Monica Bessette's Izannah Doll

I received the following email from Monica Bessette, who has graciously shared pictures of her well-loved Izannah doll with us. I find these well-loved dolls very interesting, because you can often see more about the construction of the dolls because of the wear. Here's the email, and pictures following. Monica has said she will share some additional detailed pictures as well. Thank you, Monica!

Hi Dixie,

Well, I missed the end of the month, but here I am. Attached are some photos of my Walker doll that I named Joy. Her namesake is Joy Kelleher, of Special Joys Bed & Breakfast in Coventry, CT.

Joy Kelleher was instrumental in bringing me together with Maurine Popp, one of the the premier Izannah Walker collectors of our time. Back in 1998, just prior to the publication of my article, Walker Dolls: A Family Business, Joy invited me to speak to her doll club's upcoming meeting. The meeting was to be held in her doll museum, which was then part of the Bed & Breakfast. I jumped at the chance to speak in this intimate venue, but I wasn't prepared for the surprise guests and the wonderful response to my research. I had always wanted to meet Maurine Popp. Her comprehensive collection of Walker dolls, which she was collecting in the 1960's or even earlier, were some of the first I had ever seen in print, as she was always very generous in sharing her collection in books and magazines. We can all thank Maurine for bringing these fascinating dolls to the attention of collectors.

Not only did Maurine Popp come to my slide lecture at Joy's invitation, she also brought two of my favorite Walker dolls with her to display. Since we were both staying at the bed & breakfast the night of the meeting, I was able to have a personal chat with her and Joy over tea beforehand.

Six years later, when Joy decided to sell part of her museum collection, I took a chance and called to see if there was any way she would consider selling me her Walker doll. She said she'd give it some thought, but I didn't think I had a chance. About two weeks later, I received an email from Joy playfully asking if I knew anyone who would consider purchasing an old rag doll with missing limbs and cracks all over her face. I was overcome with emotion. Could this be true? Would I actually have an Izannah Walker doll of my own? After I stopped crying, I called Joy to thank her for her kind offer and make arrangements to pick up the doll--the next day before she changed her mind!. Included is a photo of me on that day, and you can see that I'm a little disoriented holding my new treasure.


Joy Kelleher has given me so much pleasure in her friendship and her confidence in my research, that I immediately named the doll after her so I would always be reminded of her and the special times I've spent in her bed & breakfast and museum, which is now her shop.

I've included photos of different angles of the doll. One photo is interesting in that it shows that the arms were stuffed with hair. It's probably horse hair, since that was plentiful in Izannah's early Central Falls neighborhood, but it's hard to tell exactly. You can see from the full side view that the body was sewn together and then the arms were attached at the shoulders. She's 18 inches tall and has the typical repaired breaks in the mid-calf area of the legs. She's in rough shape, but I couldn't love her more than I do.

Please write if you have any questions.

Monica Bessette

The arms appear to be stuffed with horsehair.

Many Izannah dolls legs seem
to have needed repairs...
too much dancing?

Thanks so much, Monica!

Two Izannah Walker Dolls to Be Auctioned

"Let the Little Lambs Play"

On April 26th not one but two Izannah Walker dolls will be auctioned in Theriault's "Let the Little Lambs Play" April 26th auction in Short Hills, New Jersey. A huge thank you to Theriault's for allowing me to post the pictures here. Click the pictures to be taken to the auction descriptions.

Pre-patent Izannah Auctioned on Ebay?

An Ebay auction entitled Antique Pre Patent Izannah Walker Doll - Wonderful ended yesterday. The doll in question has a wooden head, and a body that might or might not be Izannah-like...hard to tell as there were no pictures of the body. It would have been great to see how the doll's body was connected to the head, that might have been an important clue.

The doll was listed as a pre-patent Izannah Walker doll because it had a tag that said,

"21 inch pre-patent doll probably around 1850's. Obtained from the original owner's family. Face does have some paint loss but still retains her lovely charm. Her arms and legs were replaced sometime around the turn of the century by a loving family member. $5,500."

The doll is interesting in its own right but it is unlike any Izannah Walker doll I've seen in person or in pictures. Perhaps it could be like this doll below from the Strong Museum if it lost it's fabric face...what do you think? Have you ever seen a wooden pre-patent Izannah?

Izannah Walker's Patent Anniversary

Today, November 4th, is the anniversary of Izannah Walker applying for a patent for her dolls. She had been making dolls a long while, and we don't know why she took so long to apply for a patent. But it's interesting that she did, and in her own name, too!

The Aproned Izannah Walker Doll - Pictures from the Strong Museum

We drove 10 hours with two boys to visit the Strong Museum, primarily so that I could see the antique dolls and particularly the Izannah Walker dolls. We had to take the trip in two days going down and two days coming back, because traveling is hard for kids, and particularly for a child with autism. This is what happens when you have a passion, though - it affects the family vacation plans. ;-) You can see that gathering information about Izannah Walker and pictures of her dolls is a passion of mine!

