My Dolls at a glance

This collage shows many of my favorite dolls

Some are by Peggy Nesbit

some are five inch porcelain Madame Alexander dolls

there are also my antique asian dolls

Two are my Lenci girls

and there are several dolls that I made during workshops at UDFC conventions

I love my dolls

Double left click on the picture to enlarge, then scroll up/down and across.

This is a picture of the Hitty doll I carved at Janet Denton Cordell's class in 2009 in Birmingham, Alabama.

Sharon

3 FRENCH DOLLS DRESSED BY 3 GENERATIONS

These 12" half dolls on wooden bases are marked "France," and in the 1880's they were placed on mantels and pianos. These dolls are probably made of a substance called biscaloid, a ceramic or composition substance for making dolls, also called "imitation bisque." The bodies are smooth and hard.

The one on the left was owned and dressed in the 1880's by a member's grandmother. The other 2 were found at Trade Day at Scottsboro, AL, about 1966 when antique dolls were available for sale there in the Courthouse square. Her mother dressed the second one in the late 1960's, and the third was dressed by the member herself in 1973. We appreciate the sharing of this special story.

DOLL CARVING CLASS WITH JANET CORDELL

Here are photos that Sharon Kirby shared of the recent wood carving class with the famous carver Janet Denton Cordell in April 2009 in Birmingham. She said everyone thoroughly enjoyed the class and learned a lot. You can see what wonderful work they turned out, even though some are beginners.

The next carving class in Birmingham, AL will be April 9, 10, and 11, 2010. If you are interested in taking this class or if you have any questions, please email Sharon Kirby at barbiesr@mindspring.com.

You do not have to be a carver to take this class. Beginners are welcome!

TWO DOLL DISPLAYS

At the top is a very old wooden cradle (probably 1800's) used to display old chinas. The 4 "middle ones" are dressed as U.S. First Ladies, i.e. Mary Todd Lincoln, Dolley Smith Todd Madison, Abigail Smith Adams, and Jane Appleton Pierce. These four were found together in an antique shop in New Orleans. All these dolls range in age from 1840 to about 1900.

The second photo shows an early 20th century wicker doll buggy holding a blonde china from about 1880 and a "pumpkin head" papier mache with pupiless glass eyes and wooden limbs from the same time period. She wears a gold-filled woven memorial hair pin dated 1840.

VISIT TO TOM AZUMA'S

Here are some of Tom Azuma'a antique doll replicas, which are exquisite. The Birmingham Doll Club recently visited him at his home, admired, and bought many of his dolls. He has been doing this for 30 years, and dresses them authentically in old fabrics and laces. The doll at the top has a rubber band on to hold the pate, which had not been glued yet.

PART OF AN ANTIQUE DOLL COLLECTION

Here are some of Tom Azuma's antique dolls. He has collected for years, but long ago, he decided that they are so expensive that he would make them himself. He began to make antique reproduction dolls and dress them in old fabrics. His work is exquisite, and is shown on another post on this blog.