian Flora Gill Jacobs (1918-2006) in her 1953 landmark book, A History of Dolls Houses quotes from the newspaper story: “Sir Edwin Lutyens has not failed to introduce a typical humour into his choice of dolls and the order in which they come. They will be six inches in height, dressed in appropriate clothes to scale—the King in his colored robe, the footman in his powdered wig and the journalist with notebook and silk hat.”

Further from the Herald article we learn: “In the house there will be a plumber, five sentries, the footmen, two pages, a ‘tweeny,’ (referring to maids who helped other domestic servants who moved between floors as and when needed) housekeeper, a chef, a nurse, a prince of the blood, a princess royal, a mistress of the robes, a Queen, a gold stick in waiting and a King. Kept in drawers will be two Prime Ministers, a Lord Chancellor, a General and an Admiral, a Bishop, a doctor, a President of the Allied Republic, a King of Africa, a King of

The Queen’s Dolls’ House Postcards Set in Box, 1924. Raphael Tuck & Sons Art Publishers to their Majesties The King and Queen. Published at The British Empire Exhibition by Fleetway Press, Ltd. Raphael Tuck & Sons, London published several different configurations of their postcards in several smaller sets including an album and envelope with cards. Collection Eliza de Sola Mendes.

Below: A selection of postcards by Raphael Tuck & Sons of The Queen’s Dolls’ House. Collection Eliza de Sola Mendes.

The Queen’s Dolls’ House Cigarette Card series, 1925. B. Morris & Sons Ltd London. Collection Eliza de Sola Mendes.

Right: Two examples of the backs of the Cigarette Card series, 1925, The Queen’s Dolls’ House. Collection Eliza de Sola Mendes.

Below: Piano in The Queen’s Dolls’ House Centenary exhibition with Kathryn Jones, Senior Curator, The Royal Collection. Trust Courtesy of The Royal Collection Trust.

an allied country, a Maharaja Sahib, a journalist and a royal aunt. These will be fetched on state occasions.” Certainly, a fascinating description, tantalizing to imagine.

This was also the time when “fairies” were widely depicted in literature, art, and were imagined in another period dolls’ house as the unseen inhabitants of Titania’s Palace of 1922. Created by Sir Neville Rodwell Wilkinson KCVO (1869-1940) the dolls’ house had also been opened by Queen Mary on the anniversary of her wedding day. This famed dolls’ house now housed in Egeskov Castle in Denmark, was built in the workshop of James Hicks (1886-1936) in Dublin and took sixteen years to build for “Queen Titania” and her “Consort Oberon” and the “Royal Family of Fairyland” all of whom were to be just as imaginary as the inhabitants of The Queen’s Dolls’ House.

Lutyens, the celebrated architect and creator of Queen Mary’s dolls’ house, was a friend of Princess Mary Louise, a cousin of King George V, who had also been a childhood friend of Queen Mary. It was her idea to create the dolls’ house as gift to the Queen. The house was actually planned in his office but then for two years it was assembled in his home on Mansfield Street in London, and his lucky 13-year-old daughter Mary helped unpack all the miniature treasures that began to arrive. Queen Mary would stop in now and then to see how the proceedings were going.

Lutyens remains today a fascinating character. Speaking with UK Architect Hugh Petter, a specialist in classical architecture in the modern form today, who has written and lectured about Lutyens, he relays his thoughts about the dolls’ house in the context of the architect’s body of work. He says:

“There is no doubt that Sir Edwin Lutyens was the most significant architect practising in Britain in the early twentieth century.” It was “as his reputation grew and commissions poured in from across the country, he began to incorporate classical elements into his country house designs. By the early 1920s, when the Queen’s Dolls’ House project was initiated, Lutyens’s work had evolved into fully fledged classical design inspired, in particular, by the architecture of Sir Christopher Wren (16321723) and Andrea Palladio (1508-1580). By this stage in his career, he was travelling

continuously around the UK and with regular trips to India too as he was deeply immersed in the planning and design of New Delhi, the jewel in Britain’s imperial crown.”

Petter feels “It is important to understand this context in order to appreciate, in Lutyens’s own mind, how important this Dolls House project was to him. When so deeply immersed in planning an imperial capital city and, in parallel, as the pre-eminent country house architect of the day, he (Lutyens) could perhaps have been forgiven for concluding that this detailed miniature project was an unwelcome distraction from more significant projects. The fact that he chose otherwise therefore, tells its own story.”

