| Getting back to when I saw the boudoir
doll in the shop, I was immediately stricken by her fabulous
face and really thought she might be one of the Lenci’s I
had heard about. The shop keeper told me, the doll was not a
Lenci but a boudoir doll that had been kept in a closet for
decades which explained the vividness of her complexion. It
took me ten years of collecting though dealers and the
advent of eBay to correctly identify my first doll as an
Etta after another doll that was tagged was added to my
collection.
Beauty (which is the
name of my first boudoir doll) remains with me and became
the standard of which I measured any other doll that was
added to my collection. It would be an understatement to
say, I was spoiled early on, because as any collector knows,
truly perfect dolls are very hard to find.
During those early days, finding authentic boudoir dolls was
not easy since most dealers did not consider them worthy of
attention. Eventually I was able to connect with dealer who
had recently bought some boudoir dolls at an estate sale. It
was a lucky day for me as some of my earliest dolls included
a Rosalinde, Kuddles, Blossom, Pickford Bride, a Suede
Prince,a Lenci Lady and a large wax doll. Amongst these
jewels I also got stuck with buying a few not so great dolls
that had been mis-represented. The worse of these being what
is called a “Frankenstein” which defines a doll that was put
together with a variety of parts just like the famous
monster. There were also less perfect dolls acquired that
were original but I loved for their own poignant charms.
Collecting boudoir dolls can be addictive and there was a
point when my collection numbered in the hundreds but that
is not the case today. Life sometimes has unexpected events
and collections must be sold in order to attend to more
important issues at hand. So there was a time that many of
the dolls in my collection were sold and they are now with
their new care keepers.
Over the years I have also helped others sell parts of their
collections and in doing so, I have had an incredible
opportunity to see many rare boudoir treasures up close. I
have also on occasion helped a friend to restore or dress a
treasured doll. The experience and knowledge I have gained
in the process is beyond measure.
A
few years back I entertained the idea of writing a book on
boudoir dolls but opted to writing two articles instead.
These are featured in the September and November 2002 issues
of DOLLS magazine. I also shared information and photographs
with Susanna Oroyan for her 2004 book “Dolls of the Art Deco
Era”. Collectors may want to note that many of the original
dolls from my collection were featured in these articles and
book.
Over the years I have exchanged information freely with many
new collectors so that they would have a better
understanding of the criteria that makes a truly great doll.
The answer is really simple. Buy what you truly love and the
dolls that tug at your heart. It is not about the size of
the collection.
This website has been approached much the same way one would
put together a family album and document history along with
the lighter more entertaining moments over the years. It is
my belief that the artists who created these dolls were very
much inspired by the art and advertisements of their era
along with theatrical events and the movies. So you will see
many of the dolls grouped together by look or types that
were prevalent in the culture of the early Twentieth
Century.
I do share a philosophy about boudoir dolls that is the same
as the late Susie Oroyan which is that the collector should
“play” with the dolls and not just have them decorating a
shelf. It is my sincerest hope that through this venue
collectors will be inspired to have fun with their dolls.
motherxmas
All
contents, graphics, text, photos, features
and general information, contained on this website
are the personal property of Patricia Brill aka MotherXmas.
Therefore, no unauthorized copying and/or use without
written consent.
©
2008-2024 Patricia Brill aka MotherXmas
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