| OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE ROSALIE WHYEL MUSEUM OF DOLL ART |
| 1116 - 108th Avenue NE* Phone: (425) 455-116 * Fax: (425) 455-4793 |
| ROSIE’S TOO * 221 106th Ave NE Bellevue * (425) 455-0363 |
| Vol. XI, No 2 | Spring 2002 |
Inside this edition of Small Wonders...
 |
The Heart of the Tree: |
May 4th - November
10th, 2002 |
The plentiful
and malleable nature of wood has lent itself to use in the creation of dolls
and doll-like figures for many centuries. Play dolls have been whittled or crudely
constructed from sticks, others turned on lathes and elaborately carved. Precious
few ancient examples, however, have withstood the ravages of time.
Among the most enigmatic of dolls are the early woodens of the late seventeenth
and eighteenth centuries. Stately in their simplicity, yet clearly made by
highly skilled craftsmen, they have yet to be ascribed to specific makers. Many
of these early woodens are believed to have originated in England. Although only
speculation currently exists as to their talented makers, some have complete
histories of the aristocratic families that originally acquired them and held
them for hundreds of years.
Rosalie’s collection reflects her abiding appreciation for these rare wooden
doll treasures. Less than thirty William and Mary era English woodens are
currently known to exist. Among these, only two have been found with glass eyes,
both of which are in the Museum collection. (Others have painted eyes.) One of
these c.1690s glass-eyed woodens is on permanent exhibit, and the other will be
featured in our Heart of the Tree exhibit, along with a painted-eye doll
of the same era. Joining them will be more than 30 other eighteenth
century and early to middle nineteenth century wooden dolls, including those
attributed to the Grödner Tal region of Austria (now Italy), France,
Oberammergau and other areas of Germany, and others. Several will include
wardrobes sewn for them over the years by their original and later owners,
including a very special 32" all-wooden "Grödner Tal" known to
collectors as "Maude Middleton", (derived from the name of her
original owner).
Maude and all the dolls will be joined by adult-size clothing and other
eighteenth and nineteenth century accessories and artifacts. We hope you will
stop by and join us as we "stroll through the woods", through November
10th, 2002.
-Jill Gorman
Curator
It wasn’t until we were well into
staging the Celluloid exhibit that we realized just what a great exhibit it was
going to be. It was a little disconcerting at first, I guess, because of their
fragility and light weight, so we were attempting to display the dolls with the
least use of stands as possible. But we were greatly surprised at how well so
many of the dolls and toys and the wide range of "other objects"
supported themselves or adapted to some creative mounts. We were well rewarded
when, to our amazement, several people declared this their favorite exhibit to
date. It was quite startling to realize that the total of dolls and toys
together probably weighed only seven to ten pounds! Just that they are still
here today to delight us is very gratifying and, once again, we pay homage to
those wonderful children, their parents, and collectors who have taken the
responsibility to preserve and take care of them. We also thank the people who
offered so many wonderful items for loan to the exhibit - Andrea Eastman, Nancy
Uttech, Eleonora Miller – right down to the last pen manufactured in 2002 by
Platinum Pen Co.
Fortunately, shortly after the
exhibit opening, we received quite a number of
lovely celluloid dolls and toys in two collections. They did not make it in the
exhibit but did make it to the Museum Store! I think we all have a better
understanding, respect, and desire for the amazing first plastic dolls, toys,
and especially ladies’ boudoir accessories.
We realize three months isn’t
enough time to get everyone to the Museum who would enjoy the celluloid exhibit,
but we must admit to being very excited to be opening "The Heart of the
Tree: Early Woodens to the 1850s" on May 4, 2002. We have planned and
dreamed and worked for several years for this and all that would deter us from
the excitement would be that not everyone will get to see it and experience the
glory of these dolls. Determined that all who wished to would get to at least
see the dolls that royal children cradled several centuries ago, we have decided
to do a catalog of this exhibit. It will be our first and it probably will not
come out until sometime in the middle of the exhibit, but we felt it must be
done before most of these dolls get tucked away in storage again. Naturally, we
have quite a few on permanent exhibit and a few more will go out after the
exhibit closes in November 2002. Some others have been shown in other changing
galleries but the dolls need their space and that is hard to come by in the
permanent exhibit with so many interests to which we cater.
Hopefully, this beautiful color
documentation will provide a tool for learning as well as proximity for our
readers to the eyes and smiles and souls of these charming wooden dolls of long
ago. Feel free to call and put your name on
a list to receive this book "hot off the press" in the coming months.
