| 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 3 | Summer 2002 |
Inside this edition of Small Wonders...
 |
Our Own Kewpieville |
Exhibit Addition |
You may or
may not recall an announcement in the summer 1999 newsletter of a new permanent
exhibit of Kewpie figures slated to open later that summer. Well, after a few
false starts, at long last, the Kewpies are here! We especially have Crayne
Hennessey, of Hennessey Horses, to thank for taking on the task of creating
an enchanting home fit for these little cuties. (Crayne was formerly employed
with Rauda Scale Models, the firm that created many of the set fabrications
for the permanent exhibits.)
Crayne began by constructing
the display case, then carving little Kewpie scenes, using an archival-quality
high-density urethane foam. Rosalie and Shelley (our resident Kewpie expert)
designed the scenes based on Kewpie tales written by the artist that created
them, Rose O’Neill. Rosalie and her daughters Shelley and Roslyn also painted
the settings. More than 65 Kewpie figures, vases, jewelry, ornaments, candy
molds and other knick-knacks now "frolic"
in this fantasyland.
Kewpie designer Rose Cecil
O’Neill, born in Pennsylvania in 1874, was a gifted artist, poet, novelist and
sculptress. She once described the creation of her Kewpies, which were "born"
at Bonniebrook her own fantasyland home in the Ozarks, by saying:
"I dreamed them. They were bouncing about all over the coverlet…One
perched in my hand like a bird…I had a strange impression that their intentions
were of the best. In fact, I knew at once they were bursting with kindness,
that their hearts were as well-rounded as their tummies."
The Kewpies made their first appearance in illustrations in the Women’s
Home Companion in December 1909. For many years
after that, O’Neill was commissioned to create Kewpie illustrations for Ladies
Home Journal, Good Housekeeping, and various other publications and for advertisements.
In 1912, Kewpie emerged in
three-dimensional form, when Geo. Borgfeldt & Co. obtained the manufacturing
rights. A 17 year-old art student named Joseph L. Kallus was hired to sculpt
the Kewpie dolls and figurines based on O’Neill’s original drawings. Other characters
designed by O’Neill, most notably Scootles and Ho-Ho, were also rendered in
doll and figurine form. Kallus, who established Cameo Doll Co. in 1922, later
received manufacturing rights.
Over the years, millions of
Kewpie-inspired products, including comic strips, postcards, dishes and, of
course, dolls, have been produced by many companies under contracts or special
licenses. With their ageless, cheerful charm, Kewpies are today a highly sought-after
collectible.
Well worth the wait, our Kewpie
characters are now waiting to greet you, at the entrance of the Museum’s
main gallery.
-Jill Gorman
Curator
Wherever you are reading this, we hope
your summer has been as exciting as ours. Doll news aside, we’re delighted to
announce the birth of Shelley’s (our co-director) and Eric’s new little boy,
Alec John, born on June 2nd, making me a four time Grandma. And just three weeks
later, daughter Roslyn wed Jared Owens in a beautiful ceremony at the Stimson-Green
Mansion in Seattle. We welcome these two new members to our family with lots of
love and rich blessings for happy lives.
But life at the Museum goes on concurrently,
and I want to thank my wonderful staff for carrying on with little or no guidance
from me, just as they always have in their very professional way. Our Woodens
exhibit has been very successful with many claiming it to be the best display
of early wooden dolls to have been seen in one place ever, and we were
so excited to welcome a new "little one" to the exhibit when the National
Antique Doll Dealers of America came to Seattle in May.
This tiny 7" darling
wooden came to join her mother and sisters from the late 1600s. She is charming
in her size, condition, and beautiful original costume. One never knows what
gems will surface from this group of dealers. We hope you were able to attend
and found a gem or two of your own. We would like to take this opportunity to
thank NADDA for their generous donation to TEENHOPE to help aid their work for
homeless teens in the Seattle area.
Audiences were spellbound by
the sweet and knowledgeable Christiane Grafnitz who traveled from Germany to
speak to us about her research on early German woodens. She is also delving
deeper into papier mache dolls, waxes, and chinas as she strives to unravel the
mysteries of the origins of these early and precious dolls. We will be taking
advantage of her research when we exhibit dolls of all these mediums in the next
few years. Please note the upcoming exhibits schedule on page six. And a huge
"Thank You" to Christiane for sharing with us all. Be sure to see
Christiane¹s program at UFDC in Denver in July on papier mache dolls.
You can also see a new type of
exhibit that Shelley and I will be installing for UFDC called the Cabinets of
Curiosities. It will be examples from each of the themed luncheons to take place
at the convention. Many people will be sharing their treasures from a variety of
interests. Come see. And come see us in the Sales Room, too. Eleonora will be
joining us this year for those of you who know her and love to shop with her. For
those who haven’t met her please introduce yourself. If you are going to be in
Salem for the Region 1 Conference, we’ll see you there, too. Stop by our sales
tables, shop with Jill and Shelley, and see what we’ve been storing for both
of these wonderful conventions.