Petter explains further about the effects of the first world war: “Britain’s confidence has been severely rocked by World War I. The Royal family were held high in popular affection having carried the nation through the traumas of war At the same time the British economy was recovering from that conflict and many artists and craftsmen were out of work. The Queen’s Dolls House was an opportunity on the one hand to express the nation’s gratitude to the Royal family for their steadfast leadership through the war and, on the other hand, was an ideal opportunity to celebrate British design, art and craftsmanship in a very public way It is doubtless for these reasons that Lutyens chose to give it the time and attention it required.”

How does Petter view the style of The Queen’s Dolls’ House in the context of the English Country House? He says it “ is an accomplished essay in English Baroque, heavily inspired by the architecture of Sir Christopher Wren. There is no doubt that its style and scale is a reflection of the nation’s need to recover its confidence and identity after the traumas of war, and to reassert itself globally as a grand imperial power.”

What makes the Queen’s Dolls’ House unique in Petter’s eyes: “Every full-size house of that golden period of British design has been changed on numerous ways over the past 100 years on account of the evolving needs of their owners. But the Queen’s Dolls’ House, of course, has remained untouched over that period and therefore survives as a fascinating time capsule, giving us an unparalleled insight

The room in Windsor Castle where The Queen’s Dolls’ House stands. Courtesy of The Royal Collection Trust.

The Entrance Hall. The Queen’s Dolls’ House. Courtesy of The Royal Collection Trust.

into every aspect of life in an Edwardian Country House both above and below stairs.”

Clive Aslet, a journalist, and the former editor of Country Life magazine who is soon to be releasing a new book about the life and work of Lutyens says that in the period when the idea for the dolls’ house took place, it was an “homage to the world that had vanished (that) was made in the form of a dolls’ house.” He says that “when Lutyens got hold of the project, it grew and grew in complexity if not

The Queen’s Dolls’ House Toy Bank,1924, by Cauldon Potteries Ltd, Stoke-on-Trent in conjunction with Chubb & Son’s Lock & Safe Co. Ltd. Cauldon Potteries supplied miniature china for the Queen’s Dolls’ House and Chubb & Son’s Lock and Safe Co. a miniature Chubb Safe to protect the Queen’s Dolls’ Jewels. These tin lithograph toy banks were sold at Wembley to raise funds for Queen Mary’s charities. Collection Eliza de Sola Mendes, given to her by her grandmother as a child.

The Queen’s Dolls’ House Toy Bank, mark on bottom. Collection Eliza de Sola Mendes.

The Queen’s Dolls’ House Clotted Cream Fudge Tin currently sold in the shop of The Royal Collection Trust, Windsor Castle. Comes with miniature paper dolls to cut out of “The Queen” and a “lady’s maid” as well as a crown, footstool, mirror, dressing table, house cat and more. Collection Eliza de Sola Mendes.

in scale.” The house would “become not merely a dolls’ house but an architectural model that minutely detailed the comfortable and civilized way of life that he and his clients had enjoyed before the First World War.” In fact, “this would be Lutyen’s ideal house, a whimsey that in the tradition of follies in landscape parks had a serious intent at its core.”

The Royal Collection Trust now has documented individual objects in the dolls’ house, and you can see them up close individually on their website: https://

www.rct.uk/ We can now really study each object up close from anywhere in the world. This is great preparation for an eventual visit to the most fascinating dolls’ house ever created.

Curator Kathryn Jones tells us about what one can expect to see in the newly restored space where the doll’ house is shown: “The room in which the Dolls’ House is displayed was formerly a China Store. In 1924 it was chosen to display the House and decorative niches, designed by Lutyens were added. In the years immediately following the transfer of the Dolls’ House to Windsor in 1925, the walls were painted by several artists. Until the recent conservation work, only the name of Philip Connard (1875-1958) was recorded, but the investigations into the paintwork revealed the signature of two artists—Winifred Hardman (1890-1972) and Dorothy Cohen (1887-1960), who worked with Connard on the creation of the murals of each royal residence in an imaginary, classical setting.”

Jones says: “the frieze below these murals was the work of the artists Stanley Kennedy North (1887-1942) and illustrates the coronation procession of 1911 (the coronation of King George V and Queen Mary). The procession includes 3000 soldiers and 300 horses. The new lighting in the room has revealed the detail of all of these decorative works. In addition, conservation work took place on the

decorative niches and a group of almost 100 miniature plants by the artist Beatrice Elizabeth Hindley (1882-1973) were added to the display. Hindley was responsible for all the plants displayed in the garden of the Dolls’ House.”

