Izannah Walker Reproduction Dolls

original Izannah Walker doll, picture by Dixie Redmond

“Will I still be making Izannah Walker inspired dolls?”

NOTE: The answer is YES. This post has been updated to reflect my journey in making Izannah Walker Reproduction Dolls and my establishment of the Hopestill Clan, pressed cloth izannah Walker dolls made from a mold I made of my antique Izannah Walker doll Hope. If you'd like to know more, please visit Northdixie Designs, the blog written by me, Dixie Redmond.

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This question is asked in light of artist Kathy Patterson making a mold of her original Izannah Walker doll and using the mold to make reproduction Izannah Walker dolls.

Yes, I will still be making Izannah Walker inspired dolls, for many reasons. Before I get to all the whys of that I'd like to talk a bit about being inspired and the recent history of artists making Izannah inspired works.

 

 Helen Pringle doll picture courtesy of Deanna Hogan

There is something to be learned from studying Izannah's work, just as painters learn by copying the works of artists who came before them such as Rembrandt or Michelangelo or Monet. In the act of trying to make a creation like those who come before, we learn something. Doll makers who have quoted Izannah Walker in their work include Martha Chase, Helen Pringle, Edyth O'Neill, and Judy Tasch a decade or more ago.

 

 Edyth O'Neill Doll, sculpted by Edyth

 

 Martha Chase doll Martha was inspired by her childhood doll made by Izannah Walker. 

 picture courtesy of Deanna Hogan

These artists have elements of Izannah's techniques or painting styles in their work. Many of us have more recently made Izannah inspired or Izannah reproduction dolls. I won't try to name all of us who have made Izannah inspired dolls because we are quite a throng. Some really wonderful dolls have come about as a result of trying to understand and emulate Izannah's work.  

 

 Judie Tausch dolls, Doll Reader photograph

Methods of approaching an Izannah Walker inspired doll have included making all cloth oil painted dolls, photo face dolls which have a photo print of an Izannah doll on a cloth base, dolls with stiffened masks, dolls made with paperclay, dolls made with paperclay and a stockinette cover, and now using a direct mold of an Izannah Walker doll. All of the attempts have been at the least interesting and at the most marvelous. As artists have made dolls, some have wanted to make a doll which looks exactly like an Izannah doll, and others have been more interested in using Izannah's exact methods. All of the works up till now will fall somewhere on the continuum of being an exact copy of the original to being inspired by the original.

 

Exact Copy of Original ----------------- Inspired by Original

Making copies of old dolls is nothing new. If the artist is up front and not trying to pass off the work as an antique original, it's quite legitimate in the doll-making world. When I emailed Edyth O'Neill this article for her thoughts she replied,

“Thousands of molds have been taken off old china and bisque dolls and some papier mache's too. When anything becomes really valuable it is a target to reproduce, anything from rocking horses to quilts to pressed glass. Dolls are surely no exception! Reproduction Izannah dolls fill the same need as do the reproduction Bisque A T's or the Reproduction Bru's. Collectors who would love to have an original Izannah Walker doll but feel they cannot afford one, may opt to purchase one of these reproduction ones instead. Emma Clear used to make molds from the old dolls as well as from her own sculpts. Mildred Seeley built a whole business on selling supplies and molds for reproduction dolls. “

Izannah herself used molds and we don't know what the original molds were made from – her own sculpt, another artist's sculpt or perhaps an early antique doll she owned? Elaine McNally commented that using a direct mold of an original Izannah doll is a 3D version of those who have made “photo-face” dolls. While Kathy Patterson's Izannah heads are molded from the original Izannah Walker dolls, she paints the molded heads herself. The end result is a doll that closely resembles the originals. No doubt about it, this does raise the bar for artists trying to make a doll which looks like an Izannah doll. So now I come back to the question of “Will I still be making Izannah Walker inspired dolls?” Of course I will, just as I always have done since beginning doll making. And here are my reasons why:

1. I find pleasure in making an Izannah Walker inspired doll. My purpose in making an Izannah inspired doll isn't only to make a likeness of one, but to think about the character of the doll maker. Izannah Walker is a kind of icon for me, because I see her as woman who achieved a lot of things in an environment that wasn't a level playing field for women. This inspires me. 

