Jane Walker Dolls

Monica Bessette left a comment regarding Jane Walker on the previous entry which showed pictures of the Walker house in Somerset. I thought it was worth posting here:

Hi Dixie,

Don't forget. . .this was written for the Somerset Historical Society, and these dolls were known to locals as Jane Walker dolls. The following is from my 1998 article, "Walker Dolls: A Family Business" It comes from a paper presented at the Somerset Historical Society meeting of March 18, 1957. The writer of the paper was former town librarian, Flora B. Wood. Flora's mother, Augusta Louisa Marble, born in Somerset in 1861, is the subject of the following excerpt reprinted in the October, 1994, issue of The Spectator, and entitled,

JANE WALKER DOLLS

"When my mother was a little girl in the 1860s many of the little girls of Somerset had a Jane Walker doll. I have a picture of mother holding one. They were handsome and lifelike and were made by Miss Jane Walker, who lived on Main Street in the Village. They were made in several sizes and sold for up to 10 dollars. I haven't succeeded in locating one, though it is possible someone has one, as they were quite famous locally and there must have been many of them. Mrs. Arline Simmons Sampson remembers going to Jane Walker's house when she was a very old lady and no longer made dolls. Mrs. Sampson says she dressed very quaintly almost in Pilgrim style. She liked children, and always treated them to apples and cookies."

Izannah's older sister, Jane Walker, remained in the house that was left to the two of them until her death in 1899 at age of 85. Izannah left Somerset in the early 1850's when she moved to Rhode Island. This 1957 paper was presented long before Walker dolls were collected by modern day collectors. Hope this helps.

Monica Bessette

A Favorite Detail

One of the Walker dolls that I've seen had what looked like surgical tape holding the boots and legs together. What I love about this is it's such a homemade patch job. No historically accurate repair here! Someone wrote the name "Perry" on the tape. Do you think that's the name of the doll or the name of the owner? In any case, this is one of the charming things about old playthings - the way their owners have altered the doll over time. It reminds me of The Velveteen Rabbit.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Izannah and Jane Walker

In one of Monica Bessette's articles she suggests that some of the dolls that we know as Izannah Walker dolls were actually made by Jane Walker. I find this an interesting nugget, and of course, it would be lovely to know more. Today I received an e-mail from Diane Goodwin with a link to a Youtube clip of a walking tour of Somerset, Massachusetts. If you watch the clip and fast foward to the point of 6:20, you can see the early Walker house located at 373 Main Street. Diane pointed out there were a couple of errors - one being that Izannah and Jane lived in the house in the early twentieth century - that should be nineteenth century. And the narration ends with "the product is still known today as the Jane Walker doll." Hmmm. The plot thickens? To view the video discussed above, please visit the Somerset Historical Society's site and click on the video associated with 363 Main Street

http://somersethistoricalsociety.org/video.html

Izannah's Molds?

Recently I was reading German Papier Mache Dolls 1760-1860. In it they show some pictures of wax models used to make Voit molds. The wax models are so beautiful! And it's amazing that they've survived so long. This got me to wondering:

"What happened to
Izannah Walker's doll molds?"

Did they get left to a family member? A friend? Did they get broken upon her death? Are they moldering at some roadside antique shop somewhere in America? And would anyone know what they are if they saw them there?

There are a few dollmakers that I respect who have made a doll in the way that Izannah originally did - with a hard core, covered with layers of fabric that had been impregnated with something that stiffened the fabric and set in a mold. This was then covered with batting, which was covered with stockinette which was covered with paste which was painted. Phew! A lot of steps. And yet we see the longevity that the process gave her works.

Inquiring minds want to know a lot about Izannah.

Paths That Cross

My goal for this site has been to gather as much information about Izannah Walker as I possibly can. I hope it will be a place where generous collectors will share pictures of their dolls (credited or not, whatever is comfortable). I also hope that others with knowledge about Izannah Walker and her dolls will share information to Chronicles readers.

In that vein, I was happy to get a phone call from Monica Bessette, pictured above with Izannah Walker dolls auctioned from the Maurine Popp Collection. It was so wonderful to talk with someone who is passionately interested in Izannah Walker. I'm hoping that I can persuade Monica and others (hint, hint) to offer more information about Izannah and to offer pictures of your original antique Izannah Walker dolls. It's for a good cause! Monica mentioned that the picture on the far left of the picture (the doll in blue) was known in the Walker family as "Izannah". This doll was originally in the Lila Singsen doll collection.


It seems that when you're passionate about something, and another person's passionate about it as well, eventually paths cross.

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!

Izannah Doll "Ella" Ends at $41,000

One of the dollmakers on a list I'm on went to the auction and said Ella and her ensemble went for $41,000! Wow! She is a beauty.

Last Izannah from the Strong Pictures

I got the nicest email from a lady in Tasmania, Australia yesterday. She wrote to thank me for taking the pictures of Izannah dolls at the Strong Museum and posting them here on the Izannah Walker Chronicles. She said,

"...Thank you again for taking the long drive with your boys (I know what that is like with small kids) so collectors of cloth dolls can see the beautiful Izannah Walker dolls."

