Antique DOLL Collector September 2013 Vol. 16, No. 8
September 2013 Vol. 16, No. 8 $595 / $6 95 Canada www.antiquedollcollector.com
A Special Wax Child Mannequin from the Belle Époque by Dee Urquhart-Ross
hen I was recently offered an unusual French child mannequin, 36 inches in height, with an equally unusual wax shoulder head, it was impossible to say no! She had apparently resided for many decades in a storeroom at the Galeries Lafayette, the famous Parisian department store, before being acquired by two gentlemen who in turn eventually passed her on to my French connection. My contact was very happy to post me the body part of the child but did not want to trust the more delicate wax lower arms and precious shoulder head to the postal system so it was agreed that they would have to be personally collected. The body arrived in a very large cardboard box along with the wood and metal extra large sized doll stand that was necessary for her stability, along with her hat and silk dress. Luckily for me, London was deemed fine for a meeting to hand over the shoulderhead and lower arms. The seller arrived from Paris courtesy of a high speed train, via the Channel Tunnel to the Eurostar Terminal at St Pancras Station while I arrived from the opposite direction, also by train, at nearby Kings Cross Station. In London, I had a very quick unwrap to view the actual face “in the wax” for the first time and she certainly did not disappoint, as even in her dismantled state, her amazing blue paperweight eyes smiled up at me from her wrappings and stole my heart! I had brought an extra bag with me and the precious box was soon carefully stowed within and entrusted to my dear husband to carry through the busy streets of London to our hotel. Once safely that far, I breathed a large sigh of relief and resisted the temptation to peek at my lovely acquisition again until we were safely home. The mannequin’s construction involves a heavy twill covered torso attached to elegant, shapely papier-mache unjointed legs with articulated, ball and socket type wooden upper arms into which lovely wax lower arms are ingeniously screwed, all topped by a wax shoulder head with a face of such exquisite beauty that she literally takes my breath away. The torso part of the body of the doll is covered in natural undyed linen twill and there are twill over-sleeves shaped and attached at the shoulders which can be tied round the articulated elbows. These upper arms are carefully carved and have ball joints at shoulders and elbows where there is a hand carved wooden screw into which a matching wooden piece can be screwed. This in turn is permanently inserted and fixed into the solid wax lower arms and hands which can be easily and quickly removed to aid ease of re-costuming, imperative of course in her previous “career” modelling in Galeries Lafayette! Each hand has a different positioning of Standing three feet tall, I look forward to adding to her wardrobe with Victorian children’s clothing. Note, her original stand is sadly missing. ANTIQUE DOLL COLLECTOR
SEPTEMBER 2013
19
A visit with M
ost of us can point to certain events or a time in our life that motivated us to begin our fascination with dolls. So it was with Bernice Millman who recalls a winter’s day in 1941 when she and her mother ventured downtown to Hutzler Brothers, an upscale department store in Baltimore. There she saw and fell in love with what she learned much later were Margit Nilsen “minnikins,” sophisticated miniature mannequins perfectly formed and wearing the latest fashionable attire. It was the first of many visits to Hutzler’s to gaze with longing at these remarkable figures that epitomized a glamorous adult world. While they remained a wishful dream, a Sonja Henie doll would soon become a reality for Bernice. As a child of the depression playthings were few and far between. “One day in a shop window I saw a doll I went mad for,” says Bernice. “With her golden curls, a red velvet skating suit trimmed in white ermine and white skates, she was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.” Unbeknownst to Bernice, her mother took a little money out of each week’s budget and put the doll on layaway for Bernice’s birthday. It remained a prized possession into Bernice’s adult years until one day her nephew broke it and Bernice, not realizing it could be repaired, threw it away. She spent years searching for another Sonja Henie doll and thankfully she eventually found another example. Now married with two sons and a daughter there was little extra money for dolls. One day her sister in law, knowing of Bernice’s growing interest in dolls, came to visit bringing a doll minus a head . . .” just the kid body marked Kestner and shoulderplate but wearing the most magnificent clothes. I began a mission to put that doll back together and was soon haunting flea markets, doll shops and antique markets. I started to educate myself about what kind of head was needed. It took five years to find the appropriate head, but then I was off and running,” says Bernice.