2. I personally still have something to learn in the making of an Izannah Walker inspired doll. I sculpt my dolls by hand, and part of the challenge for me is to see how closely I can get to the feeling of the original Izannahs in my own sculpt. I've learned a lot through attempting this. 

3. I believe there is room for different kinds of art in this world, including different kinds of Izannah Walker inspired dolls. It's like hearing the same song sung by different singers. Many versions can be beautiful.

Embellishing Doll Clothing

A search through Google Books section of public domain books yields a treasure trove of needlework techniques to use in embellishing a plain garment for an antique doll. Trims and braids can be approximated with some embroidery techniques, such as the braid stitch above.

Here are a few books I found with some interesting instruction and graphics. It's best to click on the "contents" at the top of the page and you can browse the book. You can also download them in PDF format for future reference.

• Elementary Embroidery
• Art in Needlework:
• A Book About Embroidery
• The Ladies Work Table Book
• Shelter & Clothing:
• A Textbook of Household Arts
• Things Girls Like to Do
  

And if you would like to do the braid stitch shown above, Stitchschool has done a very nice text and photo tutorial on braid stitch. Have fun! ~ Dixie

Use of Twill Tape in Antique Doll and Reproduction Doll Clothing

 

The Maida Dolls group has been discussing twill tape.  What is twill tape, you ask?  Twill tape is a woven trim, sometimes made of cotton, sometimes linen, which can be used for drawstrings, dress ties, caps, etc.   If you study the Workwoman's Guide mentioned in the previous post, you will see that many of the garments from the 1840 book used ties or tapes for garment closures.   "Tapes"  - in our case twill tape -  can be used in a casing to create a drawstring neckline which is adjustable. 

The dress of my doll below is made in this way.  

I used twill tape from William Booth Drapers as a drawstring in the neckline of dress above.   It worked great.  The roll of tape is shown below as it came to me.  They're one of the few places that have 1/8" twill tape.

Edyth O'Neill shared a dress with me to study that had a kind of tape used to stabilize the curved seams to keep them from stretching out.

Twill tape is also used as a base to which other things can be sewn for millinery, to cover the hoops of hoops skirts in the 1800's, and to tie corsets tightly.  You can buy  modern twill tape by the yard or by the roll.  The roll below was purchased from twilltape.com.

Twill tape can be used in many ways, even  as a decorative element.  Try it, you'll like it! 

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Maida Doll Shower - New Year's Dolls Sent

Above is Susie McMahon's doll  and below is Dixie Redmond's doll.   Susie, who sent hers from Australia before Christmas, has been patiently waiting while Dixie Redmond finishes her doll so they can travel on together to the shower recipient.  I am thankful for patient people.  We will call these New Year's Dolls and hope they bring some joy in this new year.

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Doll Auctions - Temporary Museums

Last year I went to the Skinner auction of Richard Wright's collection and it was amazing.  A doll auction is great for learning, kind of like a temporary museum set up before the family of dolls gets sent off to the next stage of their journeys. This reminds me of when you see seeds blowing in the wind, who knows where they will settle?   The same thing happens to collections.  

Nowadays auction companies often put the auctions online, which is great for those of us who don't have the opportunity to travel to them.  But still, there is nothing like seeing something with your own eyes.  

This week I am going to the Withington auction, and it will be fun to see some wonderful old creations in person.  I'll be bringing my camera, and a notebook, and my thinking cap.  :-)

Dixie

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My Antique - Vintage Cloth Doll Collection

As I was taking pictures of some of the cloth dolls I've collected to get the ready to list a few online, I thought some of them might be worth showing here.  Not all are antique, they are not over 100 years old, but they still have a lot of charm. I just need to make room right now, so some of these will be sold. 

 If you know the date of some of these dolls, please share.  

And also, check out my blog in the next day or so, 

as I will be listing some of them there.

 

 

 

This doll above I purchased on Ebay, 

listed as from Lancaster County, PA.

The body type is interesting.  

Turn of the century to 1920's?

The face and hair looks like it was drawn on 

with some kind of ink which has browned with age.

I like the head shape.  

I'm guessing this is a 20's doll below? 

She/he looks like an aviator.  

Amelia Earhart, anyone?

Doll with embroidered face

and cool dress below...

1940's?  1950's?  

She is made from some kind of sack. 