The special exhibition for the centennial will run through all of 2024. You can see works from the dolls’ house in the Waterloo Chamber in Windsor Castle including, a miniature actually functioning piano, and “crown jewels” set with diamonds, rubies sapphires, emeralds and seed pearls.

From the dolls’ house kitchen visitors can view a working sewing machine, and a miniature vacuum cleaner, a novelty for a dolls’ house but also a relatively new product for the home in the 1920s.

In addition to the new book The Miniature Library of Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House by curator Elizabeth Ashby, a new edition of The Queen’s Dolls’ House by Lucinda Lambton has been released. There are several commemorative items that have been created for the anniversary and are available on the Royal Collection Trust website store.

Eliza

In the preparation for this article the author is grateful for efforts of Catriona Gilmore and the Press Office of the Royal Collection Trust. All photos, with the exception of those designated from private collections are courtesy of the Royal Collection Trust.

The Saloon, The Queen’s Dolls’ House Courtesy of The Royal Collection Trust

Author

de Sola Mendes is an Independent Decorative Arts Scholar, Visiting Curator, The New Haven Museum

Early European Paper Dolls by

from the Odin Collection

FSamy Odin

or as long as I can remember, I have shared my passion for paper dolls with my father, the late Guido Odin. He would draw and make colorful paper dolls for me as a child, and he kept creating more of these dolls during the decades that followed.

My father was a lifelong collector, and he enjoyed the paper playthings of time past. This hobby gave us the opportunity to meet many extraordinary people all over the world. With these experts and collectors, we shared information on a diverse array of cut-out figures and their wardrobes. We became involved with special exhibits in museums and conventions. And now the time has come to share more of our paper treasures with the readers of Antique DOLL Collector

The oldest item in the collection is a rare “Jeu de Métamorphoses” or “Portrait à transformations” from the mid-17th century. This French miniature oil hand-painted portrait over copper is contained in a lidded embossed leather oval case, 3-inches x 2-inches in size, together with 31 thin mica overlays decorated with a variety of costumes, both feminine and masculine, reflecting fashions and disguises of that era.

In France at the Court of Louis XIII and Louis XIV, these colorful and naïve miniature portraits were very fashionable. They were an adult entertainment for the upper classes, not playthings for children, and they represented real people wearing costumes seen on stage or at the opera or referring to characters in novels.

Some of these elusive portraits, possibly drawn in Flemish and Parisian ateliers, represent documented figures of the aristocracy, such as Charles I and his wife Henrietta Maria, as seen in the Royal Collection and the National Portrait Gallery in London, while others are possibly generic portraits meant for a commercial purpose.

In fact, among others, Mademoiselle de Montpensier mentions their existence in a letter dated 1658 as an example of the saying “qu’à belles gens tout sied bien”—“any garment enhances someone who is good looking.” Implicit in this proverb is the concept that beauty is correlated to social status. “Well born” individuals, no matter how they dressed, would always appear good looking. As David Simonneau, assistant curator at the Cabinet des Arts Graphiques of the Musée Carnavalet in Paris, rightly points out: “The play on concealed identity, on which this game is based, is reminiscent of black velvet faces guaranteeing incognito, or fans with two eyeholes for concealing the face, but here it appears more subversive, modifying gender or social rank.” (“L’art de la transformation” in Focus, dated 27.09.2021).

The craze for this high society game lasted long after the end of the 18th century and kept being popular under new forms, spread among a larger audience, when printers started mass producing paper dolls, which, as a reminder, were initially meant as an entertainment for adults interested in fashion and arts.

Jeu de Métamorphoses – Miniature oil on copper portrait with mica overlays, printed in the Netherlands for the French Court, around 1650.

A paper doll that I particularly cherish from the earliest part of our collection, represents Marie Taglioni. This Swedish dancer, who was born in 1804 in Stockholm and died in Marseille in 1884, was the most popular classic ballerina of the Romantic era. Of Italian origin on her father’s side, Marie was raised with her brother Paul by their mother, the Swedish harpist Maria Karsten, in Paris, where Maria was the pupil of François Coulon, the same professor who also had formed her father Filippo. Later,

Maria perfected her technique in Vienna, under the loving and strict discipline of her father, before debuting in 1822. By 1827, she was back in France, where she became the first ballerina at the Opera de Paris in 1831. As early as 1832, Maria achieved international recognition in the leading role of Sylphide, which she performed all over the world in the best theaters, from London to Berlin, Milan, Saint-Petersburg, Dublin, Vienna, as well as Paris, where she kept her main residence.