Bernice’s favorites are the early Kamkins dolls with their sweet look of innocence. The earliest dolls had painted hair, followed by human hair inserted in strips (below).
24
ANTIQUE DOLL COLLECTOR
by Donna C. Kaonis
SEPTEMBER 2013
Bernice Millman In the beginning she gravitated towards dolls by Armand Marseille, then the composition dolls of her era, followed by German characters, a few French (later deemed too rich for her budget), primitive cloth dolls, and finally her greatest love, Kamkins, Chase dolls and Alabama Babies. Like most of us, there is one doll that she regrets not buying, the one that got away. Bernice and her husband Jerry were visiting Belgium and shopping in a flea market when, at the first vendor’s stall, she saw a wonderful SFBJ boy with all original clothing, sparkling jewel eyes and flocked hair. “The seller told me two other women were considering the doll, implying I better make up my mind. My husband told me she was shilling and not to worry, that the doll would still be there when we returned. Of course it wasn’t and I gave him quite a lecture!” But let us not forget the fascinating Margit Nilsen figures that first captivated Bernice. It was at a doll show many years ago that she was
Although Kamkins all have a distinct look, Louise Kampes would change eye color and wigs for special orders. The little boy with the caracul wig is such an example. The last doll pictured is a later example that Bernice believes was marketed by the New York firm that purchased the company in the early thirties. ANTIQUE DOLL COLLECTOR
SEPTEMBER 2013
25
ÉCOLE DES POUPÉES
Samy Odin, Ann Coleman and Margaret Gray Kincaid Welcome you for a
BEBE JUMEAU Study of Original Fashions
Learn how to Appreciate the Authenticity and Historical Significance of the Jumeau Company Hands-on examination of antique Jumeau Bébés and their wardrobes from the Musée de La Poupée-Paris and private U.S. collections
FEBRUARY 2528, 2014 to be Held at Margaret Gray Kincaid’s charming house in Baltimore, Maryland It all starts on Tuesday Evening with a welcome dinner. Seminars, workshops and programs on Wednesday and Thursday. All meals included with a Gala Dinner on Thursday night. Friday morning tour of Baltimore’s highlights. March Gaithersburg Show following Saturday and Sunday March 1&2 Free Admission with early entry to the show included
Cost: $650 per person CONTACT: Margaret Kincaid 646-709-4340 or margaret.kincaid@gmail.com or write to 17 Elmwood Road, Baltimore Maryland 21210 (Number of attendees VERY limited)
The Many Faces of Alice Dolls by Julie Blewis
Few of these fantastic Martha Chase sets exist. Circa 1920, Alice measures 13 inches. Collection Jay and Connie Lowe
lice’s Adventures in Wonderland, that we all know incorrectly as Alice in Wonderland, sprung from the fertile creative mind of an Englishman, Reverend Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, in 1865 under the pseudonym Lewis Carroll. We have all heard how the book evolved from a tale being told to the three young daughters of Henry Liddell (Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University), with the middle one being the famous Alice that requested the tale be written down. From that humble beginning sprouted one of the most beloved children’s tale, and adult as well, of all literature! The book is populated with an array of creative and fanciful characters, many of which are bought to life so magnificently in the 42 wood engraved illustrations accompanying the book by John Tenniel. These characters have not only delighted readers for almost 150 years, but
have been an inspiration to countless doll artists over that time. And it is little wonder when you have characters like the White Rabbit, Mad Hatter, Queen of Hearts, a caterpillar smoking a hookah, and others that doll artists would be so intrigued and inspired to bring these characters to life as dolls. The appeal to the artist is also evident in the entertainment field, where no less than 19 adaptations in film and television to date have been produced. Growing up in Manhattan, the fabulous and massive bronze sculpture of Alice and some of her friends in Central Park by sculptor Jose de Creeft, was always a childhood favorite. So it comes as no surprise that Alice dolls have found their way into so many of our doll collections! It is fairly safe to conclude that no other fictional or historical character has been the subject of so numerous and yet very ANTIQUE DOLL COLLECTOR
SEPTEMBER 2013
33
CL I CQ UO T by Sara Bernstein
Discovered at a toy show, this 18-inch Klee-Ko doll was made in 1924 by the Gem Toy Company. 42
