... folk art type dolls and figurines of the sort discussed here, but I was inspired to share a few pieces after reading Ms. Leo's
I Normally Would Not....! blog. In her blog, Ms. Leo shared some folk art type dolls that she found at a thrift store. I decided to share a few of the ones that I display.
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| Folk art dolls and figures are on shelves alongside kitchen window above sink. Close-up shots follow. |
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| Not really a doll, this folk artsy nutcracker stands on the top left shelf alongside the kitchen window. I love the inscription on her apron: When in doubt, call your Mother. She wears my favorite color, peach. |
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| Right side, lower shelf: A group of ceramic dolls created in the fashion of the 1930s bisque jointed dolls made in Japan (like the two in this image), a resin Aunt Jemima figurine, collectible thimbles, and a marble slice of watermelon (given to me). I found the Aunt Jemima figurine at a flea market for $12 about 20 years ago. Before purchasing it, I consulted an antique dealer who encouraged me to return to buy it. After I did, she tried to buy it from me. I have never tried to determine its true value, but it must be worth more than I paid because the dealer was pretty persistent in attempting to get me to sell it to her, for the price I paid. (I don't think so, CM.) The thimbles are modern replicas of Aunt Jemima, Uncle Ben, and a painted Black "Girl with Doll." See next image. |
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| I purchased the Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben thimbles to display with the Girl with Doll thimble, which was the one I really wanted. The girl holding a doll is painted on the thimble. Both have multiple "Topsy" style braids. The thimbles were ordered from a Gimbel & Sons catalog during the 1990s. The ceramic dolls were purchased during my eBay infancy. Had I known they were poorly made knock-offs, I would have left them where I saw them. |
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| These are Lizzie High dolls by Ladie & Friends, Inc., 1990s. Made of unjointed wood, they have sewn-on clothes with trademark blank faces and two dots for eyes. They are L-R: Nettie Brown (2nd edition) who "always wears her striped stockings except at Christmas Eve when she hangs them on the mantle... hoping for goodies from Santa..." The Little One with Basket of Greens #1263 "loves decorating the house, baking cookies, trimming the tree... and opening Christmas gifts that rattle." The one in back on the far right is Bonita #2012. She is a school girl who "jumps rope the fastest and is the spelling bee champion... she always shares her lunch." These descriptions are written on their hang tags. |
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| The folk artsy figure on the left was purchased years before I began collecting dolls. I probably ordered it from Gimbel & Sons or from another similar catalog, only because of the plaque "Mama" holds. My children were young when this was purchased. I thought it was a cute thing to place on my home office desk along with another wooden apple-shaped trinket that has three numbered apples hanging on a peg that reads: Mom's busy, take a number. The smaller thumb sucking figure with blanket on the right is also not jointed. It came with a one-of-a-kind painted cloth doll to serve as the doll's doll. |
I have a few other folk art dolls and figures, but these are the ones that were readily accessible for this post.
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Hello from Spain: I really enjoy seeing these dolls popular in your country. Great proposal and nice collection. Keep in touch
ReplyDeleteThank you, Marta!
ReplyDeletedbg
Hola, que bonitas son, seguro que ha de sentirse muy orgullosa conservandolas, nos vemos pronto.
ReplyDeleteHola Lindaivette,
Delete¡Gracias! Voy a mantenerlos, pero probablemente no va a comprar más a ellos.
dbg
Hey,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your dolls too! They look happy in the kitchen. I think I would notice them and it would spark conversation too!
Thank you, Ms. Leo. No one has focused on these little shelf sitters. People are more fascinated by the other dolls. Now if I would frame and hang on a kitchen wall one of the images of my old Aunt Jemima pancake mix ads or Uncle Ben's Rice ads complete with their broken dialect from the early 1900s, those might strike up some conversation, but I keep those tucked away in a box. My daughter, on the other hand, has a couple of those images hanging in her kitchen.
Deletedbg
The first doll really reminds me of the Mrs. Beasly doll from the 60's, but probably only because she's wearing glasses, lol. Most of these dolls actually make me think of elementary school when we would do crafts and a lot of times the teacher showed us how to fashion dolls like these out of gourds, yarn and pantyhose.
ReplyDeleteThat must have been fun, Muff. I would have loved to make dolls from gourds and other found things.
Deletedbg
Funny story about the person wanting to buy the Aunt Jemima figurine from you. They knew the value. I have the small one. I think she is tooth pick holder. Nice post!
ReplyDeleteThanks, GG. CM was an antique dealer at heart. She'd buy low and sell high, anything she could. The first time she visited my doll room (and I didn't have half the dolls I own now), she shouted, "You should sell these dolls!"
DeleteWhy would I sell them? A collector doesn't sell; she buys, I thought.
But she is the one who influenced me to buy the types of dolls I do not collect for resale to "fund my collection." I did do that for a few years in the late 1990s and it became quite profitable before the eBay selling market became saturated with people offering the same things.
dbg