Queen Anne Doll Challenge

The Maida Dolls Group is going to have  has had a challenge where everyone makes a creation that in some way is inspired by Queen Anne Dolls. It's sure to be fun! All the people in the group who finish a doll will have their name put in a drawing to win a prize. :-) If you're interested, head on over to the group for more details. The group is open to anyone interested in creating antique inspired dolls. There are lots of resources posted for making a Queen Anne doll in the Queen Anne Challenge thread. 

Wonderful Antique Folk Art Cloth Doll

A repost of a wonderful doll at Lucy's Doll House

I showed on my personal blog a while ago.
This doll has sold, but she sure is fun to study!

All cloth!
Even the stiffened doll bonnet and face.

So very folky!
I've never seen a doll like this before.



Her hands have 5 fingers.

Her face was needlestitched -
kind of a trapunto technique.

Her body is constructed with a flat seat,
similar to a papier mache or china doll body.



The bonnet is attached to her head.
Both the bonnet and the face are stiffened
somehow so they are very, very hard.
Similar in feel to the way Izannah Walker's are made,
but the top layer is a woven cloth and not stockinette.





And the colors of her boots and stockings
are so wonderful! Love the gold and green.



Her dress and apron are so charming.

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A Visit to Lucy's Doll House

Yesterday I took my spring drive down to Lucy's Doll House. I usually take a trip each season that they're open - spring, summer, fall. The small doll shown above and below is a mystery to me, but oh so charming. If you know what she is, please leave a comment.

Here are a few other lovelies that I saw while there:

Doll House circa 1775 (sold)

Doll house room above , with some closeups below:

Another doll house room below:

Still another room, below:





A Stable Doll House, below:

Isn't the doll above the sweetest?

No, wait, these are sweet, too!
Love Babyland Rags!




She is sweet in a homely way.




Small miniature toys...




A "Smiling Bru" which comes with her trunk....








Amazing engineering and artistry in that doll!


I'll end with the type of doll that started me
on my first journey to Lucy's Doll House.



Izannah Walker Doll

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Sources of Inspiration: Antique Folk Art Paintings

Painting by Ammi Phillips

Robin Sweeton's latest creation reminds me of a great source of information we have as doll artists in antique folk art paintings. These paintings give us clues about life in America in earlier times. In using these original sources as inspiration our own works will reflect accurately the clothing of the period. Because the paintings are often naively painted, the details of the clothing were often emphasized in these flatly painted portraits.

Some places to see antique folk art paintings are online auctions, online antique shops such as Ruby Lane and online galleries such as Encore Editions which sell prints of these old works. Here are a couple of antique paintings on Ebay right now.

Another source for images for study are the online collections of museums such as the American Folk Art Museum's collection of Early Portraits and the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Museum Folk Art Museum's online collection. And of course there are books of these museum's collections. These are excellent sources of images for study. Here are a few books I own which have great folk art images in them

And I ought to show you the doll standing on top!



Doll by Jackie Hendricks

If you have a favorite book which has wonderful folk art paintings in it, please leave a comment. To leave a comment, click on the post title. The "Add Comment" link will be at the bottom of the post.