The boxed set of paper dolls in Maria’s image presented here is exceptional, for it includes a printed sheet that describes each of the nine costumes that she wore throughout her exemplary career. Contained in its original cardboard box, the doll is in pristine condition, as are her costumes which include almost all of the pieces of this set (only the hair-do for the Opera de la Tentation has gone missing), printed possibly towards the end of the 1830s or the beginning of the 1840s.

Marie Taglioni, a very rare paper doll from the late 1830s. This French boxed set includes a doll printed back and front together with nine costumes worn by the famous ballerina of the Romantic era.

In 1834, a new fashion magazine began publishing in Paris. It was titled “La Toilette de Psyché.” This select publication, seeking to satisfy the fashion expectations of the upper classes, used a cut-out paper doll model, called “poupée gravure” for which elaborate garments were attached to each issue of the magazine. This publication continued to be in print until 1878, and it covers three generations of fashion creativity. The Psyché doll presented here is among the earliest published during the 1830s. It is contained in her original cardboard

This is the first Psyché paper doll distributed by

the French fashion magazine La Toilette de Psyché as early as 1834. It came in its original cardboard box together with some fashions from the 1830s.

box, together with a variety of garments and coiffures that reflect the elaborate fashions of that decade.

Over the years, the paper fashion model distributed by this magazine (retitled as “Psyché, Journal de Modes”) evolved in size and aspect, including some in the shape of a younger child, such as this one, that we can date from the late 1840s to the early 1850s. Psyché paper dolls in the shape of a child are extremely rare.

The peak of popularity of the Psyché dolls occurred during the Second Empire. The variety of the fashions for these paper dolls is amazing, and

Rare Psyché dolls representing a child. This one dates from the early 1850s and is preserved in the original cardboard box.

the quality of the printing is exquisite. Subscribers to the magazine would get a doll and/or a garment attached to each issue but at the end of the year, boxed sets were sold as Étrennes (New Year) gifts. This example is particularly desirable, for it represents an interior setting in front of which the dolls could be displayed standing on special wooden or metal bases. The box itself was set with separate areas where the dolls could lay together with their wardrobe organized in sections; the bigger section for the dresses; the smaller for the hats; and a central section to display the mirror after which this fashion magazine was named. Factory original boxed sets of Psyché dolls like this one are rare and highly desirable for advanced collectors.

Extremely popular among connoisseur collectors, the boxed sets of Psyché paper dolls with extensive wardrobe were offered for sale as Étrennes. This set dates from the 1860s and includes two identical dolls, 21 dresses and 8 coiffures.

I will finish this article by showing the very first boxed set of paper dolls that we acquired during the early 1980s. It represents two French ladies preserved in a cigar box turned into a plaything container, which belonged to a certain Eugénie, together with eight pieces of apparel, two bonnets and two wooden stands. The ensemble dates from the later 1850s and shows how refined these playthings were, in fact, they appear printed on thin waxed paper to preserve the original colors.

Note: Samy Odin will be presenting a seminar about early European paper dolls from his personal collection at the UFDC annual convention in Kansas City on July 27, 2024.

French boxed set of paper dolls printed front and back on thin waxed paper, around 1850.

SHADOWDANCERS

By Ann Hays

Photography by Ken Hays

Shadowdancers, Inc. is a company that harks back to a simpler, more pleasant time in America. People conducted themselves with grace and purpose. Shadowdancers are primitive country toys that cast a shadow on the wall by the light of kerosene lanterns or incandescent lights. These delightful figures are hand-fashioned out of sheet metal in a variety of shapes and painted with carefully selected colors. The original shadowdancer was discovered at an auction in Angelica, New York. It was found languishing in the bottom of a box of oil lamps. Probably one of those lamps had brought it to life many years ago. Edna Oar Young was a thirdgeneration collector and dealer who purchased the box.

The first items produced by Shadowdancers, Inc. was a tinker. This figure was an itinerant wanderer and mender of pots, pans, and kettles. For a free night’s lodging he would entertain their children with shadows. The tinker became the trademark of the company appearing on each booklet that came attached to the figures.

