Dr. E's Doll Museum Blog: Modern Porcelain Dolls from Asia and Waldas; 10 Go...

Dr. E's Doll Museum Blog:  Modern Porcelain Dolls from Asiaand Waldas; 10 Go...:   Modern Porcelain Dolls from Asia and Waldas; 10 Good Things     Can you spot some modern porcelains in this photo of some museum doll...

Update to The American Doll and Toy Museum Move

 

Update to The American Doll and Toy Museum Move:  Hi, everyone!  Hope you are safe and well.  Our move progresses, and our new address is 3059 30^th Street, Rock Island, IL, 61201.

 

The Museum is not yet open to the public.  We hope to be open late this year or early 2021, pending any Covid 19 rules or restrictions. As far as we know, masks will be required when we do open.  We will sanitize frequently, of course, and have hand sanitizer.  We are handicap accessible.  We are a 5021© nonprofit and we do accept donations.  We are tax deductible.  In fact, monetary donations are much appreciated to help us keep up the building and grounds.  Grants have been few, far, and not much due to Covid 19.

 

We thank Karen Holleran, Nancy McCray, Diane Roche, Lucille Christopher and Ken Stineman for recent contributions of  funds, amazing dolls and toys!  Our wishlist, a work in progress is below. We also thank everyone who has contributed to us in the last year.  We will have a list of friends of the museum for display.

 

There will be a small gift shop on the museum premises; all proceeds go to the museum.  We have books, craft items, figurines, museum logo merchandise, vintage paper airplanes,  vintage doll, seasonal items, and much more. 

 

We will be charging a reasonable admission, to be determined when we open so we can keep the lights on.  Thank you in advance.

 

Our Etsy store, Dr. Es Toy Museum is now closed.  We will reopen at a later date, but must concentrate on moving our books, toys, dolls, miniatures, collectibles, doll houses, paper dolls and ephemera, scale models, plush, bears, scooters, toy cars, paper airplanes, and more.

 

Below is our Wishlist.  Thank you to all who have donated dolls and funds to us.  We have a GoFund Me page, and various social media sites including our Facebook Page, American Doll and Toy Museum, and our blog, American Doll and Toy Museum.  We’re on Twitter as Antique Doll and Dr. E’s Doll Museum, on Flickr as Ellen Tsagaris, and Instagram as ellen_tsagaris.  We also have other blogs including Dr. E’s Doll Museum, also in Spanish and Greek, and The International Doll Museum Blog.  Google us for more.  We often share among our other blogs as well.

 

Look for our upcoming book,  Thinking Outside the Doll House; a Memoir this coming year.

 

Be safe, God Bless, and Happy Collecting!

 

Museum Wishlist

 

Pewter head Huret

 

All china, jointed Frozen Charlotte

 

Antique French bisque or German bisque doll dressed as Joan of Arc

 

Ann Parker Ann Boleyn

 

Suzanne Gibson paper dolls, doll house sized doll, or porcelain Little Ladies

 

Pollock’s’ toy paper theater, reproduction is OK

 

Huret and other French Fashion dolls

 

French Fashion and other doll accessories

 

Hugo, Man of 1000 faces

 

Ernest Doll, portrait of Jim Varney

 

Kitty Karryall from Brady Bunch

 

Glass fronted subzero fridge for edible dolls

 

Mid 1800 paper dolls

 

The Huret Book

 

Luella Hart’s Books

 

No. 1 and or 2 Barbie, any condition, and their stands

 

Voice of the Mummy Game

 

A Rocking Horse, mid sixties

 

Black hard plastic dolls with amber eyes, some from Greece

 

No. 202 Jumeau little girl with laughing face

 

Eisenberg costume jewelry

 

Margaret di Patta jewlery

 

 

 

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When our Dolls are Sick

 Don't throw away a doll; that is my mantra.  I try to repair before I keep a doll just for parts, but I confess I collect doll parts and heads for projects, just check out my Pinterest board, Heads Up!!

It's harder to find them, but check out the Doll Doctors Association or Doll Castle News magazine for lists of doll hospitals.

Doll hospitals have probably existed as long as dolls have. It’s no surprise, then, that many of the questions I get from collectors are about repairing dolls.  While The New York Doll Hospital died along with Irving Chaise its legendary owner, there are still doll hospitals around the world in operation.  I have read stories about one in Rome, and one in Australia that were intriguing.  American Girls have their own doll hospital and beauty parlor for maintaining the dolls. We have a need for one locally; we once had at least three, but the owner of the last one operating died this past July.

 

Clearly, we need another one.   I seriously urge anyone with a certificate in doll repair or expertise in the area to advertise his or her skills widely.  Life Time Career Schools had a course that is still in operation.  From what I’ve read of the lessons and material, it seemed like a credible venture.  In any case, where dolls are concerned, remember to do nothing that can’t be undone.

 

On the other hand, The Internet features many sites on doll repair.  We don’t personally endorse any of them.  As with anything else, do your homework; don’t send out your dolls if you are unsure. Get references, and ask other customers if they were satisfied.

 

If you do need help and repair for your dolls, try the website of the Doll Doctors Association, aka DDA, featured recently on CBS’ Sunday Morning. This video is featured on their website.  DDA is “Dedicated to the sharing of knowledge, techniques and philosophies associated with the restoration and preservation of antique and modern dolls.” (Doll Doctor’s Association).

 

DDA describes itself as a ‘social club created for doll repair specialists,” enthusiasts, and conservation.  They note that they are “not an educational institution,” but that they do serve as inspiration for each other.

 

There Hospital Locator is a link that helps anyone with access to the DDA website locate a doll hospital in her area. The site features useful links about doll repair and collecting as wells membership information. Active members receive the “Doll Rx Newsletter,” published three times a year.  There is also available for purchase a book called The Best of the Doll Rx.  DDA presents at UFDC convention and holds an annual meeting of its own.

 

Noted author and collector Genevieve Angione once said that all dolls are collectible.  Since they are collectible, they deserve quality care and conservation.  All antique and vintage dolls are unusual because no more are being made.  We have a finite supply to collect.  Dolls and toys by nature are ephemeral; they were meant to take hard play and not to last, yet they are important cultural artifacts that tell human history as nothing else can.  They deserve to be curated and conserved.  If you are looking for help in doll repair, then DDA is the place to start.