Monday, July 19, 2010

Izannah Doll to be Auctioned in August by Skinner



UPDATE - sold for $8,500 to a floor bidder.
The estimate was $4,000 -$6,000.

Skinner Auctioneers & Appraisers has an Izannah Walker doll to be auctioned in the session on Aug 15 2010 10:00 a.m. Click here and scroll to item number 707 to see the item thumbnail and description. They graciously shared these pictures of the doll and gave permission to post them here:



























and I always like to show the full doll at the end -
back to the beginning:


Saturday, July 17, 2010

Barbara Spadaccini-Day at the American Museum

Barbara Spadaccini-Day
will be speaking on

"Izannah Walker 1827 - 1888: American Doll Maker"

July 20th at 2 p.m.
The American Museum
Bath, England

Learn of the fascinating and varied life of one of America's earliest known, female doll makers. Those of you who are within driving distance of Bath, England will not want to miss this! For more information please check telephone the American Museum at 01225 823014.

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Reproduction Izannah Walker Dolls - Paula Walton

Paula Walton's Izannah Walker Reproduction doll is made using a pattern she drafted from her original, antique Izannah Walker doll. This site is focused on original antique Izannah Walker dolls and what's going on in the "Izannah World." It's not a discussion site for repro dolls - that happens in the Maida Dolls Group. However, when someone uses an original Izannah Walker Doll for a pattern or head design, it is worth talking about here, as I did with Kathy Patterson's dolls in May Paula says,
"This painted cloth doll is a reproduction of one of the pre-patent c. 1850-1860 Izannah Walker dolls in my personal collection. Made specifically for the Izannah purist, who values a strict adherence to original construction methods and materials. This is an 18-1/2 inch tall all cloth doll. Her head is made from layers of pressed stockinette and cotton. She has bare feet with individually stitched toes, and applied thumbs. I drafted the patterns directly from my antique dolls and made the molds for the pressed cloth head using the original dolls. The doll’s body is made from 100% cotton fabric, her head is stiffened silk stockinet, and her “second skin” is made from glazed antique linen. She is stuffed with organic cotton stuffing to match the stuffing in the original dolls. All painted areas on the doll were first painted with gesso and then several layers of artist oils."




Paula's inspiration is below:


Paula Walton's Original Izannah Walker Doll, above.

You can visit Paula's website
for more information about her creations.



Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Update on Reuben Bates' Molds - Monica Bessette to the Rescue!

Monica Bessette is an incredible treasure trove of information about anything related to Izannah Walker.  After I asked the question "Where are Reuben Bates' molds?" Monica emailed me and said they are owned by the Rhode Island Historical Society.  So I emailed Kirsten Hammerstrom, who replied 
"We do own doll head molds made by Reuben Bates. We have two, one of a female and male face, but not the back or cranium side if the molds. The accession numbers are 1987.29.1A, the female mold and 1987.29.1B, the male."
Unfortunately the Rhode Island Historical Society is in the middle of a renovation which has necessitated moving many items, and so so they will not be able to accommodate a research visit for some time to come. But now we know where they are, at least. 

A Pictorial Directory of Dolls<br> 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 dol...