Newsletter

A veritable constellation of stars of the early stage and screen will be “appearing” at the Museum in our next changing gallery exhibit, as nineteenth and early twentieth century theater luminaries are represented in doll form. The dolls portray twenty-five actresses at the height of their careers, including Sarah Bernhardt, Maude Adams, Ethel Barrymore and Jane Cowl, circa 1873, 1897, 1915, and 1925, respectively. All are authentically costumed in the popular fashions of the day. Sharing the stage with the dolls will be early photographs of the actresses, playbills and other artifacts, including a dressing room mirror once belonging to Lillie Langtry.

The dolls are one segment of a three-part series of dolls which also includes twenty-six child dolls dressed in historical costuming which were featured in our changing gallery exhibit, “In their Image: Character Children” two years ago, and thirty dolls dressed in ethnic costuming, representing fifteen Asian and European countries, scheduled to be shown next year.

The dolls were produced in the late 1920s by the L & R Baitz Company of Berlin. Lilli Baitz sculpted the doll heads and commissioned a family of Austrian artists to complete the dolls. All three sets of dolls were commissioned by an American antiques dealer, who exhibited them around the country for several years prior to selling them to the founder and owner of the Traphagen School of Fashion, Ethel Traphagen, in 1937.
For five decades the dolls were employed as instructional tools for students at the Traphagen School in New York City, along with a vast international costume and jewelry collection, and more than 1,000 other dolls. The school, which included an exhibition gallery where the dolls were periodically displayed, was founded in 1923 and was the first-ever fashion school.

For the fans of the early theater greats, fashion aficionados, and doll-lovers among us, the historical significance of this collection is unquestionable. The dolls will remain on exhibit for nearly six months. We hope you will have an opportunity to visit us and have a look at this one-of-a-kind collection of early artist dolls.

Didn’t YOUR heart just throb when you walked into our “Our Heartthrob, Patsy and Family” exhibit? The sunshine and blue skies atmosphere is so reflective of those nostalgic days of play and carefree sewing for this little gal that delighted so many little girls and still does. If you haven’t had a chance to see her and all the other Effanbee family members with their extensive wardrobes, remember you have an extra two weeks this year till May 18 to catch it. And don’t forget to stop by the Museum Store, as we have lots of Patsy and Family dolls for sale, too; so you can continue to enjoy collecting or sewing for her or maybe involve your daughter or granddaughter in this timeless endeavor.

It’s as if at any moment one of the Traphagen actresses might utter a line from “Peter Pan” or break out in a dusky romantic melody. Our Summer/Fall exhibit features famous actresses dating from 1865-1932 and is Part II of the Traphagen School of Design . Each of the actresses is modeled after a well known personality of the stage, and many before movies or “talkies”. We’ve thoroughly enjoyed researching them and their works and thank the internet for the easy accessibility of what today seems quite obscure to most of us.

The ladies are beautifully sculpted and dressed in their own stylish clothes, rather than as the parts they played, giving a wonderful historical record of fashions of the time also. We have been collecting and borrowing related ephemera and a few of their personal possessions. This will truly be a fascinating exhibit appealing to a broad audience. It will be more on the adult level with a little bit of “skin” showing (just to warn parents out there), but certainly no more than the National Geographic! So theater buffs and fashion aficionados this is your chance! As usual, this important exhibit will run through November 16, 2003. DON’T MISS IT!

Speaking of miss… Next time you visit the Museum or call, you’ll find a big empty hole and one that will be very hard to fill – Antje is retiring. After 9 years of loyal service and keeping us all organized and scheduled, she will already be enjoying a work-free life by the time you read this. We all wish her and Chuck the very best that life can bring, and we made her promise she’ll come by often to “check on things” as only Antje can do. Auf Wiedersehen! (or however you say it, Antje….)

