Winnie

I got busy and missed a week posting the next doll.  Sorry about that.  The next doll on the list of newcomers is Winnie.

Winnie is a Schoenhut model 14/105.  She is fourteen inches tall and jointed at the neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, knees and ankles.  She is made of wood and has metal springs in her joints to make her posable.  She is a carved haired doll.  She is an early model likely made between 1911-1912.  That makes her around 108 years old.

She was in bad shape when I got her.  I decided to try to fix her up a little instead of fully restoring her.  I wanted most of her genuine age to show.   It was a fun project, but work too.  I'm happy with the  results and I think Winnie is too. 

She has a happy look instead of pensive or sad.  I really like this about her.  I named her Winnie as soon as she arrived here.  Not sure why, other than liking the name and it seemed to fit.

A few weeks later, I remembered that I had this tiny artist made Winnie the Pooh bear.  I took him from the cabinet and gave him to Winnie.  Are they not perfect together?  I have been in love with Winnie the Pooh since I was big enough to watch tv.   

Winnie is very special to me and I am having fun spoiling her.  She deserves it.  

I will try to make time to keep posting at least once a week.  I have a few more dolls to introduce and some projects to show.

I hope everyone is happy and well these days.   

Blessings!  

Hannah ~ A Ludgwig Greiner Classic American Papier Mache Reproduction Doll

I love antique dolls, especially papier mache head dolls.  I'm not alone in this.  Finding a nice one is not easy, and the competition for them is tough.   One day I was browsing ebay and saw one of the reproduction Greiner Papier Mache Head dolls made by the United States Post Office.  I looked at them years ago, but at that time they were on the expensive side.

So when I found one for a good price on ebay, I decided to get it and see if I liked it in person.  She arrived and honestly, I think she is pretty nice.  One thing that was a disappointment is what looked like a reflection of light in one of her eyes was actually a scratch.  So I took a few minutes to get out my paints and mixed up a color as close to the eye color as possible and repainted that eye.  I think I did okay with it.

The second photo shows the scratched eye and the third photo shows the eye after I repainted it.  I really like this doll, even thought she is quite large.   Her complexion was borderline pasty white, so while I had my paints out, I did a faux aging technique to her face.  It seemed to make her more realistic.  I was very pleased with the results.  Her eyelash area had some slight denting, so she looks as if she has been played with long ago.  The aging technique enhances this.  It may be hard to tell much difference in the photos because of the flash, but in person, you can see the difference very well.

The photos above show some of the details about these dolls.  The papier mache head was made from the same papier mache recipe Ludwig Greiner used many years ago.  The head and body are both marked well, showing that she is a reproduction.  She is all cloth, other than the papier mache head.  She has a beautiful outfit but the shoes are a little cheap looking.  So I took a pair of well-worn genuine antique baby shoes and a pair of black socks and put them on her.  They are just a smidge too big, but look perfect on her.

I named her Hannah and put her in an adult size antique chair in my living room.

Did I mention that she is 30 inches tall?  I never buy big dolls because of the lack of space, but I made an exception for Hannah.  The chair she sits in has been a place for various teddy bears to sit in over the years.  Since bears can sit in lots of places and fit in smaller chairs, this one belongs to Hannah now.  

I smile every time I walk into our living room.  I hope you enjoyed seeing her and hearing about her.

Have a great week and be blessed!

Sweet Junie

This wonderful all cloth doll is a faithful reproduction of a Photo Face Babyland Rag doll.  She was made by artist Glenda Smith who made her by looking at an antique Babyland doll that she owns.  She did not want to copy the faces of genuine antique Babyland dolls.  Her photo face was printed from an antique photo in the artist's collection and applied to the doll in the same way Babyland Rag dolls were made. 

Junie is 20 inches tall and is completely made by the artist, all except purchased shoes.  Her clothes and undergarments were made from antique and vintage fabrics.   Her bonnet is sewn onto the doll and the front rim can be pulled forward or folded back, but cannot be removed from the doll.

Photos do not do her justice at all.  She is an amazing work of art and I am very happy to have her.  She is one-of-a-kind.  There will never be another one exactly like her.  The artist mentioned that she may make others, but so far I have not seen or heard of her doing this as of yet.  I hope she will.  She said no two would ever be a like.  If I hear from her about this, I will be sure to update. 

Junie has a very life-like look, thanks to her lovely photo face.  Some people are bothered by this, but I think she is amazing! 

Do any of you have a genuine Babyland Rag doll?  Would love to her about them, if you do. 

Well, I have errands to run, so I best get to it.  Have a blessed day everybody!