Founded in 1986, Edna Oar Young and her husband Leon were the co-owners of Shadowdancers, Inc. She was a woman of many talents and served as marketing director, designer, photographer, and artist. Leon had a business background and experience in manufacturing.

This 16-inch-high dancing bear was hand-cut from a sheet of metal. The bear is jointed at the shoulders, elbows, thighs, and knees. This makes it easy to pose him in multiple positions–running, sitting, and doing exercises. Children would have been delighted by his antics. What a wonderful way to spend a cold winter’s night. On the interior of the right thigh is the artist’s signature “Young//copyright ’86.” The purchaser had the option of having one or both sides decorated. This example has both sides painted and features a red vest, buttons, and pocket watch. The trousers are decorated in a red and blue striped checkerboard pattern on a beige field. The facial expression denotes determination. It could easily be hung as decoration.

This handsome Shadow Dancer bear has a determined walk. His shadow is a perfect replica of him.

CLOCKWISE FROM RIGHT: The artist signature is helpful in identification and timeline. The fact that the bear still has his original tag is a bonus. The bear is now posed in a running position.

At Christmas, this larger 19-inch Santa Claus shadowdancer would have been brought out to entertain children. The placement of light on the Santa created a shadow. This shadow could be manipulated to produce fascinating and humorous positions. This would remind children that Christmas Eve was drawing near. In this example, the purchaser elected for only one side to be painted. Santa is fully articulated. The red hat is decorated with holly as a beautiful symbol of Christmas. His silhouette reveals his sack full of toys and candy with a doll, horn, candy cane, and a rocking horse. This figure is the only one of two I have seen that were produced with textured metal. It is signed “Young” on the back, without a year.

We had a Shadowdancers, Inc. dressed child in one of our doll auctions. The new owner allowed me to further examine it. At that moment, I knew I would have to find one. Google afforded me the opportunity to purchase one, then two, and I will not mention how many more. It has gotten out of control. What makes the temptation so appealing is the fact that the majority of them are priced from $15 to $125.

A 16-inch seated female skater is costumed in a blue hooded wool coat with a knitted white trim collar and ribbon. It is accessorized with a knitted muff. Beneath the coat, the girl is wearing a wool-striped pattern skirt in blue, yellow, red, white, and black. The clothing was hand-crafted from specifically selected fabric. Her skates have metal blades. The skater’s hair and facial painting is skillfully done with a matte finish. Particularly interesting is the creation of sheet metal blond hair with spiral curls on opposing sides. What is amazing is the fact that the curls were cut from the same piece of metal rather than attaching separately. She comes with a string tag detailing the company’s history. Her seated partner is a 17invh male skater costumed in wine-colored wool trousers and a gray coat with a blue and red plaid pattern. Around the neck is a navy blue scarf. His face is painted with brown side glancing eyes. Both are signed “Young/copyright ’87.”

COUNTERCLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: This female skater is wearing a beautiful handmade costume. Her boot skates reflect the early evolution of ice skates. Her bonnet frames her lovely face and beautiful blond spiral curls.

Children would have been elated to see his entertaining shadow.

Children could pretend one of the toys in his sack was for them.

Bringing Santa Claus out added excitement for the Christmas season.

This darling pair of black children are dressed in cotton costumes. The pair were designed to sit on a shelf or a mantel. This 12-inch girl is wearing a floral print dress with an ivory-colored bib apron. On her feet, are painted black side button high top shoes. Her facial painting is expertly rendered. The doll’s black hair has corkscrew metal curls on the sides. She has her original booklet. Her male companion is accessorized with a cut metal sailboat. You wonder where his imagination is taking him on his toy boat. Both are signed on the back of their right leg, “Young/ copyright 86.”

BELOW: You cannot help

Produced in a smaller scale is a 71⁄2-inch British soldier wearing a red coat and marching against American soldiers during the American Revolution. As flag bearer, he proudly holds up his British flag. The American soldier wearing a blue jacket is part of the Drum and Bugle Corps. Both are signed “Young” on the calves. The soldiers are mounted on painted wood bases. They provided hours of fun.

Customers were provided the opportunity to purchase a 2-inch x 36-inch model for display. I have never seen this large example advertised for sale on the Internet.

An 18-inch painted sheet metal mother rabbit is costumed in an ecru cotton blouse, a red scarf with polka dots, a blue floral pattern cotton skirt, and apron. It is interesting that the male is dressed in wool and the female in cotton. Perhaps they were produced at different times, or the company had a shortage of certain fabrics. Their 111⁄2-inch rabbit child is wearing a cotton sailor-style outfit. All three pieces are signed in white, “Young/ copyright ’88.”