I want to sincerely thank my resourceful staff who have stepped up and volunteered for the many hats that Antje wore. I’m confident that we will continue to provide the same great service to our customers and communications with our vendors that we always strive for.
While one life moves off stage, another moves on. Our Lacee will be graduating from design school in June and will be working full time as Events Coordinator. Lacee does a professional job of handling all your event needs, from Birthday Packages to complete weddings or receptions. Just call or stop in for a chat or a packet with all the information you’ll need to plan that perfect event in your life. Lacee makes it effortless for you and enjoyable for your guests. We have an amazing list of caterers, too, who will make you look good to your attendees.

Are some of you remembering the old Rosie’s Too lately? We’ve recently purchased several great collections that are filling the store to overflowing! Many of you are enjoying the boxes piled high and the anticipation of seeing what pours out each day as the gals at Rosie’s Too process and put out at record speed. And watch for us at the doll shows listed at the back of this newsletter. Eleonora, Nancy, and Carole do a wonderful job for you, selecting special items for special customers and pricing them so you can afford to collect that doll of your passion. If you don’t see it, just ask. They are sure to come up with just what you’re looking for.

This spring Shelley and I are excited to have the dolls taking us to La Conner, WA to do an exhibit for The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party, to Mt. Vernon, WA to do a program for the cloth doll makers, to San Francisco, CA for another great NADDA (National Antique Doll Dealer Assoc.) Show, and to Eugene, OR to do a program and sales table for the local doll clubs’ Bride Doll day. Wow! All this and UFDC in July, too. Aren’t dolls the best? Hope to see YOU at one of these.
My best to you as always,

We would like to thank the following people for their generous
donations during the last quarter:

Jeffrey Jensen
Collection of ethnic dolls

Margarita Krerbol
Vintage clothing
Old lace and fabric

Maxine Neel
Two children’s books

Lilla R. O’Grady
Two “magic skin” dolls and clothing

Betty Parks
MIB Little Orphan Annie tea set, c. 1930

Linda Sky
Crissy doll
Crissy doll case and clothing

Ruth Sorensen
Five ethnic dolls
Nancy Ann Storybook doll

Dorothy Taylor
Two Japanese dolls in original boxes

Call or stop by for more details or call the Museum Store:
(425) 455-1116 or toll free at 1-800-440-DOLL.

NADDA NATIONAL ANTIQUE DOLL DEALERS ASSOCIATION* Embassy Suites Hotel San Francisco CA Saturday April 26, 2003 10:30am - 5pm & Sunday April 27, 2003 10:30am - 4pm	ANTIQUE & COLLECTIBLE DOLL FLEA MARKET* Lake City Community Center Seattle WA Saturday May 3, 2003 10am - 3pm	DOLL, BEAR & TOY SHOW & SALE Evergreen State Fairgrounds Monroe WA Saturday May 3, 2003 9am - 4pm & Sunday May 4, 2003 10am - 4pm
COLLECTIBLE DOLL SALE Children’s Hospital Eastside Thrift Store Redmond WA Sunday April 27, 2003 12pm - 4pm	NANCY JO’S DOLL SHOW* Fairgrounds Vallejo CA Friday May 2, 2003 12pm - 4pm & Saturday May 3, 2003 9am - 3pm

APRIL 1 - MAY 18 2003 Museum Store Sale 20% Off (30% for Members) R. John Wright Creations Buy 2 get 1 FREE Mme Alexander	MAY 24 2003 1:00 PM Arletta Golden Speaker for Exhibit Opening “In the Glow of the Gas Lights”
APRIL 12 2003 Annual Joint Meeting of Eugene Area Doll Clubs Program for the group by Rosalie	MAY 22 - MAY 24 2003 Rosie’s Too Sale 20% Off (30% for Members) Thursday 11am - 8pm Friday & Saturday 11am - 4pm
APRIL 20 2003 Easter Day Museum CLOSED
MAY 24 2003- NOVEMBER 16 2003 “In the Glow of the Gas Lights: Early Ladies of the Stage” Traphagen School Dolls Part II	JUNE 19 - JUNE 21 2003 Doll Appraisal Clinic at Rosie’s Too During Regular Hours

If you and a group (doll club, senior center, school, scouts, or even your large family) are planning a visit to the Museum, please call ahead so we can better serve you. Timing (so that your group’s visit doesn’t conflict with another one), how to qualify for group rates, special exhibits you may enjoy seeing, and our special greeting at admissions are all things of which we would like to make you aware. Anyone at admissions will be happy to take your call. We look forward to your group’s visit and want it to be the best it can be!

