Newsletter

If you have been reading our quarterly newsletter for a while, you know that many dolls have been added to the permanent exhibits over the years, along with miniatures, toys and some beautiful new artwork. We are often asked how many dolls are on permanent exhibit, and the present approximate answer to that (excluding miniatures) is 1500 dolls…and counting! This represents about one-third of the dolls, and one-fourth of the overall collection.

By the way, if you missed him in our “Dashing Men and Adorable Boys” exhibit, you’ll be happy to know that Michael Langton’s “Elmer” is now on permanent exhibit in the Modern Gallery’s “glass house.” He looks to have made himself right at home, perched on a fireplace mantel, just as he did in the movie, On Golden Pond. If you haven’t been to the Museum in a while, it is truly worth a visit just to see this special little man.

If you visit this summer or fall, you will get an up-close, personal, and perhaps once-in-a-lifetime look at some extremely rare Lilli Baitz dolls, currently on exhibit in the Changing Gallery presentation, “Dazzling Couples in Cultural Dress.” Thirty Baitz dolls dressed in regional costuming will be on exhibit through October 31st when we regretfully must return them to storage.

You may know that a new exhibit is mounted in the changing gallery three times per year. The gallery is only closed for five days during the installation process. Changing exhibits always close on a Sunday, so when the Museum closes at 5pm, we get to the bittersweet work of dismantling the previous exhibit. Installation of the new exhibit begins on Monday, and the “finished product” is presented at our private opening on Friday evening.

Did you know that, aside from a few rare occasions of inclement weather or other “unnatural disasters” (we’ll leave it at that) the Museum itself only closes 5 days out of each year? We are closed New Years Day, Easter, the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving and Christmas Day (and closed a couple of hours early on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve). So you have 360 days to choose from to come and visit us…and we hope that you do!

The four Peace rose trees in the Rose Garden have grown so tall I have to clamber up the flower bed walls to smell their huge, pink tinged, yellow petals. The hollyhocks across the driveway are unreachable except by the eye and the purple allium poms are nearly a foot across. All these are the reminders that we have come a long way. The Museum will be twelve years old this September. Where has the time gone? But then I remember we have installed over thirty changing galleries, written forty-eight newsletters, corresponded with thousands of people, and emails – I can’t even think about emails. But the dolls, oh, the dolls we’ve seen and the people we’ve met and the stories we’ve heard….One thing is for sure, you all love dolls as much as I do, they have held as much meaning as a best friend, been your soul mates, some for as long as a century, and helped you out of financial disaster when called upon. In the end when some of you have had to part with your lifelong companions, it was like losing a best friend and we cried together. The happy ending, though, was that your dolls have gone on to make someone else’s life equally as joyful and they will again and again.
The other wonderful thing about dolls is that there is something new every day. Just last month when Richard Wright was at the Museum for the opening of our latest exhibit, “Dazzling Couples in Cultural Dress – Traphagen Part III”, of the first six items brought for him to identify and appraise, four were dolls he had not seen before. And that is saying something because Richard has seen nearly everything. It was very exciting for us all, as you can imagine, and proved once again why we love this hobby and business.
If it’s been a while since you’ve visited the Museum, now would be a great time. The current exhibit truly is remarkable and can be enjoyed by anyone. And don’t forget to take time to stroll through the garden and even sit a while to renew. Bring friends one time and come alone another, each will be a truly unique experience. The dolls have so much to tell us, we need to take time in our busy lives to listen. They’ve seen so much of the world and we seem to need the lessons they’ve learned. If you think that is a bit corny, look at the expressions on the faces in our current exhibit, countenances of many different cultures - some who have worked hard all their lives, others who have known an easier existence, some who found joy in the simple things of life. Look at the clothes they have adapted to their lifestyles and learn of their struggles to maintain autonomy. It’s all there in that one room. Come visit.

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.

With life as hectic and busy as it can be, why not reconnect with friends and family? Experience a day of renewal with an adult tea and stroll through the Museum Galleries. For under $30 a piece, a group of 10 or more can enjoy two hours in our elegant Rose Room and Gardens with a full English Tea and tour through the Museum at your leisure, any day of the week. We arrange for everything, including linens and china. Take this chance to dress up, bring your childhood or favorite doll (or teddy bear) and experience the people in your life. Begin a tradition today! Contact Lacee at the Museum, 425-455-1116.

