Dr. E's Doll Museum Blog: Theriault's October Marquis Auction

Dr. E's Doll Museum Blog: Theriault's October Marquis Auction: I have had a very good year finding dolls with Theriault's, particularly at Love, Shirley Temple and Among Friends.  Every one there has...

Tasha Tudor Exhibit Coming to Hattiesburg | Southern Miss Now

Tasha Tudor Exhibit Coming to Hattiesburg | Southern Miss Now

Sept. 24th Free Doll Newsletter

Autumn is here! Doll Events Abound This past couple of weeks alone, there was  a Pullip Convention, two Theriault's Rendezvous auctions with another this Monday, many art fairs, and new dolls like Disney Descendant's, more Halloween and Fall dolls, including Annalee at Marshall's, Holiday Barbies 2015, and new promotions from Madame Alexander, Tonner, and American Girl. Think about scarecrows and dried apple faced dolls as you doll shop for new additions.  What was your best yard sale find of this past season?  Let me know for a series of new posts.  Happy collecting! Ellen Tsagaris Doll Collecting Expert

A 300+ Year Old Doll House Still with its Family Ann Sharp's Baby House may be my all time favorite doll house, except for mine, of course! Read about Ann's house, and the micromini room it inspired. READ NOW

An Eclectic Collection; It Really is a Small, Doll World My friend Caroline is an artist, weaver, and doll collector.  She has one of the most eclectic collections I have ever seen, and she is very generous with them, too.  Next week, I'll share a gallery of her dolls. READ NOW

Bright, Shiny Objects and Doll Bling Idols and dolls of many type existed in ancient America, as toys, art, precious gold/silver objects, and religious statues. Here is an update, just in time for fall and September, still doll collecting month. READ NOW

Dolls by Marian Hu Designs and Seymour Mann A reader inspire me to create this post, about two very popular lines of collectible dolls of the 90s and novelist Erica Jong's parents!

Dr. E's Doll Museum Blog: Pope Francis Holds Services before a 400 year old ...

Dr. E's Doll Museum Blog: Pope Francis Holds Services before a 400 year old ...: The Pope held mass before a 400 year old Santo representing The Madonna while he was in Cuba.  I usually write about these during the holida...

About.com Free Newsletter Week of Sept. 14th

Fall is Nearly Here! Newsletter Week of Sept. 14th Another week has come and gone in our doll collecting family.  9/11 passed quietly for the most part. One odd occurrence was that on 9/11, I wrote my 911th post on my personal blog, Dr. E's Doll Museum, about 911.  Halloween decorations are appearing everywhere and our friends at Jackson's held their annual open house, where I bought a terracotta ghost by Jackson Pottery. This week, we plug in our poppets for a crash course in how social media can aid doll collectors, review dolls inspired by Laura Ingalls Wilder, and plan for how to protect our dolls from damp.  My thanks to Haier for mentioning me on Twitter by the way!  Calling all folk doll collectors; if you have photos of nut dolls, corn husk dolls, dried apple dolls, or other dolls made of fruits, nuts, and vegetables, send photos so we can do a gallery of Harvest Dollies!  Happy Collecting! Ellen Tsagaris Doll Collecting Expert

More on Using Social Media to Collect Dolls This post continues to explore how doll collectors can use social media to find dolls, learn about dolls, and keep in touch with other collectors. READ NOW

Pioneer Girl and her Dolls Laura Ingalls Wilder, Dolls, and Pioneer Life just go together. Read about special programs on her at The Hoover Presidential Library, as well as about dolls and memorabilia inspired by The Little House Books. READ NOW

Poppets Plug In to Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and the Rest! Social Media can be valuable as a tool for doll collectors and for doll dealers alike. In this post, we continue our crash course. READ NOW

Dollies and Damp don't go Together Haier dehumidifiers are good choices for protecting your dolls from damp and mold. Over the years, I think I've become an expert at doll triage and damage control. Read more about how dehumidifiers can help your dolls. READ NOW

Featured Articles • The Rebuilding of the World Trade Center: A Photo Timeline • It's cute when my kitten paws the floor after eating. But why? • 9 Weird (but Effective!) Household Cleaners • 9-11 Photos: Attack on the World Trade Center • Trendy Hand Chain Bracelet • Why the World Trade Center Twin Towers Fell • Why Do Cats Fight? Here's 11 Reasons Why • What did New York's Twin Towers look like before 9/11/01?

