Dr. E's Doll Museum Blog: More Collections of Things I Don't Collect

Dr. E's Doll Museum Blog: More Collections of Things I Don't Collect: One of my favorite shows is Cash and Cari. On a recent episode, one estate sale customer said she went to Cari's sales to find things sh...

Museum Updates

Our July and August have been very exciting at the museum. We had an exhibit on marbles, with a free marble quiz for visitors. Next,in honor of The Barbie Movie, we set up a Barbie's Yacht Party exhibit with Barbies, mermaids, shells, sea creatures, and of course, a yacht. July 21, the Wee Travellers Doll Club of Wisconsin visited. There were goodie bags, refereshments, museum tours, and a special gift shop. Everyone had a wonderful time, and I hope they return soon. Some of our residents and artifacts are visiting our sister museum, the German American Heritage Center. I will be givng a program on German Toy making on August 20th. We had some wonderful donations, including a lovely curio, 36 inch German Bisque doll, pattern, and doll dress from Judy N. Amy S. has donated her precious collection of art dolls. As the spooky fall season approaches, I hope to complete more Halloween doll paintings, and to set up at the Maquoketa doll show. All proceeds we make will go to the museum. Meanwhile, I'm writing, packing and unpacking dolls and toys, going through storage, repairing, dressing dolls, and finishing another book proposal that will include a chapteron relevant dolls. Our museum flowers are thriving in this near tropical heat we are experiencing. It's a good time to work inside. The last issue of Doll Castle News included my tribute to my friend, R. Lane Herron, doll author, historian and artist, who died in November. We hope to add an addition within the next three years. We are thankful for our financial and object donations, and we welcome groups, including the Scouta. Happy Collecting, and thanks for your support!

Skyward for July from Dr. David Levy, our Guest Blogger

Skyward July 2023 A little religion, but not too much. David H. Levy As an undergraduate student at Acadia University, in the Canadian maritime province of Nova Scotia, my geology professor was trying to teach us about the water cycle. Despite reams of published evidence, the best document he could come up with was this beautiful line from Ecclesiastes: “All the rivers run into the sea, ,Yet the sea is not full, Unto the place whither the rivers go, Thither they go again.” --Ecclesisastes 1.7. Dr. George Stevens’s comment had a profound impact on me. First, as a budding young scientist, it opened my mind to the relationship between the night sky and Scripture, and second, later as my passion for the arts grew, it reminded me of how ancient peoples viewed the night sky. From the “11 stars” symbolizing Jacob’s brothers, to the line in Amos about “the seven stars” of the Pleiades, to his aggressive tone with Job (9:5-8): “Who removeth the mountains, and they know it not, (possibly referring to the evolution of the Earth); Who maketh the Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades? Who shaketh the Earth out of her place (a big earthquake or a major comet impact), Who commandeth the Sun, and it riseth not (if it rises during an eclipse like the event I saw in 1999 when only a thin crescent of sunlight rose). This is not to mention Joseph’s dream “the Sun and the Moon and eleven stars bowed down” (Genesis 37:9-10.) It must have been a very cloudy or hazy night if all he saw was 11 stars instead of the 2500 to four thousand stars he should have seen from his obviously dark location.) After a lecture I gave in 1994 at my childhood synagogue,, The Shaar Hashomayim in Montreal, the associate Rabbi pointed out how the ancient Israelites followed astrology, right from the line “And let there be lights in the heaven, to divide the day the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and for years.” (Genesis 1.14) He went on to emphasize that these people never worshipped the stars, but they followed astrology out of interest and fun. (Full disclosure: like most people who observe the night sky, I do not follow astrology, but perhaps unlike most of them, I do appreciate that were it not for the thousands of years of meticulous records kept by ancient astrologers, we would probably have no real astronomy, nor a Webb telescope, this evening in 2023. I did promise not too much, so I shall end here with a quotation from Psalm 19: with a new line added for fun, courtesy Peter Collins:) The Heavens declare the glory of God, And the firmament showeth his handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech, And night unto night revealeth knowledge (So long as the sky is clear.”)

Photo by Wendee Levy

Miss Charlotte Bronte meets Miss Barbara Pym: Our Guest Blogger; Dr. David Levy of Jarnac Observ...

Miss Charlotte Bronte meets Miss Barbara Pym: Our Guest Blogger; Dr. David Levy of Jarnac Observ...: Skyward June 2023 Wendee among the stars David H. Levy Never in my life did I appreciate the peace and beauty of the night sk...

