Newsletter

Here at the Museum we receive our share of FAQ’s, thus I thought it might be helpful to speak to a few of them here.
How can I find out how much my doll or doll collection is worth?
We offer quarterly “Doll Appraisal Clinics” at our off-site store, Rosie’s Too. The next one will be held Thursday October 2nd - Saturday October 4th, during normal Rosie’s Too Store hours. You are welcome to bring up to three dolls for a free assessment of value.
If you do not live in the area, you might check local bookstores or the library for current price guides, such as Jan Foulke’s 15th Blue Book, or Patsy Moyer’s Doll Values, or one of many other specialized price guides. (We also carry a variety of current price guides in our Museum Store, which may be ordered by phone, by calling 1-800-440-DOLL.) Remember, values listed in price guides are retail estimates (what a collector might pay), based on dolls in very good condition, with original or appropriate clothing, wigs, etc.
You might also try researching your doll via online auctions and other internet sites.
If you have more than a few dolls to appraise, the price guides noted above might be a good investment for you. Or, if you would like a formal appraisal, or need one for insurance purposes, you might contact a local affiliate of the United Federation of Doll Clubs for their recommendations. Contact UFDC via their website at ufdc.com, or by phone at 816-891-7040. Our own local contacts for doll collection appraisals are: Yvonne Baird, (Olympia, WA), at 360-438-0067, and Susan Hedrick, (Bellevue, WA), at 425-562-7223.
Where can I have my doll repaired?
Again, your local UFDC chapter should be able to direct you to some qualified doll repair or restoration specialists in the area. Museums and historical societies might also have some suggestions for you.
Our local contacts for doll repair are: Restringing, cleaning and simple repairs: Nancy Uttech, Bellevue, WA (425) 922-6549. Eye setting and compo body repair: Lisa Pepin, Seattle, WA (206) 362-8723. Repair and restoration (bisque and compo only): Barbara Smith, Snohomish, WA (360) 668-5160. Repair of cloth dolls and stuffed animals only: Mitzi Flick, Issaquah, WA (425) 392-5060.
Where can I sell my doll(s)?
If you would like to sell your doll or dolls, the Museum does purchase individual dolls, as well as entire collections for both the permanent collection and for resale in our stores. Just call Rosie’s Too or the Museum to schedule an appointment.
How can I get involved with a doll club?
Contact UFDC via the website or phone number listed above, and they will direct you to a club or clubs in your area. You can also participate as a “member-at-large” if you do not live near an active club or if transportation is a problem for you. (See UFDC website for details.)
If you need clarification on any of the above, please feel free to give us a call at the Museum. Happy summer!

from the director...

Bellevue and the rest of the Northwest are breaking heat records as I write this. A really cool place right now, not only temperature wise, is the Changing Gallery in the Museum. The 25 “actresses” assembled there draw reactions from our visitors probably not unlike those of their counterparts of days gone by from their audiences. Several people have mentioned wanting to have “time alone with them” in the gallery. The intense feeling that we are in the presence of real persons and the desire to get to know them intimately is certainly felt by many. The accompanying ephemera–playbills, photographs, original signatures, programs, and even their personal checks – are some of the many items of interest that tell the story of who these charming women were and why we still find each one so fascinating today.

The second part of this exhibit tells the story of a contemporary lady, and one who never stops learning. Arletta Golden began volunteering at the Museum shortly after we opened in 1992. The dolls so fascinated her that she decided to take a class from Jack Johnston, well known doll making instructor. From that lesson she went on to create 6 dolls from Fimo, a polyform clay. She completed the dolls by dressing them in the finest of fabrics in styles she loved herself. She hand beaded many of the gowns and also made all the lovely dainty lingerie, the wigs, and the matching shoes!

Arletta never stops short of a challenge. She went on to paint each doll’s portrait in watercolors with a brush with only 3 bristles, surrounding each doll with beautiful flowers to match their outfits. She did all of this in less than 6 years – while she was in her 80s! Arletta just turned 90 and she was our charming presenter at the private opening of the exhibit “In the Glow of the Gaslights: Early Actresses of the Stage”. If you ever get the feeling that you’re “over the hill” and need a little push in the inspirational department, please come and see what one woman has done as a small part of her life. You will definitely come away inspired.

We are very pleased to announce that Arletta has donated her wonderful dolls and their portraits to the Museum that they may continue to bring enjoyment and inspiration to others for years to come. Thank you, dear Arletta. (I wonder what she is up to next…)
We would also like to thank Diana Boettger for loaning her special collection of Lillie Langtry memorabilia for this exhibit and for installing our Lillie along with her treasure’s.

Thanks also go to David Butler, husband of our employee Kathryn Davis, for the beautiful theatrical lighting he created for this very special exhibit. We think you will enjoy the special effects of the “gaslights” and the drama he has instilled in the display.
So keep your cool and come visit before the curtain comes down on these early ladies of the stage.