Antique Doll Collector Magazine: An Interview with Collector and Doll Dealer Billye...

Antique Doll Collector Magazine: An Interview with Collector and Doll Dealer Billye...: Courtesy, Billye Harris When did you start collecting? My interest in dolls and antiques began at a very early age.  I can ...

Linda's Blog

Linda's Blog for doll stories, patterns, doll books, and more.  This is a visual feast, real doll eye candy.

Dr. E's Doll Museum Blog: Remember 9/11; On this Date, they are Our Families...

Dr. E's Doll Museum Blog: Remember 9/11; On this Date, they are Our Families...: Today is the 14th Anniversary of 9/11.  That year brought a lot of police and firefighter dolls home for Christmas. To top it off, we have t...

The Early 20th C Continued; Character and Realism Photo Study

After the elaborate chinas, Parians, fashion ladies and dolly faced babies of the 19th century, the 20th century seemed to be all about realism and characterization.  The idealized Victorian image of the child slowly gave way to dolls that cried, pouted, made faces, moved, etc.

Rare prehistoric goddess figure with face and corn row hair. About 25,000 B.C.. Pub. Domain Image.

Renoir; Mother with 2 girls, note Doll. Mid 19th c. Public Domain Image.

This shift back and forth to realism is a trend in all the arts.  Broadly speaking, note the stylistic art of the Egyptians, which influenced Greece, especially in the Kouros figures of young boys in Delphi, gave way to classical, anatomically perfect statues of Greece's Golden Age, some of which we see in The Elgin Marbles.  Then, placidity and symmetry gave way during the Hellenistic period, and we have statues like Laocoon and his sons being devoured by gigantic, true to life, snakes!

Laocoon Group; Hellenistic Era. Public Domain

Ancient Doll, bone, probably Roman, 1st c. AD?  Public Domain image.

Periods of idealized art gave way to Impressionism, and Renoir, Degas, and others now painted in a different style, subjects like jockeys, common people, and race horses.  Their style gave way to abstraction and then to surrealism and super-realism, like Chuck Close's, Duane Hanson's, and George Segal's work.

One Version of "Baby" courtesy my friend, artist Mikki Brantley

A. Marque, Stein am Rhein Auction, shattered a record at $300,000. Courtesy, Theriault's

Dolls that move, had glass eyes, were babies, digested food, wet, changed faces, and were "sad" like Jumeau Triste, were all attempts at realism and characterization in doll making, so were wax dolls, "mamma dolls", and wax works.

Pensive Lenci type, Antique Doll Collector

Lincoln Animatronic.  Public Domain Image.

By the 20th century, such trends shifted back and form in all the arts, including doll making.  This is the age of Albert Marque, sculptor as well as doll maker, and of Kathe Kruse, Grace Storey Putnam, Helen Jensen, and other artists who took their turns at making realistic dolls.

Wax, Belle Epoque, Antique Doll Collector Magazine

K8R 108, one of a Kind, early 20th c. Antique Doll Collector Magazine

Rare German Character, Among Friends Auction Theriault's, Antique Doll Collector Magazine

Though a 19th c doll, albeit a late one, the Jumeau 201 Theriault's auctioned last year was an early character doll, an experiment for what was to come.  The SFBJ 236 "Laughing Jumeau," "Baby" the one of a kind K*R 108 are other stellar examples.

Jumeau 201 auctioned by Theriault's, also record breaking.  Antique Doll Collector Magazine

Today, "reborn' babies and portrait dolls abound, each more elaborate than the other, and we have robots that seem to breathe, and push the envelope of what is alive even more than their 18th century ancestors did.

If anything, character dolls became popular during the early 20th c.

Rare Portrait Huret, once in Merritt Doll Museum.  Public Domain

The Little Dance, by Degas.  He used a doll as a model.  Public Domain Image

Antique Doll Collector Magazine: October Sneak Peek!

Antique Doll Collector Magazine: October Sneak Peek!: In Our October Issue Miniature versions of the French Fashion and Bebe dolls of the Golden era, smaller all bisque dolls have unique...

Antique Doll Collector Magazine: Future Auctions

Antique Doll Collector Magazine: Future Auctions: Happy Labor Day Weekend! I hope all of our readers get time to relax and enjoy their dolls.  Theriault's recently sent emails about futu...