Portobello Road

Portobello Road, London, December 2005. It was cold! Next week I'll be in Paris, and hope to find interesting paper in the brocantes -- flea markets. Well, I can hope!

Esquire paper toy

Esquire Magazine features a mix and match paper face on the front cover of its May issue. That's George Clooney, Barack Obama and Justin Timberlake, top to bottom.

For the classic toy on which it's based, see Ole Million Face at www.opticaltoys.com/million.htm

Leslie Caron

Yay! A Leslie Caron paper doll by Marilyn Henry is in the works. Here's the Paper Studio Press announcement from Jenny Taliadoros:

Paper Studio Press has signed yet another famous star to the paper doll publisher’s growing list of celebrity paper doll books created by top artists.

Leslie Caron, the French charmer who danced her way to fame in An American in Paris will be the subject of a forthcoming book created by Marilyn Henry who is famous for immortalizing stars and their movie wardrobes in many paper doll books. As a young ballerina, Leslie Caron was spotted by Gene Kelly whose brilliant, Academy Award winning 1951 film catapulted the then-teenager into international stardom. Her gamine looks and adorable personality, even more than her graceful dancing, secured her stardom in Hollywood where she appeared in many hit films including The Glass Slipper, Lili, Daddy Long Legs, Father Goose and the title role in Lerner and Lowe’s Gigi.

Artist Marilyn Henry’s ability to capture the essence of a personality plus her carefully researched and meticulous rendering of movie costumes will make this new paper doll book a must for every collector. It will be designed with the vintage look that is the signature of publications from Paper Studio Press. Two dolls of Leslie Caron will grace the covers and the clothing pages will represent the star’s cinematic career (including costumes by famed designer Cecil Beaton).

Publisher Jenny Taliadoros says, “Leslie Caron is the perfect subject for Marilyn’s wonderful style and this paper doll book will be yet another example of this beloved artist’s on-going love of Hollywood history.” A long-time fan of Leslie Caron, artist Marilyn Henry says, "It is a dream come true to pay tribute to a star I admire so much. The research process will certainly be a joy!"

The Leslie Caron paper doll book is scheduled to be published in 2010 and will be available from Paperdoll Review, Amazon.com, specialty websites and catalogs as well as selected stores and shops.

The Oscar Wilde Memorial Bookshop

The back of this postcard reads: "The Oscar Wilde Memorial Bookshop, located at 15 Christopher Street, Greenwich Village, is the world's first Lesbian and Gay liberation storefront, founded in 1967." Artist: Todd Neal.

It was a favorite place for me to rendezvous with friends in the late 70s and early 80s, and I was sad to hear it had closed this year. I bought the postcard there sometime around 1981-1982. It's also the place where I most likely bought my first copy of Nightwood by Djuna Barnes.



www.oscarwildebooks.com/Home.html

New advertising postcards

You can find these glossy postcards all over Manhattan, it seems: movie theatres, bookstores, cafes, etc. I'm selective, only choosing the ones that really interest me. I haven't seen "Valentino" or "Fados" yet, but I plan to. I didn't see "Land of the Baby Dolls," an off-Broadway production, or visit the burlesque show. But who could resist a postcard that looks like a paper doll, or touts vintage burlesque with an old-timey racy image?


These two I have seen, and highly recommend.

Chinese Paper Cuts

Another great find at the Geno Sartori corner of the Columbus Flea Market. There are 8 of these wonderfully vintage looking paper cuts in the portfolio, each encased in its own delicate tissue folder.

Raphael Tuck scrap c. 1920s

I spent a wonderful Sunday in New York City, participating in the 5K Pediatric Cancer walkathon in Riverside Park. Beautiful out, hot and sunny, and a great cause that drew throngs of people.

Tired I was, but, I found street parking and was in no hurry to hurry home...and so close to the Columbus Flea Market...

Geno Sartori looked fine, and had a ton of scraps I hadn't seen before, including these Tuck heads.

c. 1960s stationery

More from my personal ephemera collection: envelope lining (contained a letter to me from a friend in 1970) and a Sweet 16 party I was invited to in 1969.

At the other end of the spectrum, in the same period, was Peter Max and psychedelia, and art nouveau inspired rock-n-roll posters (think Grateful Dead and Fillmore West). A great decade for graphic arts, and can't wait to dig out more of these items that I have stored away for decades.

Dianne Feinstein paper doll, 1989

By the great Trina Robbins.

Polly Pratt's Baby Brother, 1920

From the April 1920 issue of Good Housekeeping, art by Sheila Young. For the complete set, see page 74 of Mary Young's "Magazine Paper Dolls."

What would we do without Mary's research and scholarship? We'd have a lot of mystery scraps, and no way to ID them. I didn't realize that Sheila Young did Lettie Lane and Polly Pratt for two different magazines (Lane was in Ladies Home Journal).

Fantasy Paper Fashions by Klutz

Klutz continues producing variations on its popular paper fashion books. This time, the theme is fantasy creations. No doll, but lots of decorative papers, stencils and hangers.