European Doll Tour What could be more fun than April in Paris, on to the scenic sights of the Swiss Alps, down to the Lake area of Italy and ending with the enchanting Principality of Monaco?! Join us for this wonderful tour which will provide insight & appreciation for antique dolls and toys through the collections of fascinating museums. April 14 - 30, 2005 France -Paris CMusee de la Poupee -Full day of doll & wardrobe seminars with Samy Odin, Helene Bugat-Pujol & Monique Couturier plus optional sewing class with Mathilde Heritier Cday with Francois Theimer CParis Flea Market CMusee du Jouet CCostume Museum CCity Tour -Lyon CChateaux de la Poupee CMusee de Chapeau CSilk Museum CCity Tour Switzerland Cvisit doll and toy museums in Basel * Colmar * Zurich * Davos CScenic tour Italy CMuseo della Bambola e della Infantile CBoat excursion on Lake Maggiore Cplus other doll & toy museums in Milan-Como area Monaco CNatl Museum of Monaco, Automatons and Dolls of Yesteryear CPalace tour CCathedral visit Seminars! Sightseeing! Shopping! Scenery! 16 days C 4 star Hotels C Airfare from key US cities C Deluxe air conditioned bus transportation C 3 special meals C daily breakfast C trip insurance Potential 3-day add on for Santons in Southern France Organized by Rosalie Whyel and renown European Doll Tour Coordinator Ellie Kringer with over 20 years in the travel industry. Contact the Museum or Ellie Kringer to be sent a detailed brochure. Email - dollandtoytours@comcast.net View on our Website Soon!	Museum’s 12th Birthday Celebration! Don’t Forget to Attend our 12th Birthday Party on Saturday September 11!! Mark your calendars now and Remember we keep partying all week long at the Museum Store and Rosie’s Too with our annual birthday Sale!! Saturday September 11th Our Famous Birthday Cake from Mike’s Amazing Cakes Door Prizes on the Hour Party Room Fun Saturday September 11th thru Sunday September 19th Museum Store Sale Rosie’s Too Sale Back by Popular Demand - Our Free Doll $Money$!!! Only while supplies last, we’ll be giving out $5 to $100 “Museum Money” to be spent anytime during our Birthday Week. Good towards the purchase of anything in either Store! Saturday admission for everyone 12 & under is free!! And everyone over 12 is only $2! Gee, it must be your Birthday! Come Join the Fun and Bring Your Friends and Family – The More The Merrier!
Finally, French Fashions! Yes, that’s right, we are finally staging an all French fashion exhibit, and it will be fabulous! Well, how could it not be? We love dolls, but we love clothes equally as much I’ve discovered. And while we really wouldn’t want to go back to those days of bustles, corsets and all that other rigging, we can dream of the romantic lifestyle these clothes evoke. Women may have suffered to get ready for the party but once they were ready, they were pampered and coddled and wooed…. Oh, it just nearly makes one faint to think of it. Hameau, Bru, Barrois, Terrene, Blampoix, Dehors, Huret, Au Nain Bleu, Clement, Rohmer, Jumeau and more – names that make our mouths water at the sound with the promise of something wonderful and beautiful. Scrumptious fabrics, dainty trim, creamy bisque, dazzling jewelry, handmade lace, shoes, shoes, shoes, and tiny accessories to die for. All boxed in presentations as pretty as their contents, well, almost. Tortoiseshell hairpieces, ivory opera glasses, tiny fans of every material on gold chains, ivory chains, tortoise chains, horsehair bustles and whalebone corsets. Inkwells and writing sets, armoires and silk tufted chairs, chaise lounges and a porcelain bidet- oh my! How did these dolls get so lucky? And where did these women and little girls find so much time and talent to dress them so exquisitely? More importantly, how did they manage to keep all this together for all these years so that we might enjoy them in all their glory today? Come pay homage to the dolls and their previous owners at this very special exhibit. Mark your calendars and gather your friends for “Fashions, Fashions, Glorious Fashions” on exhibit November 6, 2004 – February 27, 2005.	If ever there was someone who inspired us to look at each day as a gift, it was doll collector Pat Timothy. Though she had reason to complain, when asked how she was, Pat would always answer “I’m getting better every day”. It was this belief that for years enabled her to truly get better every day from an affliction that would have overcome any of us. Pat passed from this world in May of this year and will be missed by the many friends and fellow collectors who knew and admired her and her sophisticated taste in dolls.
	ATTENTION! ATTENTION! ATTENTION! Would you like to help support the Museum? We will now be emailing our quarterly newsletters right to you, providing you have the capability, as we know most of you are computer savvy. The Museum provides the newsletter, Small Wonders, free of charge and with rising printing and postage costs, we feel this is the best answer. You can receive a printable version exactly like the published one only more timely to read at your leisure and throw away or store with a click of a button. Help us keep costs down and receive notice of events and exhibits faster by signing up today to receive our newsletter via email. Just email us at dollart@dollart.com to sign up or find out more about it. INTERNATIONAL SUBSCRIBERS WILL NEED TO SIGN UP BY THE NEXT ISSUE (Fall 2004). Thank you for your support which will allow us to provide better exhibits, events, and programs for you.
	UFDC NATIONAL & REGION 1 CONFERENCE ATTENDEES - LOOK FOR US IN THE SALESROOM!! As always, we’ll have lots of goodies for every taste & pocket book. If there is something special you are looking for, call us before these events & we’ll try to find it & bring it along. Dolls, antique to modern, books, miniatures, bears, even period clothing & our own exclusive items - we have it all! But we can’t bring it all, so let us know what it is you collect & we will do our best to get it to you. See you in Kansas City & Boise!!