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

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

UFDC NAT’L CONVENTION SALESROOM* Hyatt Regency New Orleans New Orleans LA July 20 - 25, 2003 Public Day Thursday July 24, 2003 Noon - 7pm	DOLL & TEDDY BEAR SHOW & SALE Evergreen State Fairgrounds Monroe WA Saturday September 20, 2003 10am - 4pm Sunday September 21, 2003 10am - 3pm	CROSSROADS DOLL & TEDDY BEAR SHOW* Puyallup Fairgrounds Puyallup WA Saturday October 11 , 2003 10am - 4:30pm Sunday October 12 , 2003 10am - 3pm	NANCY JO’S DOLL SHOW* Fairgrounds Vallejo CA Friday October 31, 2003 12pm - 4pm Saturday November 1, 2003 9am - 3pm
MUSEUM ANNIVERSARY SALE* Museum of Doll Art & Rosie’s Too Bellevue WA September 13 -1 9, 2003 During Regular Hours	SEATTLE DOLLHOUSE MINIATURE SHOW Seattle Center, NW Rooms Seattle WA Saturday September 27, 2003 10am - 5pm Sunday September 28, 2003 11am - 4pm	STEILACOOM DOLL CLUB CLOTH DOLL SHOW & SALE Oberlin Church Steilacoom WA October 18, 2003 10am - 4pm	DOLL, BEAR & TOY SHOW & SALE Lane County Fairgrounds Eugene OR November 8 & 9, 2003 10am - 4pm

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!

It’s At The Printer’s!

Jill and Rosalie are proud (and relieved) to finally announce that “The Heart of the Tree: Early Wooden Dolls to the 1850s” is finally in the printing process and should be available the end of July for mailing to those of you on our waiting list, and anyone else who wants one too, of course. We are also having a few examples shipped to UFDC for Author’s Night on Wednesday, July 23. The book will be available for wholesaling as well. If you are a dealer and are interested, please contact the Museum.
We’re pleased to announce the retail price will be $49.95 for this full color edition and, though shorter in length, it is the same dimensions as “The Rose Unfolds”. And you can count on the same fabulous photos and style as our first book. We hope you’ll enjoy this personal encounter with the early wooden dolls.

Another Sweet, Little Angel has arrived at the Museum! Beautiful Ella Elizabeth was born April 2nd to proud Mommy and Daddy Cristina and John and Grandma Eleonora. Cristina is, of course, the Museum’s Accountant and her Mom, Eleonora, our Buyer and Rosie’s Too Manager. Weighing in at 8 lbs. 8 oz. upon her arrival, we hope to see her crawling all over the Museum in no time! Is it a wonder we get any work done? Just play, play, play!

A PATH THROUGH BLACK HISTORY
IN TWO AND THREE DIMENSIONAL ART

This fall we are proud to present an extraordinary exhibit of black dolls, photographs, ephemera, and two very important collections in two dimension. The first is a rare set of original drawings by Rose O’Neill. Best known for her popular illustrations in Ladies’ Home Journal of her little Kewpie imps, Rose also did book illustrations. We believe her work “John Henry” to be an unpublished piece of black historical figures. The power of the images will amaze you. It is unlike anything we associate with O’Neill except artistry.
The second grouping is a collection of paintings by Denae Veselits of Spokane, Washington. She has captured on canvas the collection of black dolls belonging to a friend. Denae has given the dolls stature and meaning by juxtaposing them or incorporating them into recognizable historic black events and environments. Ravishing color, heartwarming settings, and explosive nuances lead the viewer down a path at once uncomfortable and elating.
Rosalie’s collection provides the child’s view of the world as seen through the talents of doll makers from Germany, France, the U.S., and other countries through several centuries of radical change and varied viewpoints. Plan now to attend one of the most important exhibits we’ve mounted. It runs from November 22, 2003 through Black History Month in February 2004 - a must for the entire family and all generations. Parents, make your child’s school aware of this historic exhibit.

Docent Spotlight

Anita Olson has been an invaluable and much cherished docent here at the Museum for close to nine years. She volunteers over 100 hours of her time every year, helping to care for the ever-expanding collection, and assisting with nearly every changing gallery installation. She has twice won the annual award given for most hours donated. She is truly a treasure, and we always enjoy having her here with us on Wednesdays.
Anita is married to Don Snyder. (Don happens to also be Rosalie and Shelley’s dentist!) Together they enjoy many outdoor activities, traveling, and spending time with friends and family. They spend time together on-the-job, as well, as Anita helps out on the administrative end of Don’s dental practice. They are also the doting parents of a much-loved 17-year-old Tonkinese kitty named Gina.
Anita’s other interests are many and varied and her inquisitive nature and excellent memory for facts and data make her a very interesting person to talk to. She is (not surprisingly) a doll collector, and for many years made her own porcelain dolls. She is also a devoted and conversant baseball fan, with, of course, a special fondness for the Mariners.
Anita, we thank you for your service to the Museum, and for your friendship!

CONGRATULATIONS! - Rachel Uttech on your high school graduation! Employee Nancy Uttech’s daughter has volunteered and worked at the Museum since she was 10 years old, accompanying Mom and helping out -all the time learning the “ropes”. It seems we just turned around and that little girl became a lovely young woman. You’ll be seeing Rachel more at the Museum this summer!

JULY 4 2003 Independence Day Museum CLOSED	MAY 24, 2003 - NOVEMBER, 2003 "The Glow of the Gas Lights: Early Ladies of the Stage" Traphagan School Dolls Part II
SEPTEMBER 1 2003 Labor Day Museum OPEN
SEPTEMBER 13 2003 Museum 11th Anniversary All Admissions at Kids’ Prices Children’s Play Area Door Prizes Cake & Refreshments	NOVEMBER 22 2003 - FEBRUARY 2004 “A Path Through Black History in Two and Three Dimensional Art”
SEPTEMBER 13-19 2003 Museum Birthday Week Museum Store SALE Rosie’s Too SALE
OCTOBER 2 - 4 2003 Doll Appraisal Clinic at Rosie’s Too During Regular Hours

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