ANTIQUE DOLL COLLECTOR
SEPTEMBER 2013
t was over 90 degrees outside but this was no deterrent from our looking for a show to go to. With no doll shows scheduled in the area, the next best thing was a toy show. We had no expectations of finding a doll at a toy show but we walked the aisles in the unbearable heat anyway. Then to my joy a lone doll appeared staring at me from a table. This was not just any doll; it was a great big composition doll, dressed like an Eskimo. The doll was all bundled up in a mohair parka with attached pants, a mohair hood with fur trim, boots and mittens! He had a big grin on his face. He looked as cool as if it was snowing. One would think that this doll, dressed for the North Pole, in the middle of a heat wave, would make you feel even warmer, but instead he made me feel like I needed an ice cold ginger ale. This was advertising at its best because he was a premium or promotional doll from a long out of business soda company. Americans love of sodas began in 1806 when Benjamin Silliman, a Yale Professor, invented a process to create artificial mineral water. He sold his soda waters in New Haven, Connecticut and thus began a fad that would create hundreds of brands and take America by storm and to this day has not lost its popularity. Through the years, soda has had many different names: fizzy, tonic, pop, sparkling, and mineral water. It was originally sold for its medicinal properties and was considered a healthy drink sold in pharmacies. Brands still in existence including Dr. Browns and Dr. Pepper attest to the medicinal history of soda. Over the years pharmacists added various ingredients such as birch bark, dandelions, sarsaparilla and fruit, just about anything one could imagine to create their own unique concoctions. By 1830 the demand for soda was so great
that drug stores needed to add fountain service to fulfill the demand. Over 1,500 patents were filed, all relating to the booming soda industry, including the invention of bottling. Most advertising up until the 1900’s was by word of mouth, so sodas were mainly regional. In 1881 Henry Millis and his friend formed a soda company with money his father, a retired railroad man, had given him. Like the micro-breweries of today, it was a small company called the Clicqot Club Company. The name Clicquot came from a French Champagne,” Masion Veuve Clicquot.” The sodas bubbles were reminiscent of champagne, minus the alcohol. Millis’ first customers were his friends and acquaintances. As word spread in the New England region, sales of Clicquot soda picked up and a factory was built in the town named after the Millis family, Millis, Massachusetts. Clicquot Club soda would eventually become one of the most popular sodas in the world, but that would come later when Clicquot was under new ownership. In spite of the high quality of their product, word of mouth was not enough to keep the company afloat, costs outpaced sales and by 1901 the company was sold. The new owners kept the name Clicquot Club Company because of the name recognition in New England. With a new century came modernization to both the factory and to advertising. Clicquot’s new owners were able to expand business with an advertising strategy that would be unlike anything in the past. It expanded its markets throughout the United States. They created a trademark character, “Klee-Ko the Eskimo Boy.” Various artists were hired to illustrate Klee-ko but his image remained remarkably the same throughout the years. Klee-ko’s face was would become one of the most popular well-loved trademark character of his time. His image was used on their soda bottles, in newspapers, magazines, billboards, signs and ads. He was a wonderful smiling face chubby character Eskimo boy wearing a white parka, boots and mittens. This trademark was such a great success, the company created a Klee-ko doll as a promotional item. He was advertised in “Playthings,” the popular children’s magazine of the time. In the past, most advertising dolls were made on sheets of printed cloth for the home sewers, like the Kellogg’s set of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. By the 1920’s composition dolls like the Campbell Kids were being advertised and marketed to consumers. Dolls created as a marketing tool were a great motivator to buy the product. It was a brilliant and lucrative extension to advertise a product and in some cases you were obliged to buy a certain amount of the product, assuring
The Clicquot Eskimo is well represented in this early advertisement.
An early diecut Clicquot Club ad.
ANTIQUE DOLL COLLECTOR
SEPTEMBER 2013
43