Pictures of Old Colony Historical Society's Izannah Walker Doll

Christie Jackson, The Ruby Winslow Linn Curator at the Old Colony Historical Society, emailed to let me know they have an Izannah in their collection. I often spend time calling and emailing museums and collectors and shops asking if they will share their images of original Izannah Walker Dolls. It is such a gift when you get a call out of the blue from someone giving pictures to share without asking! And not only took pictures, but took detailed pictures and shared them in a large format. Thank you, Christie, and thank you Old Colony Historical Society! Christie shared the following about the doll:

Our "Izzy" was redressed in 1992 in a modern-made dress that was made from mid-19th century fabric. Since our historical society has been open and collecting since 1853, we have a pretty amazing array of items that have come over our threshold in the last 150 years. We do not know her donor, but she was an early addition to the museum. I personally love her painted shoelaces and the two-tone hair curls on the back of her head.

The following pictures are shared courtesy of the Old Colony Historical Society, and are copyright 2010 by the Old Colony Historical Society. They are not to be reprinted or reposted in any format without the permission of the Old Colony Historical Society. Contact for the OCHS is at the bottom of this post.

On to the detail pictures:

If you live near the Old Colony Historical Society - go visit this doll! If you don't, I am sure that donations are always appreciated. I'm hoping to make the drive there myself.

Old Colony Historical Society66 Church Green
Taunton, MA 02780508-822-1622 phone
Open Tues - Sat, 10-4www.oldcolonyhistoricalsociety.org

Doll News and Soft Dolls & Animals Magazines Deserve Thanks!

About a week ago I called several magazines to ask if I could post PDFs of their past articles about Izannah Walker here on the Izannah Walker Chronicles. 

Doll News, a publication put out by the United Federation of Doll Clubs, said yes.

Soft Dolls & Animals, published by Scott Publications, said yes and sent me the most pristine PDF to post here. I'll be putting these in the sidebar as well for future reference. Thank you to these publications for sharing! I hope you enjoy the articles and remember the organizations who shared.

This article is posted courtesy of Doll News magazine,
a publication of the United Federation of Doll Clubs.
Doll News, Spring 1994, pp 48-51.

Read The Search for Izannah Walker



==============================================================

This article is posted courtesy of Doll News magazine,
a publication of the United Federation of Doll Clubs.
Doll News, Summer 1998, pp 41-44.
Read Walker Dolls: A Family Affair



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The PDF of this article is posted
courtesy of Scott Publication's
Soft Dolls & Animals.
Summer 1998, pp. 20-24.
Read Izannah Walker:
Godmother of Cloth Dollmakers

Izannah Doll Making Opportunities - A Class for Everyone!

I, Dixie Redmond, write this blog, but actually see it as a public service to those who love Izannah Walker dolls. So I try to write about new happenings on the Izannah front. With that in mind, in addition to my own Izannah Walker Workshop, there are two other hot off the press opportunities for those who want to try making an Izannah style doll. Click the titles of the resources to learn more.

Dixie Redmond - Izannah Walker Doll Workshop Class,
Another session of the Izannah Walker Workshop will be held in the Fall of 2010, so be sure to get your name on the class list now. The cost of the class is $60, which includes the pattern, 82 pages of instruction, many, many pictures of original Izannah dolls, videos, a message board for class communication, and lots of information to help you in the making of your doll. Click here to read comments by Izannah Walker Workshop members.

Paula Walton - Izannah Walker Reproduction Doll Class By Mail

Susie McMahon - Simple Charm: Creating a Doll in the Style of Izannah Walker, Part 1,

Museums to Visit with Walker Dolls

In the sidebar is a list of museums with Izannah Walker dolls in their collections. Yesterday I received an email from Christie Jackson, The Ruby Winslow Linn Curator at the Old Colony Historical Society. She mentioned she had read the article in Yankee Magazine and wanted to let me know that the Old Colony Historical Society has an Izannah Walker doll in its collection. If any of you are within distance of this museum, please visit. I've added their site to the list.

Old Colony Historical Society
66 Church Green
Taunton, MA 02780
508-822-1622 phone
Open Tues - Sat, 10-4
www.oldcolonyhistoricalsociety.org

Also, check the sidebar links for other museums with Walker dolls in their collections.

