Antique DOLL Collector July 2012 Vol. 15, No. 6
July 2012 Vol. 15, No. 6 $595 / $695 Canada www.antiquedollcollector.com
by Connie Lowe
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BJD dressed by Connie Lowe using antique fabrics. Courtesy Connie Lowe 32
ANTIQUE DOLL COLLECTOR
JULY 2012
nce seen as foreign to the antique doll collector, the modern ball jointed doll, or BJDs as they are commonly referred to, are beginning to transcend those borders and the lines drawn in the sand are not so clear any more. Collectors both young and old are beginning to find the appeal of the modern BJD. Not only are collectors who once collected only antique dolls now collecting BJDS, I have found that collectors of the BJDS are now being introduced to the world of antique dolls. The BJD has strong ties to the antique dolls commonly seen in this magazine as well as the articulated clay and wooden dolls of ancient Greece and Rome dating to at least 200 BCE. The modern ball-jointed doll era began in Western Europe in the late 19th century. From the late 19th century through the early 20th century, French and German manufacturers made bisque dolls with strung bodies articulated with ball-joints made of composition. These dolls measured between 15 and 100 cm (6 to 40 inches) and are now collectible antiques. During the 1930s the German artist Hans Bellmer created dolls with ball-joints and used them in photography and other surrealistic artwork. Bellmer introduced the idea of artful doll photography, which continues today with Japanese doll artists, as well as BJD hobbyists. Influenced by Bellmer and the rich Japanese doll tradition, Japanese artists began creating strung ball-jointed art dolls. These are usually made entirely of bisque and often very tall, sometimes as tall as 120 cm (48 inches). These dolls are purely intended as art, not for play or even the hobby level of collecting usually associated with dolls. They cost several thousand dollars, and up to several hundred thousand dollars for older collectible dolls from famous artists. The art doll community is still active in Japan and artists regularly release artbooks with photographs of their dolls. The history of commercially produced Asian resin BJDs began in 1999 when the Japanese company Volks created the Super Dollfie line of dolls. The first Super Dollfie were 57 cm tall, strung with elastic, ball-jointed, and made of polyurethane resin. Around 2002–2003, South Korean companies started creating and producing BJDs. Customhouse and Cerberus Project were among the first Korean BJDs companies, and since then the Korean market has expanded with many more.
Courtesy Connie Lowe
Clothing designers can let their imagination soar with a wide range of clothing inspirations. Kim Lasher sculpts, painted and costumed by Connie Lowe
Val Zeitler and Connie Lowe collaboration
The first Chinese company to release their own original BJD sculpts in high quality polyurethane resin was Dollzone. Their dolls hit the market in late 2005, early 2006. Since then, several other Chinese companies followed suit, putting their own BJD creations on the international market. The first American company to produce a BJD with more of an American aesthetic influence was Goodreau Doll in 2007. Since 2007 with the encouragement and success of the Goodreau Doll company many American artists have taken on the BJD market successfully – Kim Lasher, Berdine Creedy, Christy Stone, Bo Bergman and Connie Lowe (the author of this article) just to name a few. They are not only popping up at doll shows but have their own shows and conventions which are well attended and widespread. Much like their predecessors, one can purchase an array of accessories for the modern BJD. From production line clothing, shoes, eyeglasses, even tiny cellphones and more to elaborate costumes custom made by clothing artists Val Zeitler, Michelle Hardy, Marbled Halls (author) and many others. Clothing ranges from modern chic, Goth, Lolita to vintage reproductions. ANTIQUE DOLL COLLECTOR
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&
Connie
Jay
LOWE
P.O. Box 5206 Lancaster, PA 17606 • FAX 717-396-1114 • Call Toll Free 1-888-JAY LOWE or (717) 396-9879 • Email: big.birds@comcast.net
Always Looking to Buy Quality Dolls, Toys, Marklin Doll Carriages or Entire Estates • Buy & Sell With Confidence • Member of UFDC & NADDA
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ANTIQUE DOLL COLLECTOR
JULY 2012
Brooks House by Susan Grimshaw
The hinged faรงade of the house features an attached shallow fenced garden that is decorated with a variegated green sponged paint effect. The balustraded fence and the house trim were originally painted a flat brown color but by the time I purchased it, the original paint had been covered with a glossy white enamel that shows the rich architectural details to advantage, so I decided to keep it that way. The cornices on the front and back facades feature structural rain gutters than needed a good cleaning. The bow windows also have gutters incorporated in their cornices. Every individual brick is scored and outlined in a cream color. Houses of this vintage often feature flat painted brickwork that is not scaled as small as this, so I consider this finishing detail truly distinctive.
