Ida Mae's Greek Key Trimmed Jacket and Calico Dress

The doll Ida Mae is shared in a separate post, which can be found at the following link, along with links to posts about Ida Mae's other garments.  All pictures are taken as the garments were found on the forms. 

https://www.izannahwalkerchronicles.com/2023/02/ida-mae-izannah-walker-doll.html

This garment of Ida May's consists of a jacket made of ditsy printed calico with alternating blue and brown squares and a blue floral printed calico dress trimmed with woven tape/braid.  The use of applied trim brings both these garments to the next level. 

The jacket has woven blue Greek key trim which follows the seam lines at the opening and hem, with trim anpplied at the edge of the sleeve and the neckline hems. Trim is also applied at the back of the jacket in a triangular shape for interest.

The dress has common cotton tape trim applied in parallel lines at the hem. These buttons appear to be  carved shell buttons. There is also an interesting pleated design at the hem. Carved shell buttons were common in Victorian times. You can read more about buttons at this post:  https://www.crazycrow.com/site/history-of-buttons/

There are still TWO more garments to share!  So stay tuned! 

Ida Mae's Wardrobe - the Clothing She Wears

 I shared Ida Mae the doll in a separate post, which you can fine https://www.izannahwalkerchronicles.com/2023/02/ida-mae-izannah-walker-doll.html

In this post I will share the clothing she is wearing. For ease of post loading, I will be dividing other outfits in their own posts, as Ida Mae has several dresses and ensembles which are beautiful to see in detail.  

Ida Mae wears layers of clothing.  I've seen another doll with similar multiple layers of clothing at Lucy's Doll House, when it was open. Sadly a computer failure ate those pictures before I started this blog! When I document a doll, I try to take a picture showing each piece of clothing. She wears a calico jacket, trimmed with braid, over a very lightweight gauzy embroidered dress, over an underdress, over a petticoat, over a seersucker pantaloon/chemise onesie.  That's quite a few layers! 

A detail of the calico jacket, showing how 

common braided tape can be used to embellish a simple garment. 

Note the eye light lace on the dress beneath. 

The gauzy dress (batiste?) is embroidered with fleur de lis at the waist, neckline, arms and skirt: 

The underdress/slip which has details of heirloom sewing

at the waist and the ruffled hem and the armholes: 

Detail of the underdress ruffle: 

The petticoat, made of seersucker, appears to be 

a companion to the one-piece pantaloon/chemise garment underneath: 

And finally, the seersucker one-piece undergarment. 

These layers appear to have been on Ida Mae for a very long time. 

Stay tuned for posts on the other ensembles in Ida Mae's wardrobe.  

Ida Mae: An Izannah Walker Doll

Back in the fall I visited with a wonderful lady, who shared her antique Izannah Walker doll with me, and allowed me to document her doll.  The doll also has a beautiful wardrobe which came with the doll.  The doll's name is Ida Mae.  She was included in the August 2011 issue of Antique Doll Dollector magazine, in an article written by Carol Corson, entitled "An Izannah Walker Reunion." 

Every Izannah Walker doll is interesting.  How they are made is interesting, and their accumulated story is interesting as well. This doll has collected an extensive wardrobe which came with her to the present owner. I will be making a separate post (or posts) about Ida Mae's wardrobe.  

Ida Mae measures about 17 1/2" tall.  Provenance which came with the doll says was originally with a family from Central Falls, Rhode Island. When I take pictures, I usually try to take pictures from many angles, as it gives information about that doll, but also about Izannah's work in general.  The doll is shown below, and here are subsequent posts about her clothing (an ongoing project):

Ida Mae: The Clothing She Wears

Ida Mae's Greek Key Trimmed Jacket and Calico Dress

This doll has angled ears which are a little bit lower and more forward than some Izannah Walker dolls. The image below shows ears on from left to right of very early Izannah walker dolls to later post-patent dolls.  Izannah's treatment of ears changed a bit over time in both shape and placement. Toward the end, the decision to make a separately attached ear was nixed.  If you're making dolls for a wholesale business, as it has been found that Izannah was, simplifying some features would make for easier production. 

The joining of the stockinette on Ida Mae below is at the front of the head, just above the forehead. 

Because of this construction detail, I would place her as a pre-patent doll. 

Be sure to check back for a post about Ida Mae's Wardrobe!  

Izannah Walker Boy Doll Available for Purchase

When I'm notified that a doll has become available for purchase, I post images with permission here on the Izannah Walker Chronicles, and include the contact information of the person who is selling the doll. 

This doll will be featured in the February issue of Antique Doll Collector magazine. I continually refer to past issues which featured Izannah Walker dolls to aid in my Izannah studies. It is rare indeed to see an Izannah Walker boy doll come up, and I am thrilled that this doll will be featured. Antique Doll Collector magazine offers both printed and digital subscriptions of its magazines - so  sign up here!  Also, I don't get anything for plugging this issue, I just love to see the cause of Izannah advanced! 

Subscribe here -  https://www.antiquedollcollector.com/subscribe.html

As in the past, negotiations for the sale of the doll are between the buyer and the seller solely and neither Dixie Redmond and Izannah Walker Chronicles are involved in any way. Paula Walton, provided this information: 

"THIS RARE 17 INCH IZANNAH WALKER BOY IS AVAILABLE FOR SALE. HE IS IN ALL ORIGINAL CONDITION & COMES WITH A LARGE HANDMADE WARDROBE. SEE HIS STORY ON PAGE 18 OF THE FEBRUARY ISSUE OF ANTIQUE DOLL COLLECTOR. $46,000. INQURIES AT PAULA@ASWEETREMEMBRANCE.COM 203-313-5973." 

A Pictorial Directory of Dolls Featured on the Izannah Walker Chronicles

My mission for this blog in 2008 was to create the site I wished existed - a site for doll makers and collectors who love Izannah Walker dolls to see more examples for study. For many years I researched every day Izannah dolls coming to auction, and wrote auction companies asking for additional pictures. At the time there were very few images of Izannah dolls online, as auction companies didn't put their catalogs online. Sometimes I traveled to document dolls coming up for auction and shared those images here. Sometimes collectors have shared images. There are enough images on this blog to assist any student of Izannah Walker dolls. Please scroll through the back posts. Below the thumbnail images link to the posts on that particular doll. 

Read the article written by Edyth O'Neill and Dixie Redmond

Published in the 2011 Christmas Edition of Early American Life

Putting together the pictorial directory will be an ongoing process.. Some great dolls have been featured on this site over the years. Thank you to the collectors, museums, magazines and auction companies which have shared information and images over the years! 

I invite you to look at  reproduction Izannah Walker dolls by Northdixie Designs (Dixie Redmond) at my art blog https://www.northdixiedesigns.com/search/label/Hopestill%20Izannah%20Walker%20Dolls

If you have an antique Izannah Walker doll you are considering selling, please contact me at northdixie@gmail.com. 

   
  

  

 

  

 

  

 

 

 

  

Next Five Dolls are Carol Corson's Izannah Collection:  

(Pictures taken by me, courtesy of Withington's)

Other Articles, Documents and Other Information

Articles shared with permission from magazine senior editors.

Some of these magazines are now out of print. 

Monica Bessette articles: 

"The Search for Izannah Walker"

Doll News, Spring 1994

More to come...

"Izannah Walker, Godmother of Cloth Doll Makers"

By Susan Hedrick

Summer 1998, Soft Dolls & Animals magazine

Stay tuned! This is an ongoing project to move links from the sidebar to the pictorial directory post.