RIGHT: The close-up of her original booklet provides research information.

smiling at these adorable sheet metal children.

These American Revolution figures represent both the American and British soldiers.

Mother Rabbit is practically dressed for her day’s chores.

Their daughter is wearing a popular style sailor dress.

This 111⁄2-inch youngster is irresistible. She looks as if she were kissed by the sun. Her blond striated hair is parted in the middle with two sausage curls on opposing sides. Her lovely blue eyes have extra coats of paint making them slightly convex. She has rosebud-shaped lips and a chin demarcation. This pretty child is wearing a beige-pink floral print dress with a square neckline. She is the only one I have seen with a painted undergarment. The girl is wearing painted fashionable side button high-top shoes. Her beige socks come to her thighs with a darker painted line marking her knees. She is signed “Young.” A booklet is attached with double shadowdancers on the cover and a price tag on the back “Pretty//$35.00//Dolls N Things.”

LEFT: The price tag on the back provides pertinent information.

ABOVE: Note that her booklet has a pair of Shadow Dancers pictured.

ABOVE: This beautiful child reminds you of a daffodil.

RIGHT: The bow on the back of her dress provides the finishing touch.

night’s work. He needs a few moments to pause while the elves put the reindeer away. Mrs. Claus has a cup of hot chocolate waiting with exactly four marshmallows— just the way Santa likes it.

When the important Christmas holidays came around, the company made varying styles of cut tin Santas standing on painted wood bases. This 13 ½-inch Santa is an earlier version of the European Santa (Pere Noel or Saint Nicholas) who was considerably thinner than our American Santa. He is merely signed “Young.” His attached pamphlet has two dancing figures whereas the later versions have a single figure. This Santa is wearing a bright red wool hooded robe with a sprig of holly on the side. He was painted with rosy cheeks and a long multi-tone grayish-colored beard. Look closely at his face and you will discover that the metal is textured.

This larger 153⁄4-inch cut tin Santa is signed “Young/copyright 87.” He makes a commanding presence costumed in a winecolored wool coat with matching faux fur trimmed hat and blue wool trousers. What draws one’s attention to him is his dashing white-cut metal beard with curled metal. He carries an articulated tin toy. Santa is worn out after a long

This seated Santa just came in from the snow. It covers the upper portions of his eyebrows and temporarily resides on the bridge of his nose. His purpose for coming is to greet children excitedly waiting to sit on his lap to whisper what they want for Christmas. “Would it be a bicycle, ice skates, a Teddy bear, or a doll that walks and talks,” he wonders. This handsome Santa has a beard resembling icicles. Santa’s winecolored coat and matching hat are trimmed in white faux fur.

BELOW: His faux fur trimmed hat and coat were carefully designed.

This jolly round faced Santa Claus carries an articulated tin toy.

RIGHT: This artistically crafted Santa Claus has an amazing icicle style beard.

LEFT: This Pere Noel has a sterner look on his face than the American jolly Santa Claus.

ABOVE: His wonderfully painted face is on textured metal.

A later but rarer 16-inch Santa is signed “Young/copyright 89.” His facial painting is beautifully done with larger blue eyes than the previous examples having smaller brown eyes. His mustache resembles angel wings. The beard is flat except for three-dimensional side curls. His red wool coat is well made with added detailing on the broad divided collar and double pleats on the back. This Santa is rare because of the black faux fur trim around the brim of his hat, the front of his coat, the cuffs on his sleeves, and the top of his boots.

The Shadowdancer, Inc. booklet mentions they made hand-cut and hand-painted luminaries. They came in many different styles in 4-inchto-7-inch sizes. These mask-faced pieces are considered ornaments that could be displayed year-round. The purchase of a wooden stand was optional. They are reminiscent of early 19th-century ornaments.

This identical 61⁄2-inch pair of cut tin and hand-painted luminaries represent Japanese Geisha girls. A source of light placed on the inside caused the mouth and eyes to glow. Their hairstyles are pulled to represent full Geisha status rather than that of an apprentice. The hair was washed once a week and wigs reworked.