M
ore often than not, I have purchased antique doll houses and miniatures at auction without knowing the identity of the consignors. Unless they are wellknown individuals whose collections have appeared in publications or been displayed in public venues, auction consignors often remain under the radar until the day their collections go under the hammer and even then, some may choose to remain anonymous. I knew the previous owner of this house as a fellow collector and someone who sometimes competed with me at other auctions. Our tastes are similar and we have often found ourselves attracted to the same things at auctions and shows and we also share an appreciation for vintage craftsmen. A good portion of her collection recently ended up at auction when she down-sized and moved to a smaller home and I catalogued many of her items for the
One of the features I most enjoy about this house is the ornamented Victorian window sashes. When I set down to repair the windows, I discovered one broken sash was missing an entire section. From the disassembled pieces I was able to replicate the missing piece and learned that every window had been realistically constructed with mortise and tenon joints. It was the first time I had to repair a window made that way, and it was very satisfying when everything fit together just right!
ANTIQUE DOLL COLLECTOR
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Visit Dollmasters
at the UFDC Salesroom, Booth 125
At the New Orleans 2012 National Convention
You’ll see the latest arrivals from our Dollmasters Exclusive line of antique-style doll costumes, made of the finest silks, wools and cottons with pure lace trim. Our costumes are authentically-styled from master patterns drawn from original doll clothing.
And don’t forget to stop by and request your Dollmaster’s complimentary gift, a perfect complement to the Jambalaya Jubilee convention theme.
dollmasters
PO Box 2319 • Annapolis, Maryland 21404 USA • Orders: 800-966-3655 • fax: 410-571-9605 • www.dollmasters.com
Maud Tousey Fangel 1881-1968 Artist, Illustrator and Doll Designer by Sara Bernstein
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Framed prints of Maud Tousey Fangel’s work were sold in Woolworth’s. The print of the baby is the high chair is raised in some areas giving it a three-dimensional look.
oday we see advertisements everywhere, on billboards, computer screens, in magazines and newspapers. We’re accustomed to advertisements as part of our daily lives, so it may be hard to imagine that in the 1880’s printed advertising was a fairly new and daring concept. Some of the greatest artists of the time were commissioned by manufacturers to create these early illustrations for this fledgling industry. Due to innovations in the printing process in the late 1800’s, the business of printing had become very profitable, leading to “The Golden Age of American Illustration,” the period from the 1880’s through the 1920’s. It was the development of a four color printing process called “chromolithography” and half tone, printing that would bring the works of artists like Maxfield Parrish, N.C. Wyeth, Howard Pyle and Maud Tousey Fangel into the homes of American families. Lithography was first invented in Germany in 1798. It was a one-color process, based on the concept that oil and water repel each other. Within twenty years, its use spread to the United Kingdom and the United States. It was mainly used for books, or printing artwork which would then be hand colored, such as the prints of Currier and Ives. It was a time consuming process, making
owning art expensive. For years attempts were made to use multiple colors in lithography. It wasn’t until the late 1800’s that chromolithography and halftone printing were developed successfully. Chromolithography used a separate plate of limestone or metal for each color printed. Each colored plate would go through the printing press, one color at a time. Half tone printing took this advancement to another level, by breaking down the colors to dots. With the development of a steam driven printing press and the availability of cheaper pulp papers, the process of printing became affordable. Its use was just beginning to come to fruition with the publishing of mass produced magazines, advertising and packaging. These advancements would have profound effects on the economy. It brought art, literature, newspapers, magazines and shopping (the Sears Catalog 1894) to almost everyone in the United States. One of the first companies to take advantage of this new technology was Cream of Wheat who hired an advertising agency to create some of the first illustrated advertisements. Maud Tousey Fangel was one of fifty-eight illustrators hired to do the early Cream of Wheat Illustrations. Maud Tousey Fangel was among the most talented, prolific and sought after artists and illustrators in the ANTIQUE DOLL COLLECTOR
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