OUR 10th ANNIVERSARY That’s
right, though I find it hard to believe myself, it will be ten years since the
Museum opened on September 16. Because of everything else going on in September
this year, we will be celebrating early beginning Saturday September 7 and
continuing ‘til Sunday September 15. Another thing you won’t believe is the
birthday cake from Amazing Cakes, you HAVE to see this! Also in honor of this
special anniversary the WHOLE STORE, both at the Museum and Rosie’s Too, will
be on sale!! This has always been our way of thanking you, our special
customers, for the support you give us all year long. Don’t miss this week
long celebration. Of course, there will be door prizes on Saturday September 7,
too!
If you’re looking for more fun,
don’t forget to make reservations for one or both of our special TeenHope
events on Saturday September 21 and Sunday September 22.The TeenHope volunteers
and staff and our staff and volunteers are preparing for the most amazing
VINTAGE FASHION SHOWS paired with great food, a FABULOUS DOLL by ROBERT
TONNER created especially for these events (Yes,
ROBERT and TOM COURTNEY will be
there!), and special photo and purchase opportunities. All this will be
"At Madelaine’s Request" the famous French Fashion doll whose
history has been that of charitable deeds, and we are continuing her legacy as
we support TeenHope and their service to area homeless teenagers. Invitations
are going out, make your reservations soon by calling the Museum at 425-455-1116
or TeenHope 206-546-1010. We sincerely hope to see you there for the time of
your life and a difference in the lives of these young people.
Have a sparkling summer,
-Rosalie A Whyel
Director
Welcome To Our New & Returning Members:
|
Alberta G Browne Betty Christofferson Kimberly Cronogue Carol Dethman Sally M Gregg Heather Hansen Marilyn Iszler Lenore Kobayashi Beverly Luce Tracy L Mullen Rosemary Mutter John R Price Ann Reynolds Tom & Terry Schmeltzer Erin Snow Colleen J Terbeek Patricia C Timothy Annie Tyvand
|
Constance Burleigh Joyce Coughlin Rebecca Daman Lynnet Eliseusen Janie Guill Sandy Haroldson Vicki Johnson Susan Lawson Pearl Miller Suellen Musgrove Teri Newton Margaret Reeder Diane Robbeloth Barbara Smith Valerie St Claire Patricia S Thomas Roberta Traxinger Michelle Uxa
|
We would like to
thank the following people for their generous
donations during the last quarter:
|
Hannah Kuether |
|
Steve Lingenbrink |
|
Jay Marsh |
|
Laura Reynolds |
|
Kathryn Sauers, in memory of
Evelyn Macke |
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.
|
UFDC NATL CONVENTION* |
CROSSROADS DOLL & TEDDY BEAR SHOW* |
DOLL & TOY MART*
|
SEATTLE DOLLHOUSE |
UFDC REGION 1 |
CROSSROADS DOLL & TEDDY BEAR SHOW* |
STEILACOOM DOLL CLUB CLOTH
DOLL SHOW & SALE |
|
*Look for the Museum sales table
SEPTEMBER 5, 6, &
7 2002 Appraisal Clinic at Rosie’s Too Free appraisal, limit of 3 dolls During open hours |
SEPTEMBER 7-15, 2002 Museum’s 10th Anniversary Store Sale & other Fun Activities |
SEPTEMBER 21, 2002 "At Madeleine’s Request- A Fashion Gala Through Time" TeenHope Benefit |
SEPTEMBER 22, 2002 "High Tea with Madeleine- A Very Grown Up Affair for Big & Little People" TeenHope Benefit |
|
N.A.M.E. Visits the Museum The Museum was happy to welcome
attendees of the National Association of Miniature Enthusiasts (N.A.M.E.)
in July as they toured the Museum and the special exhibit in honor of
their national convention held locally. Roomboxes and special miniature
pieces were on display by artists Rosemary Zilmer of Kennydale,
Washington, Peter Tucker of Vancouver, B.C and select pieces from the
Museum Collection. |
Fabulous
Woodens!
Have you seen our beautiful poster of the Heart of the Tree exhibit? Eric Shalit created it with some of our most fetching wooden dolls portrayed. It is available for purchase in the Museum Store and Rosie’s Too or it can be mailed to you in a sturdy tube for just $9.99 plus $6.95 (tube and shipping). Also, be sure to watch for our upcoming book on the wooden dolls as excerpted in the DOLL NEWS articles. We promise it to be a beautiful and informative edition of these wonderful wooden dolls. |
|
"Seattle’s Shinig Stars" Did you catch the "King County Life 2002" insert in the area papers in June? Rosalie Whyel was featured in an article with four other famous personalities from the Northwest who have "Put Seattle on the Map". Thank you to writer Lisa Weatherwax for the fine article on Rosalie and to the King County newspapers for the selection. Others listed were the late stripper Gypsy Rose Lee, musician Jimi Hendrix, artist Dale Chihuliy, and author Ann Rule. Pretty prestigious company. Rosalie felt very honored. |
Watch for articles on the woodens exhibit in DOLL NEWS - Part I by Rosalie on Early English Woodens and Religious Figures in their summer issue and Part II on Early German Woodens by Curator Jill Gorman in a later issue. ANTIQUE DOLL COLLECTOR will feature the woodens exhibit in a fall issue. Thank yous to Michael Canadas for photographing the gallery and to Donna Kaonis for writing the article. |
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