The full Geisha would have four different styled wigs made of human hair. There is a gold-tone hair ornament on the upper back portion of their heads. Their kimonos are red. Fans were commonly used in the month of July. These luminaries are signed on the interior “Young/copyright ’88.” One has her original attached pamphlet. Geishas were considered performing artisans. They never married but sometimes had a lover or a sponsoring patron [Danna]. Dannas are often elderly and wealthy men who wanted to support a young prestigious and famous Geisha.

A beginning doll collector can build a collection of these artistically created figures without the outlay of money required for German bisque character dolls or expensive French bisque fashions or Bebe dolls.

Enjoy your search.

ABOVE: This rare Santa Claus differs from the previous Santas in his blue eye color and handsome full beard.

RIGHT: A lot if detail went into the costuming of his coat and rare black faux fur trim.

A pair of Geisha girl luminaries.

Manufacturers of Fine Doll Jewelry, Brass Accessories, Miniature Trunks & Hardware

336 Candlewood Lake Road, Brookfield, CT 06804

Phone 203-775-4717 Email: info@catspawonline.com

Visit our website and shop online: www.catspawonline.com

Catalog price is $8.95 post paid Accessorize Your Dolls! Cats Paw has been in business since 1982 specializing in quality reproductions made from antique originals, and unique old store stock. Our antique reproductions are made by hand using the lost wax technique, and each item is hand finished to achieve an authentic “antique” look. We offer exquisite doll accessories that only look expensive!

• Jewelry • Trunks • Items for the Boudoir

• Buttons and Clasps • Purse Frames • Presentation Boxes

• Bleuette Accessories & More

New arrivals and many more interesting dolls!

Calendar of Events

Send in your Free Calendar Listing to: Antique DOLL Collector, c/o Calendar, P.O. Box 349, Herndon, Virginia 20172 or events@antiquedollcollector.com If you plan on attending a show, please call the number to verify the date and location as they may change. Auctions in Blue.

LONG TERM

March 8, 2024 – October 27, 2024 ~ Basel, CH (Switzerland). Plush, Play & Pioneers - Women in toy design. Spielzeug Welten Museum Basel. Event link: www.spielzeug-welten-museumbasel.ch/en/exhibitions/2024/ plush-play-amp-pioneers-women-in-toydesign.html

JUNE 2024

1 ~ Milton (Pensacola), FL. Dollectable Annual Doll and Toy Show and Sale. Pensacola Doll Study Club. Santa Rosa County Auditorium, 4530 Spikes Way, 32583 (Intersection of Avalon Blvd and Hwy 90). Cindy Cosson. 708-528-0087. weedezigns@yahoo.com.

2 ~ Bismarck, ND. “Life is Just a Chair of Dollies” Annual Doll Luncheon Show and Sale. Bismarck Doll Friends. Bismarck Municipal Country Club, 930 N. Griffin St. Rebecca Schatz. 701-870-2101. beschatz@yahoo.com. Facebook-Bismarck Doll Friends.

2 ~ Concord, CA. 101 Doll & Study Club Annual Show & Sale. Concord Plaza Hotel, 45 John Glenn Drive, 94520. Stephanie Blythe. 415-455-8415. call/ text, 101dollshow@gmail.com.

2 ~ Garden Grove, CA. Doll, Teddy Bear, Collectible & Miniature Show & Sale. Rowbear’s New Year Doll Festival. Rowbear

Oct. 13 - Bridgeton (St. Louis), MO. Doll & Bear Show & Sale. The Spirit of St. Louis Doll Club. Machinist Hall, 12365 St. Charles Rock Road. Connie 314-440-4086. clknarr@aol.com. www.stlouisdollclub.com.

Presents. Embassy Suites Anaheim South, 11767 Harbor Blvd. Rowbear Lowman. 831-438-5349. RowbearPresents@charter.net.

7-8 ~ Germany. Summer Auction. Ladenburger Spielzeugauktion. www.spielzeugauktion.de. 0049(0)6203-13014. mail@spielzeugauktion.de.

8 ~ Westampton, NJ. Antique & Vintage Doll Auction. Sweetbriar. Crescent Shrine, 700 Highland Dr. Dorothy Hunt. 410-275-2213. sweetbriar@live.com. SweetbriarAuctions.com.

9 ~ Cheektowaga (Buffalo), NY. “Through the Looking Glass” Luncheon & Sales Room. Western New York Doll Club. 11 AM - 4 PM. Hilton Garden Inn, 4201 Genesee St. Marlies A. Wesolowski. 716-649-3305. marlieswesolowski310@gmail.com.