Josie By Karen Sue Hopple AMARCS- Volunteer Archaeologist

Picture this... a dedicated group of student and amateur archaeologists led by Julie Schablitsky gathered around pieces of a once finely glazed china doll head... a china doll head we affectionately named Josie. It is the summer of 2000. We are digging in the low rent district of Virginia City, Nevada. Now commonly referred to as Chinatown’s neighbors. We are digging in what we then believed to be a dressmaker’s shop. At first we thought Josie may have been a doll used to model samples of the dressmaker’s work. We now know... through Julie’s research... that at the time of the 1875 fire the shop/house was occupied by a miner/carpenter by the name of Thomas Cooper, his wife Eunice and their three children: Evelin, Ida Jane and George. 36 pieces of Josie were found in the 1875 ash layer. My husband, Ken, and I carefully cleaned the pieces we found and taped her together. Then after the pieces had been catalogued, we glued her together permanently. Though she is not marked as to maker, thanks to Mary Krombholtz, I can identify her with the A.W. Fr. Kister porcelain factory in Scheibe-Alsbach, Germany. She was manufactured in the 1860’s or early 1870’s. Her narrow upper lip is approx ½“ long and turns up ever so slightly at the ends. Her bottom lip is thick and oval in shape. She has a pure white complexion. Her irises are a strong grey-blue (a color which was used by the Kister factory for many years) with a black pupil. The pupil was painted very high on the iris, with a tiny part of it under the slightly molded eyelid. There is a black eyelid line and an orange-red line in the crease of her eye. Only ¼ of an inch of her eyebrow is visible. Her nose is missing. (She hit face first when she broke.) Josie has beautifully molded hair... shining black curls beneath a smooth, center-parted hairstyle known as a modified highbrow. Her body length would have been around 25". She would have had a cloth body with cloth or kid leather limbs. (No china limbs were found.) Her bright shiny glaze has been burned off. The black paint on her molded hair shows evidence of being burned... but you can still make out her beautiful features. Oh, what stories she could tell. Josie is a picture hard to forget.

Docent Lends Her Creations

Many of you know Arletta Golden as one of the Museum’s original docents. A beautiful, chic, and eloquent lady who arrived each Tuesday morning to work quietly in the Rose Room doing whatever odd job we needed done on that particular day. One would guess she had led a very interesting life just looking at Arletta, and speaking with her would invariably lead to fascinating details of her Scottish upbringing, her English ties, and her modeling and cosmetology career in the U.S.
However, one aspect of her life only recently became public: her creation of a series of dolls and their paintings that she began soon after her volunteering at the Museum 10 years ago. Inspired by the dolls and a keen desire to recreate a series of beautiful formal gowns, Arletta, then in her 80s, took a lesson in doll making from a doll artist who came to our area to give classes.
It is our sincere pleasure to be showcasing Arletta’s dolls, the lovely gowns they wear (which Arletta entirely handmade including their fine under garments and shoes), and their ensuing portraits, done by her in fine watercolors. We know you will not only be amazed at her talent but inspired by Arletta’s zest for living. Now, at 90 years young, she will be a program presenter at our Summer’s exhibit openings. Come and meet Arletta, you will love her just as we do, I know.

	In the Glow of the Gas Lights: Early Ladies of the Stage Traphagen School Dolls Part II
	May 24th – November 16th, 2003