In Memoriam R. Lane Herron, doll artist, author, noted authority, and my friend

A Tribute to the Memory of my Friend, R. Lane Herron Recently, I learned through eBay of all places that my friend and pen pal of nearly 37 years, R. Lane Herron, had died. I suspected it, because since Christmas, cards had been coming back to me. I searched diligently, but could find no obituary or grave, het in a back handed way, the rehab facility where he was confined indicated he had passed away. While doing yet another search to see if I could find an obituary or death notice, I found some of his things on eBay, labeled, “from the Estate of R. Lane Herron.” A kind seller filled me in as best he could.

To say the least, I am devastated, but comforted that his books and art dolls will go on. His price guides, fiction and Much Ado About Dolls, a guide for collectors, are full of knowledge and scholarship for collectors that simply isn’t done anymore. He wrote to collectors and doll makers around the globe, including Bernard Ravca, Lewis Sorensen, Joseph Kallus, Madame Alexander, Ann Parker, Lita Wilson, and many more. Lane also struck up correspondence with celebrity collectors like Greta Garbo, Jane Withers, Hattie McDaniel, Joan Crawford, and many more. His father was an actor and lawyer in the entertainment industry. Lane hobnobbed with many famous actors and singers, and he once wrote to me that he sang along with Frank Sinatra. He was a man of strong opinions, but also generous with helping others who were interested in art, antiques and dolls. Lane was an astute businessman who owned antique shops and traveled the world to study dolls for his writing. He reviewed and commented on my books, on several subjects, including literary criticism and doll history. I can only hope that his scrapbooks, photos, letters, and ephemera were saved for posterity. He and I both love books, and I used to send him volumes on history, and politics and other subjects. He sent me stickers, clippings on famous contemporary women, vintage earrings, and antique postcards. I was touched that he told me he put a photo of me and my family visiting Albuquerque in one of his scrapbooks. He also put my wedding invitation in one. Lane loved pets, and his most recent, Lamby Pie and Messy, the dove he rescued, were always prominent in his letters. He wrote of other pets, too, and wrote me a beautiful letter when my dog Smokey died. His compassion for animals was deep, and not to be forgotten. He also loved his family, and mentioned them to me often. I feel as if I know them all. Into his nineties, Lane remained independent and interest in everything. The last two dolls I know he was making were a small and large (nearly 30 inches) Joan Crawford. He admired Crawford, and was creating her as she appeared in the film “Rain.” I searched and found him doll sized bobby pins to style the wig he was creating for her. I also looked around for a home perm so he could do her hair. Often, he would ask me to do some internet research for him, since he hated online work himself. Lane was a frequent contributor many magazines on antiques and dolls, most recently Doll Castle News. His columns on “The Elite World of Dolls” were inspiring, and full of interesting facts about early doll authors and collectors. Sometimes, I received two to three letters per week from him; he loved to write, anything, and was born to be an author. We also exchanged recipes, even for our pets. His recipe for enchiladas is a family favorite. The beautiful dolls he created of historic women and actresses are like nothing else ever made. He prided himself on using vintage lace, fabric, and jewelry, as well on styling their wigs. He had a secret mixture resembling composition/plaster that he used on them, and every detail was perfect. After 37 years, it is hard to accept this kind, vibrant person, so full of talent, is gone. Yet, I am lucky to have had him as a friend, advisor, and correspondent. I will miss receiving his letters, full of little bits of ephemera and news. I used to make coffee, sit down in a favorite chair, and read his wonderful letters, my down time as it were. May his memory be eternal, and may flights of angels sing him to his rest.

Dr. E's Doll Museum Blog: Review of The Stuffed Animal by John Donald O'Shea

Dr. E's Doll Museum Blog: Review of The Stuffed Animal by John Donald O'Shea: This is a touching, beautiful story about a woman who rescues dolls and stuffed toys from yard sales and rubbish heaps so that she can repai...

Medieval Inspiration

This post idea literally came to me in a dream. I dreamed of writing about dolls in the Middle Ages, and my little sleeping beauty castle was featured. I took some dramatic license, but the photos are of the castle as it is progressing, hopefully showing the Medeival influence on the Disney story. Some of the figures are by B. Shackman, now vintage, showing Victorian figures created by Pre-raphaelite artists. There is a post on this blog on Dolls of the Middle Ages with more photos. See also Arthurian Barbie outfits, Midwest doll ornaments, Peggy Niset, Madame Alexander, Air Fix, and other companies creating Medieval outfits for their dolls.