9 ~ Naperville, IL. The Naperville Doll & Teddy Bear Show. Marriott Hotel, Grand Ballroom. 1801 North Naper Blvd. Karla Moreland. 815-356-6125. kmorela@ais.net. KaneCountyDollShow.com.

14-17 ~ Online. Bear Blitz Stars Teddy Bear Online Show. Valerie Rogers, 502-423-7827, brtstar1@aol. com. www.bright-star-promotions.com.

18-19 ~ Newbury, UK. Dolls & Teddy Bears Auction. SAS (Special Auction Services). +44 (0) 1635 580 595. mail@specialauctionservices.com. www.specialauctionservices.com.

28-30 ~ Online. TBAI Doll & Teddy Bear Show. Cindy Malchoff. 518-578-0006. dollnbearshow@tbai.org. tbai.org/philly.html.

29 ~ Germany. Steiff Special Auction in Giengen. Ladenburger Spielzeugauktion. spielzeugauktion.de. 0049(0)6203-13014. mail@ spielzeugauktion.de.

JULY 2024

10 ~ Online. Barbie Auction. 8 PM ET. 501 Fairgrounds Rd., Hatfield, PA. 215-393-3000. www.alderferauction.com.

19-21 ~ Online. Online Teddy Bear Show. BearHugs4u.com. Dolores Austin. DoloresJA@aol.com. 570-313-2327. info@bearhugs4u.com. bearhugs4u.com.

19-21 ~ Online. Online Charity Sales Event. Good Bears of the World. 10 am - 5 pm Daily. Terrie Stong. goodbears1@sbcglobal.net. goodbearsoftheworld.org.

JULY 2024 CONT’D FROM PAGE 47

20 ~ Sarasota, FL. Doll & Toy Show & Sale. Venice Doll Club. 9 AM - 2 PM. VFW Post 3233, 124 S. Tuttle Ave. Bruce Zalkin. 941-302-0572. fxtoyshows@gmail.com. fxtoyshows.com.

21-24 ~ Kansas City, MO. The 35th Annual National Doll Festival. Harrahs Kansas City Hotel and Casino. 1 Riverboat Drive, North Kansas City. Rowbear Lowman. 831-438-5349. NationalDollFestival@charter.net.

SARA BERNSTEIN’S DOLLS

Ph. 732‑536‑4101

Email: santiqbebe@aol.com www.rubylane.com/shops/sarabernsteindolls

22 ~ Kansas City, MO. Frasher’s Summer Sale. Crown Plaza Hotel, 1301 Wyandotte St. 816-625-3786, frasher@aol.com, frashersdollauction.com.

23-27 ~ Kansas City, MO. UFDC “There’s No Place Like Home” 75th Annual Convention . Kansas City Marriott Downtown. 200 West 12th Street. Hotel: 816-421-6800. UFDC: 816-891-7040. info@ufdc.org. Kansas City Marriott Downtown. 200 West 12th Street. Hotel: 816-421-6800. UFDC: 816-891-7040. info@ufdc.org.

28-30 ~ Online. TBAI Doll & Teddy Bear Show. Cindy Malchoff. 518-578-0006. dollnbearshow@tbai.org. tbai.org/philly.html.

AUGUST 2024

2-5 ~ Online. Bear Blitz Stars Teddy Bear Online Show. Valerie Rogers. 502-423-7827. brtstar1@aol.com. www.bright-star-promotions.com.

18 ~ Strongsville, OH. Northern Ohio Doll, Mini & Bear Show. Best Western Plus. 15471 Royalton Rd. Eileen. 440-283-5839. phdofdolls@yahoo.com.

Anne Demuth

Buying & Selling Fine Antique Dolls

New Location: 5134 Hwy NC 33 W, Tarboro, NC 27886

Only 13 miles from Greenville, 30 miles from Rocky Mount and 1 hour from Raleigh

You’ll find me at the National Doll Festival Show, Kansas City, July 21-24, Harrah’s Casino (close to the UFDC show!)

New Estates just in! Buy my latest treasures in a charming setting, or buy online in my eBay store: Anniepoojewels Please call or text me to make an appointment or get more information: 336.755.1400

Choose from a large selection of antique and vintage dolls, doll dresses, shoes, pantaloons, chemise, slips, bonnets, ribbons and more including doll furniture, doll kitchenware, and dollhouses. Email: dollsbearscookies@yahoo.com Experience Pure Doll Joy!