  I am 95% sure this doll below

is a Babyland Rag doll, 30" tall.

If it is, she could be from around 1906-1911.

 

Her arms and legs have been 

resewn at some point in her life.

And she was given button eyes. 

 

If you look carefully, 

you can see the ghost 

of where her face layer was stitched on, 

because I believe her front is now her back.  

 

She's stuffed with cotton.

I think she sucked her thumb...

after some little girl gave her "fingernail polish".

 

 She came with an interesting assortment of clothing - 

 old high-top boots

socks with "patina"

pantaloons with lace and pleating

a lace-edged petticoat

An antique dress which has issues, 

but also has cartridge pleating at the waist.

The girl has been loved a lot.  

Her body shows "hug wear".

 The only doll that I'm showing in this post

that is not antique/vintage is this Helen Pringle doll.  

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A Simple Life, Helen Pringle and Doll Making

A few months ago, I received an email from Helen Pringle, commenting about a doll she made in 1988 that I own and had shown on my blog. The doll is Mary Mason-Dixon, shown below. To see more pictures of Mary Mason-Dixon, you can click here. Helen gave me the back story on the creation of this doll, and then mentioned that she is writing for the magazine A Simple Life.

 1988 Helen Pringle Doll

I first heard about Helen Pringle dolls through the Vintage Cloth Dollmaking Yahoo group. but have since seen many discussions about Helen Pringle dolls in other groups as well.  Helen Pringle dolls captured a sense of the early cloth dolls I love and admire so much.  Helen retired from her business of doll making a while ago, but not from study of early things and other creative endeavors.  Jill Peterson, the publisher of A Simple Life, says this of Helen, 

"Helen is so much more than a writer for A Simple Life!! She never wants any credit for anything, but honestly, the magazine would not  work without Helen!!  She is a contributing editor, Editor, my right arm, my antiques expert, my daily dose of laughter .... I could go on an on.  She works COUNTLESS hours for the magazine - and there would not be a magazine, if not for her."

An article by Helen Pringle on early dolls will be featured in the next issue of A Simple Life, along with a story by Christine Crocker entitled, "Song of the Dollmaker."  This will be of interest to people who enjoy making antique inspired dolls.  When I saw that Christine Crocker was also writing for the magazine, it inspired me to order a subscription.  The mission statement of A Simple Life is:

"When your magazine arrives in the mail,

it will be like getting a letter from an old friend."   

I don't know about you, but the winters in Maine are long, and a letter from an old friend is always heartwarming.     Check out the contents of the winter letter below. 

Antique Printed Doll Aprons

I took the above picture in 2007. This dress was with the first Izannah Walker doll I was able to see and take pictures of. This apron design is seen often - there is a doll at the Strong Museum that wears one, and many Joel Ellis/Springfield Wooden dolls are seen wearing this design.

Edyth's Brown Dress

Note from Dixie: Edyth let me borrow a dress for study and tracing a pattern. This was originally posted on Northdixie Designs in November of 2009. I still have yet to make the dress, but I hope to get to it SOON. This is an interesting dress to look at, because the design is simple and the use of trim can customize it in a number of ways.

The amazing thing about the internet is that I have friends I've never met. :-) Edyth O'Neill is such a friend - she sent me a box of stuff a couple of weeks ago, and in the box was an antique dress for me to study and make a pattern from and then return to her. This was challenging to do as I didn't want to use any pins.


The opportunity to look at this old dress was so fun for me. As I usually do, I took loads of pictures so that I could refer to them later when I make the dress up. If you are an antique clothing buff/expert, I welcome any feedback you have about the dress and it's age. It is a fairly basic princess seamed dress style. My guess after looking at the online collections at Wisconsin History.org is that it's from the 1870's. The brown dress seems to be constructed by machine, but there is also a lot of hand sewing in it's construction. The seams have a kind of twill tape which was attached at the time the seams were sewn. I'm assuming this was done to give stability to the curved seams.

The twill tape was basted to the outer part
of both sections jointed together
and then pressed to the side.

The charm of the dress
is the simple style,
and it shows how applied trim
can transform a basic dress.
There are bias tape bands
sewn at the hem
of the skirt and the sleeves.

There is shark's tooth trim at the neck,
and the buttonholes are done by hand.

.

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