Horsford's

www.hagley.org, the website of the Hagley Museum in Wilmington, DE, is a source for information on patent medicine of the 19th century, and provides the following on Horsford's:

Horsford's Acid Phosphate, circa 1885

Prepared according to the directions of Prof. E. N. Horsford, of Cambridge, Massachusetts, this concoction was suggested for dyspepsia, indigestion, headache, mental and physical exhaustion, nervousness, hysteria, night sweats, consumption, and other ailments. According to their advertising: "This Acid Phosphate…imparts new energy to the system, giving the feeling and sense of increased intellectual and physical power." The use of the baby on the front of the card helped reinforce the "gentleness" of the compound.

Rumford Chemical Works, Providence, Rhode Island

Joseph Cornell

I am deep into "Utopia Parkway," a biography of Joseph Cornell by Deborah Solomon, and highly recommend it. Above, found on the web, one of Cornell's boxes, 'Untitled Tilly Losch,' circa 1935-38.

Paris, then and now

Three years I went to this exhibit at the International Center of Photography to see photographs by Eugene Atget and Christopher Rauschenberg. Atget documented Paris in the early 20th century, as it began to lose many of the old cobble streets and facades to modernization; Rauschenberg rephotographed some of the same streetscapes at the end of the 20th century. A quick search around the web finds many others have done the same.

I'm thinking of Paris, past and present, as Rob and I prepare for our trip there, May 2-10.

Atget images from around the web:

April Showers by Hilda Miloche

I thought I had posted this last year, but apparently not. But even if I had, who could resist another look at a Hilda Miloche page from Golden Magazine, 1964? Interesting to know she was drawing these charming children into the 1960s.

The Rainbow Room

I've collected ephemera for a long time, but like many people I didn't think of it that way. It was all "souvenirs" of a show or special dining experience, a favorite bookstore or coffeeshop. So many of these souvenirs are reminders of places long gone, or about to close. This is a coaster from the Rainbow Room.

Happy Anniversary

An even dozen!

My husband is a big Kewpie fan, so I was happy to find this at a local doll show recently:

Phyllis Ann Grindle collection

The auction of the Grindle collection will be held May 28 at Morphy Auctions in Denver, PA. More images at www.morphyauctions.com

Dolly Black

Abretha by Dale Messick

Marcia from Tiny Mods, Whitman 1968

Another doll from the Tiny Mods set (see Jan. 9 blog post for "Terri.")

As you can see, some of the styles are repeated; one version has a fuzzy texture the other does not.

Willa by Lucy Leary

April 23, 1944. Peggy Ell, who is an expert on Lucy Leary, had this cut set for sale.

A Mexican Tillie, 1938

Dec. 18, 1938. From the state of Veracruz, Mexico. The shading on the urn is lovely.

An Easter postcard

A Happy Easter by Joan Walsh Anglund

Joan Walsh Anglund, Good Housekeeping, April 1991.

Paper Doll Studio #93

See www.paperdollreview.com to order. I saw this beautiful cover and immediately thought of the lovely Project Runway dolls -- it's the same artist, Marjorie Sarnat!

This is an indispensable publication for keeping up with all the contemporary paper doll artists out there. And everyone is welcome to submit outfits for each month's Dress-A-Doll. Inside this issue is a Judy M. Johnson doll to dress in a contemporary fashion design; deadline for submissions is Sept. 15. That sounds like catnip for those of you who follow the red carpet and know a a Valentino from a Balmain.

From the pdreview website:
"The patterns, designs and styles of both traditional and contemporary India are shown in a variety of paper dolls by members. For our cover, featured artist Marjorie Sarnat created an adorable little girl who wears modern clothes inspired by traditional designs. David Wolfe tells us about Princess Karam of Kapurthala, the famous maharanee who in the 1930s inspired the Schiaparelli collection based on the sari. There's also a how-to on how to wear a sari, plus Johana Gast Anderton gives us some tips from the drawing board."

President Obama Paper Dolls

Dover has published Tom Tierney's latest presidential paper dolls: Barack and Michelle Obama. Go to www.doverpublications.com for more information.

Boots, 1949

April 29, 1945. The girl with glasses -- who could resist? And the silly Babe and Horace strip is a bonus.

Caribbean Island Girl by the Jones Sisters

1986. Always feel lucky to find an Off the Wall/Jones Sisters paper doll set. Lovely drawing, clever use of vintage wallpaper for clothing and folder.

Boots, 1947

July 6, 1947. Had to have this one because of the Rockaways' PlayLand ad. The boardwalk was a favorite. As late as the 1960s, you could rent bungalows out there, too.

Winnie Winkle c. 1930s

I grew up reading Winnie Winkle in the 1960s, so it was a surprise to see how glam she was back in the '30s. Compared to the Donna Reed look-a-like in poufy shirtwaist dresses that I remember, the 1930s version is much more alluring. Carol Sullivan had a number of these for sale.

Hedy Lamarr paper doll

One of my favorite finds in Morgantown was at Don Schmidt's sales table: a few cut pieces of the lovely Hedy set.

Cat scrap

A cat scrap from Gwen Goldman's sales table.

I've added two new links on the left of the screen that are worth checking out:

Sheryl Jaeger's website is up and running. You may go directly to www.eclectibles.com/Vintage_Paper_Dolls_s/2.htm but there are many treasures on the site that are intriguing, such as a Topsy Turvy doll from the 1920s. Click through some of the other pages.

Zipstoys at www.zipstoys.com has Dolly Dingle pages and other vintage and collectible toys for sale.