Philip Heath's Welcome to the World African American Baby Boy

Philip Heath's Welcome to the World dolls, ca 2001 were presented in a trifold blue gift box complete with ribbon and Gotz gift tags.

Released in 2001, Philip Heath's Welcome to the World porcelain doll series, manufactured by Gotz,  included African American and Caucasian anatomically-correct girl and boy infants positioned in a modified fetal position.

I included my doll in my second book, Black Dolls a Comprehensive Guide to Celebrating, Collecting, and Experiencing the Passion in chapter 5, which is devoted to artist dolls.  A scan of that entry with the 2008 assessed value is shown next.

Heath's African American Baby Boy Welcome to the World doll is seen in this scan from Black Dolls a Comprehensive Guide to Celebrating, Collecting, and Experiencing the Passion, chapter 5, page 262

As indicated in the description in the book, the baby measures 4 inches (10.16cm) from head to toe.  He is unjointed and rests inside a white faux fur-lined gift box, attached to the lining with a metal waistband.  In today's market, the doll would be valued much more than $75.  Additional photographs from different angles are included next.

He is anatomically correct as indicated, with his anatomic parts blotted out in this photo.

My doll's box contained two Gotz gift tags, the inside of both reads in German as follows:

German:
Fur _____, dem süßesten Baby der Welt.  Wir haben uns schon so lange auf Dich gefreut.  Seit _____ bist Du nun endlich bei uns.

Zur Erinnenerung an


English Translation:

For _____, the sweetest baby in the world. We have been looking forward to you for so long. Since _____ you are finally here with us.

To the remembrance

These babies would make a perfect gift to celebrate a newborn infant's arrival to the world, but this one was a gift from me to me the year they were released. 

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Angelica's Redress x2

With the exception of the shoes and "nude" tights, Angelica wears her original fashion.

Part of The Ultimate Collection by the late Philip Heath, 1999, Angelica's original fashion is an off-white satin sundress and voile duster with white leggings. I originally added nude hose and off-white ankle strap shoes after her barefoot arrival. A girl needs shoes, I thought. I suppose Heath thought differently.

Her first shoes deteriorated with time as blogged about here and were replaced with the black stud-accented sandals shown above, which (without soliciting her opinion) my daughter advised, do not match her original fashion.  I already knew this, but these and a couple of other shoes were the only ones I found while shopping for replacement shoes for her size 7 child's foot. So they had to do.

I have longed to redress Angelica for years. This, I knew, would pose difficulty because of her partial vinyl limbs, her 38-inch height, and slender body. The new outfit would require long sleeves and new leggings or a dress length that would extend below her knees. During Zulily.com's recent Dollie and Me event, I found two fashions that are perfect for Angelica. I guessed at her size, girls 4/5.

Each fashion comes with a matching dress designed to fit an 18-inch (American Girl-size) doll.

Even though they were ordered together, the fashions were shipped separately with the one on the left in the above image arriving first.  Angelica tried it on and wore it for about a week before the dress arrived.  She models both below with and without the dolls chosen to wear the accompanying dresses:

I was surprised at how well this two-piece fashion fits Angelica and how great she looks wearing it.  (The tutu is attached to the leggings.)

Her little doll companion is a reproduction Patty-Jo by Terri Lee.  The extra dress fits her well.

To provide a better look at the smaller dress, Angelica holds Patty-Jo.

For the second outfit, a turquoise dress with mesh skirt and dark pink underskirt, Angelica had a couple of on-hand shoe choices, shown next.

With her nude tights, these pink suede ankle straps complement the underskirt of this drop-waist dress.  The sleeves of the dress are a little long.  For a quick remedy, I wrapped clear elastic bands over the sleeves at the wrists, pulled the excess fabric up and folded it over the bands.

The second dress worn with black suede T-straps creates a dressier look.

Angelica is joined by her dress-like me doll, Bonnie Lou by Terri Lee and Patty Jo tags along.

Initially I chose the first outfit as my favorite, but with the black shoes, I like the dress equally as well.  Angelica "decided" to wear the first outfit for now because of its summery look.  She will save the dress to wear during the fall or winter.  The little ones were just happy to be redressed.

dbg

Throwback Thursday: Yoromong and Ami

Yoromong and Ami by Philip Heath, 1992

Another pair of dolls has been removed from my want list and deleted from my eBay saved search list:  Yoromong and Ami by Philip Heath, copyright 1992.

I have been aware of this 24-inch brother and sister pair for several years but did not begin a secondary-market search for them until approximately a year ago.  They have frequently been offered on eBay usually as a pair but also in single-doll auctions.  Past previous both-doll auction prices were always more than I desired to pay, until the ones that were supposed to be mine were offered.

Ami is missing the her water gourd that should be held on a string wrapped around her neck.  Yoromong is missing his wooden staff.  Their boxes (which I did not want) and certificates of authenticity did not accompany them.