-Rosalie A Whyel
Director
Welcome To Our New & Returning Members:
|
Sally Spear Bauer Mary Kay Brancheau Rebecca Daman Laurae Dunning Heather Hansen Estelle Johnston Beverly Luce Lisa Pepin Maxine Smith Doreen J Thompson Kathy Weisner |
Hap Crawford Mary Draper Carol A Graham Janet Hollander Susan Lawson Anne McClain Laura Reynolds Anna & Ted Tavener Tanya Vaksman |
We would like to
thank the following people for their generous
donations during the last quarter:
|
Larry Bosi (on behalf of Mary T.
Bossi) |
|
Josey Fast |
|
Therese Keegan |
|
Lenore Watkins |
We sincerely hope we have not excluded anyone.
Call or stop by for more details or call the
Museum Store:
(425) 455-1116 or toll free at 1-800-440-DOLL.
NANCY JO’S DOLL SHOW* |
PACIFIC NW DOLL COLL. CLUB DOLL SHOW
& SALE |
NADDA* |
BUCK ISLAND ENTERPRISES |
MID-COLUMBIA DOLL CLUB’S ANNUAL DOLL
SHOW & SALE |
ANTIQUE & COLLECTIBLE |
*Look for the Museum sales table
MAY 4, 2002 Public Opening of "The Heart of the Tree" Wooden Dolls Exhibit will run through November 10, 2002 |
MAY 11 & 12, 2002 |
MAY 16-18, 2002 |
September 7-15, 2002 |
SEPTEMBER 21, 2002 "At Madeleine’s Request- A Fashion Gala Through Time" TeenHope Benefit |
SEPTEMBER 22, 2002 |
|
UFDC Gets A Permanent Home! Becky Moncrief, President of UFDC, and her Executive Committee, announced the official opening and dedications of UFDC’s new headquarters in Kansas City, MO on April 12th. The new "home" of UFDC is located just five minutes from Kansas City International Airport. This new building will serve as the offices and museum to the organization. The United Federation of Doll Clubs, Inc. is a large Missouri-based non-profit organization for doll enthusiasts, collectors, and dollmakers. The group was established in 1949 and has grown to a membership of nearly 16,000 doll, bear, and toy collectors internationally. If you would like to know more about UFDC and their wonderful annual convention (which is on the west coast this year in Colorado!) visit their web site at www.ufdc.org! Congratulations on your new home! |
NADDA in Seattle The National Antique Doll Dealers Association is coming to Seattle for the third time. If you love old dolls, this is where you want to be. This is a vetted show, (That means all dealers adhere to a strict code of ethics regarding the labeling of the dolls that are for sale as to condition and age to the best of the dealers’ knowledge. A committee oversees the enforcement of this code at each show so that buyers are protected and assured their purchases are backed by each dealer as to authenticity). It is also an excellent place to study the finest dolls and learn more about our wonderful passion – doll collecting. Richard Wright, well-known dealer and Antiques Roadshow specialist, will present the program on Saturday morning "How to Evaluate an Antique Doll". Richard will share with you all the qualities that contribute value or desirability to a doll and point out what might cause a doll to be less desirable. You can sign up by calling the Museum or dropping by. A small fee will reserve your seat and a gift certificate to spend at the show will be drawn at the program. But hurry, seating is limited. See show dates in our calendar of events. We hope to see you all there! |
|
Email Virus! Please let us know if you have not heard from us via email! The Museum was "attacked" by a virus on March 15th and we were unable to receive or respond to email for two weeks. Additionally, we also lost all the old emails we had been storing or were in the process of answering. So, if we have not responded to you, or you were on the email list for information about our exclusive Tyler Wentworth by Robert Tonner, please forward us the email and we will get back to you ASAP. Thank you for your understanding. |
Flea Market Flea Market Flea Market Those words get our hearts apounding, don’t they? There is just nothing like an old-fashioned Flea Market, and the Seattle Doll & Toy Collectors are determined to carry on the tradition in every sense of the word. If you want to buy or sell, the place to be on June 1st is the Lake City Community Center, 12531 28th Ave. NE, Seattle, WA 98125. And Door Prizes, Door Prizes – o.k. this is just too much of a good thing! See you there!
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| The doll world mourns the loss of doll enthusiast Maurine Popp. A member of UFDC, NADDA, DCA, and known for her vast knowledge of early dolls, Maurine had a deep desire and willingness to share that know ledge with others. We extend our deepest sympathies to her family and friends. She will be dearly missed. | |
MUSEUM HOURS: Mon-Sat 10am
to 5pm, Sun 1pm to 5pm
ROSIE’S TOO HOURS: Tues-Sat 11am
to 4pm, Thurs
11am to 8pm, Closed Sunday & Monday
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