September is for Collectors; Why Collect Dolls?

 

Today, the first of September, used to be the kick off of Doll Collecting Month.  The huge antique mall we had locally a special display.  We still have two big doll shows in the area as well. 

 

Soon, I will create more posts on specific dolls, e.g., Ginny, Betsy McCall, Jumeau etc.  For now, I want to shares some thoughts.  Now, I run a museum of toys and dolls, so I collect professionally, I guess, though I do not sell dolls.   I set up at shows with paintings of dolls, a few doll clothes and photos of the museum, doll related class, and some tiny dolls that are duplicates.  All sales of  my trinkets go to the support of the museum.

 

Today, I followed a thread on Reddit where a young woman said her family thought her dolls were childish and her collection somehow inappropriate.  The responses were positive for her.  She asked why others collected dolls, and how they handled negative responses to their hobby.  Men and women answered.  Here is the link:

 

How do you deal with some people thinking your hobby is childish? https://www.reddit.com/r/Dolls/comments/x2sy8u/how_do_you_deal_with_some_people_thinking_your/?%24deep_link=true&correlation_id=fb66c20a-d5a4-4620-ac33-eb7c716c866c&post_fullname=t3_x2sy8u&post_index=1&ref=email_digest&ref_campaign=email_digest&ref_source=email&utm_content=post_body&%243p=e_as&_branch_match_id=563703551646507241&utm_medium=Email%20Amazon%20SES&_branch_referrer=H4sIAAAAAAAAA22Q0W7DIAxFv4a9JWlDllaTqmpStd%2BwCLgJGmAERGn%2BfmZd3yZhcXUutq9YSon5o%2BsSGmNLq2JsnQ3fnYxX0Q8yXhBUfmNJyc42KAdrcpeldgn5KfovPtu2tX%2F9mjyDxHUj5zLfTDyGUuWjz%2Ft5ZbHQBoZgpxUM8sjNlgUyeYSIFB1CWTiDDXN9UocJyXsGgxihphPyVtKKoh81pYROFUsBrGF%2Bn8ZR9wfVmHc1NMPYHxqlpWxwOunTcdRntrkvUi5wX50LymMdJ%2BGV7unZYPDBxpFBwjsr9Mo6MHbGXJ4QtPJR2Tn872bOrvHlMVyLB02h8Hcw%2FV0zkdl%2FACQWkyWDAQAA

 

I found a husband who is supportive and encouraging of the museum and my hobby, even when I want to give up.  He’s gone to great length to find dolls for me, even going to rummage sales saying, “Give me every doll you have!”

 

We’ve been to all kinds of museums, he’s photographed dolls and toys for books and articles, goes to shows with me, sets up with me, you name it.

 

My collections started with my family; they collected dolls and souvenirs on trips.  They dolls and other things traveled from Europe and Asia, to Villa Grove, IL, to Rock Island, IL, to California, and back to Illinois. A section of the museum is dedicated to them.  Two of the Greek dolls started my collection; my mother gave them to me one day when I was three.  I remember saying, I remember telling her that I would start collecting dolls.

 

I kept at it because I loved sculpture and portraits, even photos of people.  There were several artist in my family, and photographers.  Dolls and art went hand in hand for me.

 

 

Today, I preserve dolls, toys, and books in a museum setting for the future.  Dolls are all we have of some cultures that have disappeared from the face of the earth, and toys tell us about what made us play and rest.  Our collections are there to be preserved and curated.  They reflect who we are, and the dolls are portraits of those who made them.  That’s why I collect dolls, for as Anne Rice put it, when you loved dolls, you loved all kinds of people, too.