AND, for those of you who missed the Yankee Magazine article by Catherine Reidel, click here to read it.

Izannah Walker Doll Ears Pictures

In making an Izannah inspired doll recently, it was helpful for me to crop some closeup shots of original Izannah dolls' ears when thinking about this. I may have to go back to Izannah Boot Camp for saying this, the ears are not the best part of these dolls. But maybe Izannah liked making ears about as much as I do. It's a good thing the doll above has a beautiful face and a winning personality to carry off those ears.

Here are some other Izannah doll ear pictures.

The later doll above has quite a different profile.

I like this one below -
it's simple and very folky feeling.
It makes me smile.

So here's one I've made.
It will need some "paste" spread
over the ear once it's applied to the head.

Click here to see the doll I'm working on.

Holiday Charm

This is a reprint of a lovely picture that Joy Harrington graciously shared last year. And below is a picture I was able to take of a printed cloth apron that are often found on Joel Ellis dolls and Izannah dolls. Click on the apron picture to enlarge it.

Where Are Pictures of Izannah Walker Herself?

The picture above is not Izannah related in any way - it is an image of an unidentified boy from my family's collection of old pictures....read on to find out why I've posted it here when it has nothing to do with Izannah Walker.

Yesterday I had a dream that I found a picture of Izannah Walker in her work room. This would be quite something because as far as I know there are NO pictures of Izannah herself that have been revealed. But then I got to thinking. There are quite a few family pictures in our family that we're not sure who they are. They're in boxes at my dad's house. He has done a great job scanning them all and sending them out to various branches of our family. Sometimes we know they came from the Sangerville branch of the family, but we don't know who they are. Sometimes, though, penciled on the back, is a name, or a set of initials, and some clues as to location or occupation.


This picture also has nothing to do with Izannah Walker. But I bet you're starting to get my point???

1911 Road Crew - Alton, Maine?
Another non-Izannah picture...

So if any of you have pictures that show a woman in a doll making workshop and the the writing might say I. W. or I. Walker, or Izannah with dolls, or Izannah dolls. or I. dolls you just might have a treasure. Go to your attic or basement. Open the brown battered box. When you find picture with the woman with dolls please send me a copy of the picture to post here. OR sell the picture on Ebay and I will plug your auction. Either way works for those who love Izannah Walker dolls. Big Grin.

Izannah Walker Workshop

Dixie here - I've been writing this site for almost two years to share pictures, images, links, etc with others who are Izannah enthusiasts. I generally don't refer to my own artistic works here, other than putting a link in to my site. But my next project is on Izannah Walker dolls, so I want to give readers the opportunity to know what I've been up to. Later in December I will release my Izannah Walker type pattern and offering an online Izannah Walker Workshop in January.  (This class has finished but the pattern is available).  Click here for more information on the Izannah Walker Workshop.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope that all you Izannah lovers out there have a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with family and gratitude for all we have. That's something I've been thinking about. This blog, which started on a whim on January 1, 2008, is an expression of gratitude, really. I created it because I wanted to share pictures of the wonderful Izannah Walker dolls I've been able to study and document. I'm so glad I did. It is a wonderful joy to be able to create and study and read and learn. And I am so glad that there are so many of YOU out there who love Izannah Walker dolls as well. Have a safe and happy day tomorrow!

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!

Yankee Magazine

This past week a member of the Izannah Walker Dolls group (thanks, Judi!) pointed out that there was a two page article about Izannah Walker dolls in Yankee Magazine. The article was written by Catherine Riedel of Skinner Auctioneers. It was so fun to read that the Izannah Walker Chronicles had been listed as one of the resources for information about original, antique Izannah Walker dolls. I was happy to see that Lucy's Doll House in Camden, Maine was mentioned, as it was their generosity that made it possible for me to take pictures of original Izannah Walker dolls, and those pictures are what prompted me to create this site to share those pictures.



The mention in Yankee Magazine confirms that this site is becoming what I hoped it would - a kind of clearinghouse of links and resources and a repository for pictures of original Izannah Walker dolls. I love Yankee magazine. My own family Yankee-ness goes back to the Mayflower and to the first Puritan settlement in Massachusetts - and from there to various seaports in New England. If you are interested in early American history and classic meetinghouses, there is a wonderful article in this month's issue. And of course an article about my favorite kind of doll, Izannah Walker dolls.