Minus the price I paid, my Excel Doll Inventory spread sheet entry for this pair is copied below. The columns are for month of purchase, manufacturer/artist's name, doll(s) name(s), and description:

October

Philip Heath/Gotz/A World of Children Collection

Ami and Yoromong

24-inch vinyl (mostly) with cloth from waist to upper thighs and mid upper arms, brother and sister dolls:  Ami is marked PSH/194-20 (on head) and PSH on back of shoulder plate.  Yoromong's back marks are the same.  His head is marked, 193-20/PSH.  Yoromong has black molded hair.  Ami has a black wig styled in ponytail with curly loose ends.  Four braids extend from the hairline over her muslin headband, held with muslin tie.  Both have brown stationary eyes with painted upper eyelashes.  Ami wears a navy blue and black African print top, pants, and wrap skirt; off white gauze jacket; dark brown and tan beaded bracelet, leather cord necklace with coin/medal that reads on front:  HUNG BOH LOMBEI  VEN -1/4 FL 1859.  Yoromong wears a navy blue and black African print jacket that matches the print of Ami's top, pants, and skirt; off white gauze balloon bottom pants, brown and tan anklet, added off-white  bead bracelet , leather necklace with coin that reads on front:  BUNDESREPUBLIK DEUTCHLAND 1976; on back:  2 PFENNING.  Both dolls have bare feet.

Tan beaded bracelet and anklet added by me.

Both dolls had an original 1990s retail of $500.00 each.  They usually sell for $350 for the pair on the secondary market based on condition.  Ami alone has sold recently for $200.  I paid less than this for my pair, including shipping.

About Philip Heath (from the Dollery website, revised, updated:  "Philip was a master at capturing a child's heart and soul.  All his dolls were sculpted after real children... He sculpted for Gotz for quite a few years, who in turn produced his dolls in vinyl. They started at $500.00 and ended up around $2,000 at the end.  He often sculpted a [child] after a real child seen in his travels... Philip decided to leave Gotz in 2000 and explore other avenues.  In 2001 he opened his own company."   Heath, age 62, died November 28, 2011, in Worcestershire, United Kingdom.
 
dbg

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Doll Artist Philip Heath Dies



Dolls by Philip Heath, L-R Aaron (seated), Yankuba (on the shelf), Angelica (standing), and Alessandra

A month after I posted a blog about one of my favorite Philip Heath dolls, Aaron, the artist passed away.  I just learned of his passing while reading the current digital issue of DOLLS magazine.  Heath died November 28, 2011, in Worcestershire, United Kingdom.  I am saddened to hear this.  Although I no longer collect larger artist dolls, I remained a fan of Heath's work prior to his Lost and Found series, referenced in the Aaron post. 

Popular during the 1990s through 2004, some of Heath's dolls are included in my second book, Black Dolls: A Comprehensive Guide to Celebrating, Collecting, and Experiencing the Passion. 

The doll culture has lost one of its masters.

dbg

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Potrait of Aaron by Philip Heath

Aaron by Philip Heath

Aaron by Philip Heath ranks high among my favorite artist dolls. I fell in love with another collector's Aaron and for years thereafter desired an Aaron of my own. His initial and even secondary market price prevented Aaron's arrival. Eventually I found one at a price I could not refuse. Patience saves.

Aaron is featured in Chapter 5, on page 261 in Black Dolls: A Comprehensive Guide to Celebrating, Collecting, and Experiencing the Passion.  The vinyl doll was made in 1998 in a limited edition of 500.  Aaron measures 39in/99.06cm.  There are two vinyl versions:  Aaron I and Aaron II.  Their outfits differ.  Other than that, I believe they are one in the same.  My doll is Aaron II.

My Aaron was originally featured here along with other dolls made in Germany and again in a blog post featuring dolls dressed in school attire where he wears clothing and shoes my grandson wore when he was three.

In the image on the left, Aaron wears his original fashion: white T-shirt, long white pants, tan corduroy vest, white baseball cap, with white socks and canvas sneakers.

After learning that my doll did not come with his booklet, Portrait of Aaron by Philip Heath, the owner of the doll that inspired me to purchase mine, photocopied her booklet and mailed it to me.

Doll collectors are such wonderful people.

Sculpted in the likeness of a real child, in Portrait of Aaron, Heath shares in his own words and through illustrations what inspired the doll's initial porcelain sculpt, which was later produced in vinyl by Götz of Germany.  About the real Aaron, Heath wrote:

Aaron has wonderful enthusiasm, a willingness to be captured by fleeting ideas which send him into a riot of activity.  At other times he is quiet, dreamlike -- almost frozen in thought!

Later in the booklet, as the porcelain version neared completion, Heath questioned:
The frightening part! Did I do too much or not enough, will the painting, the eyes, eyelashes and clothing strengthen the work or lead me away from my goals?

Because the booklet contains images of the real Aaron, I can answer Heath's question with a resounding, "No.  You did not do too much.  Aaron, the doll, is perfect!  I love him!" 

Near the end of the booklet, Heath continues:
This process -- from photographs to finished vinyl portrait took one year.  Aaron has grown, as is the way with children, and I have visited and phoned him during this time.  He has been an important part of my thinking and feeling -- and through my work he became part of my life.  I hope that the porcelain, the vinyl sculpture and this book will be acceptable to him in his life, and to his family.

with love
Philip

The final page of the photocopied version of Portrait of Aaron reads:

A celebration of ART and caring

made possible through a partnership between Aaron,

Cultural Accents/Detroit, Barat Child and Family Services/Detroit,

Goetz Dolls/U.S.A. and Götz Puppenfabrik GmbH/Deutschland.

Interestingly, years before Aaron was made or before I became aware of the doll, my doll collecting path briefly crossed that of  the owner of Cultural Accents/Detroit. During our doll-related phone conversations, probably three at the most, she confided in me that she knew Philip Heath and that he was one of her favorite doll artists.  I remember her saying, "I love him!"  This woman had also recently become an adoptive mother, of a young male child.

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