As I mentioned previously, the Strong Museum allows people to freely take pictures for personal study. It is with their permission and generosity that I am able to post the pictures of the antique dolls here on the Izannah Walker Chronicles. So if you have a chance to visit, or make a donation their way, please do.

I apologize for the ghosts in some of these pictures, which are the reflections of my camera (or sometimes me!). It was virtually impossible to get good side view shots of the dolls without getting some reflection. The pictures below are of the "Aproned Izannah" that is on the far right of the picture above. She seemed to be one of the most primitive of the dolls there. You can definitely see the joining lines where the fronts and backs of the heads were put together. Also, she is a barefoot Izannah, which is considered to be more rare than the booted Izannahs.

That wonderful printed apron!

Hands!

Feet - I've provided several pictures
because some show different kinds of details.
It was very difficult to get a side view of her feet.

A Flock of Tiny Izannah Walker Reproduction Dolls

Doll by Mandy Broome of Fiddlestix Studios

There are many wonderful past dollmakers that we dollmakers like to emulate. Emma Adams, Ella Smith, Julia Beecher, Martha Chase are examples. But no other dollmaker inspires like Izannah Walker. There is something about studying a master that informs your own independent creations.

The Coffee with Tea Ebay group had a challenge to make an Izannah Walker inspired doll that is under 8 inches tall. All of you dollmakers out there know what a feat that is! Smaller is not easier. I am so impressed with the creativity of the dolls that came from this challenge.

Click the links or pictures to see what each dollmaker has made.

Doll by Jackie Hendricks of Plain-n-Simple

Doll by Nancy Gerber of Atticbabys

Doll by Dixie Redmond of Northdixie Designs






Doll by Bonnie Cain of Saltforkridge

Doll by Nina Mason Dolls

Doll by Lone Pierette

If I had the discretionary income at this time, I would buy every one of these beauties and line them up. They would be wonderful displayed as a group!

Izannah Walker Doll to Be Auctioned April 19, 2008

Original Izannah Walker doll

to be auctioned
on Ebay
through a Live Auction
on April 19, 2008

Click here to see the Ebay listing.

My birthday is later in the month. Do you think a subtle hint to hubby would work?

I asked permission of the Bertoia Auction company to post Izannah pictures...we shall see what comes about.

More Izannah Walker Dolls in Museums

A hearty thanks to the person who identified that these museums have Izannah Walker dolls. They may not always be on display, so you should call first.

The Rhode Island Historical Society; Providence, Rhode Island

Princeton Doll and Toy Museum; Hopewell, New Jersey

The Morris Museum; Morristown, New Jersey

You Have Not Because You Ask Not Part 2

I know you're out there. You own an original Izannah Walker doll. What a joy! What a responsibility. What an opportunity!

If you'd like to share, please email me about sharing pictures of your Izannah Walker doll here on the Izannah Walker Chronicles. If you'd like to be credited, I'll post your pictures with credits and link to your site. If you'd like to remain anonymous, I will only post the pictures.

Thank you to those who have already shared anonymously and publicly.

You Have Not Because You Ask Not

A couple of years ago there was a discussion on the Yahoo Vintage Cloth Dollmaking group about museums and shops to visit dealing in antique dolls. One of the members from Maine mentioned they had gone down to Lucy's Doll House in Camden, Maine. I decided to go down, and brought my camera along, just in case. I went in, looked around and at the doll and talked with the owners saying, "I represent a group that studies old dolls and was, um, wondering, um, if I could take pictures of the Izannah Walker doll you have?"

Said doll was in a glass case all locked up. But the owners are so gracious and allowed me to take a few pictures of this Izannah, which had recently been purchased at the Skinner auction. They took her outside where the light was really nice and sat her on a nice cart, draping her clothing underneath. I remember my hands were actually trembling because I saw the price tag on the doll. I took a few shots, trying to get good angles that dollmakers would appreciate.

Later in the year, a friend traveled down with me again to Camden. We visited the Izannah doll above, and then we went to lunch with the plan to go back and look again. All during the lunch I barely focused on my food and talked about how I would really love to be able to take pictures ofthe doll without clothes to see how she's constructed. I said to my friend, "It's said, "You have not because you ask not." So I determined that I would go back to the shop and ask if I could take pictures of the doll's construction. I was really, really nervous about asking.

Well, it did work out that I could take pictures of her construction details (Thank you, Sue!) If you click on the picture of this doll in the right sidebar you will see an album of detailed pictures of her.

Here's what I've learned from that experience. Sometimes something that you dream of is only a question away. And what if I had given into my fear that NO would be the answer? I wouldn't have been able to take those pictures. Other than family highlights, that has been one of the funnest moments of my life.

This is a new venture on the first day of the first year for me, Dixie Redmond. I hope to put links here to all the Izannah sites out there - pictures and writings - for dollmakers and Izannah lovers everywhere. Happy New Year, Izannah!