Ruth Hoegh-Christiansen Parasol, lace bonnet Stuffed bear Yugoslavian and Swedish ethnic dolls	Jo Debuhr Vinyl Madame Alexander “Degas Girl”
Ruth L. Hostetten Black cloth doll Wooden bench	Jean Marshall American Girl doll, clothing, accessories Madame Alexander “Puddin’” doll, extra dress Two 8" vinyl Alexander dolls
Beverly Matson Lange Bed doll Mannequin doll in original box	Kim Moore Mylroie 1914 baby crib with provenance
Alice M. Shaw Nancy Ann Storybook dolls, pamphlet and clothing Composition doll	Ruth Sorensen Modern plastic doll parts
Gaylen Whiteman Handmade doll clothing, with provenance

THE CLASSIC DOLL, BEAR & TOY SHOW & SALE Lake City Elks Seattle WA Saturday July 10, 2004 10am - 3:00pm	MUSEUM ANNIVERSARY SALE* Museum of Doll Art & Rosie’s Too Bellevue WA September 11 - 18, 2004 During Regular Hours
UFDC NATL CONVENTION* (United Federation of Doll Clubs) Hyatt Regency Crown Center Kansas City MO August 2 - 6, 2004 Public Day- Thursday August 5	HILLSBORO DOLL SHOW Washington County Fairgrounds Hillsboro OR Saturday September 18, 2004 Sunday September 19, 2004

MAY 22 - OCTOBER 31 2004 “Dazzling Couples In Cultural Dress” Traphagen School Dolls Part III Changing Gallery Exhibit	SEPTEMBER 11 2004 Museum’s 12th Anniversary Free Admission 12 & under $2 Admission for Everyone Over 12 Children’s Play Area Door Prizes Cake & Refreshments
JULY 4 2004 Independence Day Museum CLOSED	SEPTEMBER 11- 19 2004 Museum Birthday Week Museum Store SALE Rosie’s Too SALE
SEPTEMBER 6 2004 Labor Day Museum OPEN	NOVEMBER 6 2004 - FEBRUARY 27, 2005 “Fashions, Fashions, Glorious Fashions” Changing Gallery Exhibit

Cabbie Glass Faeries! Come in to see the latest creations from this wonderful cloth doll artist. Each peice is one-of-a-kind, needle sculpted, on a wire armature body with fabulously detailed clothes! Faery Princess $350		Adorable English Poured Wax Baby 17” Blue glass eyes, set-in blonde hair & fabulous original pink color. Elaborate antique doll outfit with beautiful handwork. $895
	Stunning 25” S&H 1159! Gorgeous compo lady body with original finish. Beautiful bisque, brown glass eyes & open mouth. Wonderful jewelry and old outfit. $2295