There would be no pictures of these Izannahs without the generosity of the Strong Museum. They allowed me to take the pictures with the intention of posting them here on the Izannah Walker Chronicles. Patricia Hogan, a Strong Museum curator, was so gracious and helpful in arranging for the Izannahs to be displayed in a way which showed a variety of angles. Izannah lovers in Tasmania are thankful.

The e-mail from Tasmani reminded me that there was one more Izannah doll from the Strong Museum I had not yet posted pictures of. And so here she is. Because she was behind glass and was oriented to the side, I wasn't able to get a front view of this doll. But I did everything I could to get a different angle, short of setting off alarms in the museum. The doll above looks as if she has seen some repainting on the face (compare the face to the back of the neck or the hands, for instance). But she's still sweet.

Isn't this viny print adorable?

The dress has a high waist which is pleated
and attached on top of the bodice.

The hairstyle has wisps at the temples
and small curls along the neck.

The End of the Strong Museum Izannahs!

The Wonderful Primitive Izannah Walker Doll at Lucy's Doll House

This past Friday I took a drive down to Lucy's Doll House in Camden. It is always so much fun to go, but especially fun for me as they have another Izannah in the house. It's about an hour and a half from me, but would be worth a cross-country trip. Sharp eyes will know where this doll was acquired from. I was able to get some pictures, and take some measurements of her, which is wonderful. This doll is for sale at Lucy's Dollhouse. While I was there I also took a peek at the wonderful Columbian doll they have, and the sweetest little Babyland Rag.

Here are pictures of the Izannah doll - courtesy of Lucy's Doll House and my camera. :-)

This sweet primitive doll
had 4 layers of clothing on:
her dress, an embroidered white underdress,
a petticoat and a chemise and pair of pantaloons.

Lucy's Doll House
is located in Camden, Maine.

Wonderful Izannah Walker Doll to Be at Auction

It's the mission of this blog to provide wonderful images and information about original Izannah Walker dolls to those of you who love Izannah dolls. I love it when I open up my e-mail and I've received some wonderful fresh, new pictures of Izannah Walker dolls to share!

Larry of Withington Auction, Inc. sent these pictures and information, and I'm happy to post the pictures here of this astounding Izannah Walker doll with an amazing provenance!

Here is the provenance provided:


ELLA – All Original Izannah Walker
with Wardrobe & Provenance -
In the Pope Family for 148 years!

Elizabeth Coggeshall Pope was born in New Bedford, Mass on October 26, 1857. Given to little Elizabeth at her birth, the doll called ELLA, is an example of Rhode Island doll-maker Izannah Walker’s earliest works.

William Pope married Anna Coggeshall in 1836, and together they had six children, only one son, Edward Ritchie Pope – lived to maturity. Edward’s younger sister, little Elizabeth died at 2 ½ years from scarlet fever. The doll named Ella, was preserved in her memory, descended through the Pope family to the present. The child’s maternal grandmother was Elizabeth Brown of Providence, RI- the Browns were among the first settlers of the Rhode Island Colony. Izannah Walker’s Doll shop, located in Central Falls, RI, was not far from Providence and the doll was probably a gift to Elizabeth from her Rhode Island grandparents.

Ella is 17" tall
click the picture above to enlarge

Izannah Walker registered a patent for her dolls in 1873, Ella is an example of her earlier work, having applied ears, and the fact that the owner, Elizabeth, only lived from 1857 to 1860, confirms the date she was made. Ella comes with a wardrobe, and accessories, including a bonnet, traveling cape & muff, and an extra pair of red “French slippers” with striped stockings. Her condition is exceptional, in all original paint with a bit of wear and light crazing. In addition to the wardrobe, she has a paint decorated country chair which bears a date of 1824 on the bottom.

Anne Stuart Hodgson of Minnesota is the fifth generation of Popes to own this special doll. Having no heirs, the family has decided it is time to find a proper home to care for her for the next century. Withington Auction is honored to be able to present ELLA to the world. She will be sold at auction on Thursday, October 23, 2008 at the Holiday Inn in Nashua, NH. For more information please visit at www.withingtonauction.com or call 603-464-3232.

Red Headed Izannah

Thanks again to the wonderful Strong Museum for letting me take pictures and for allowing me to post them here on this blog. I did a pretty good job taking pictures considering they're through glass. Again, I apologize for ghosts, shadows, etc. I have posted what may look like duplicate angles, but sometimes a slight change in angle reveals something about the doll, so I've posted all the ones that came out clearly. Enjoy!


This doll is as close to a red-headed Izannah as I've seen. She compares somewhat to the Little Red Riding Hood Izannah that was shared by Izannah owner Kelly earlier in the year. I believe this particular doll has a shoulderplate that is sewn on top of the body, without the second skin glued on top of the shoulder plate. If you click the link in this paragraph you will see what I mean. These dolls are the patented dolls, and Kelly says these later dolls are actually more rare.