Betty and Veronica, 1961

These copies were part of the Margaret Menamin collection.

Good Housekeeping, c. 1940

 
Life goes on. And lucky for us that it does. I'm grateful for this virtual community of paper collectors. It's a pleasure to share items from my collection, and alert you to interesting links along the way.

This wonderful magazine cover was posted by Lone Nunnally on her excellent web site, Origami Bears. I'm taking a guess on the date. Be sure to visit all the links on her site for a great variety of paper dolls from around the world.

The Best Laid Plans...

I've just spent the last 20 minutes canceling my flight, hotel and van pick up for the convention. When I first planned to attend, little did I know how quickly my mother's health would deteriorate. I could see it accelerating over the last two months. I thought having a paid companion and my saintly husband takeover in my absence would be OK. I was wrong.

Today she had what is known in Alzheimer's parlance as "a catastrophic reaction" -- panicked, and beyond consolation. She didn't have the words to tell me "Don't go," but in the end, she didn't need to say a word. After a quick trip to the ER, she calmed down. But there is no doubt I must stay home.

As much as I will missing seeing my paper doll friends, I am also relieved. Something just didn't feel right, and my mother figured out a way to communicate exactly what she needed, and exactly what I had to do. I'm glad I got the message in time

Convention 2010: Helen Page

The original Helen Page artwork for "Marie Antoinette, Queen of France" will be on display at the convention. You can pre-order a copy of the book at Paperdoll Review. It will be ready to ship in August.

Arlene Dahl by Norma Lu Meehan

Another great Norma Lu Meehan celebrity paper doll, can be ordered now for August shipping at Paperdoll Review.

Voodoo Paper Dolls by Kwei-Lin Lum

Congratulations to Kwei-lin on her second Dover book, Voodoo Paper Dolls, scheduled for publication in January 2011. Amazon has a link for pre-orders.

More Tina and Trudy

What do these posts mean? I've figured out how to post pictures from my BlackBerry and that means The Paper Collector will blog live from the convention!

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Tina and Trudy

A Kathy Lawrence book.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Two Paper Doll Finds

Two paper doll finds.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Doll of America

Another great Tichnor card, c. 1950s, from the Dolls of Many Lands series. And what better way to look forward to the Paper Doll Convention and the Fourth of July?

Bridgeport, Conn., 1907

Bridgeport took a beating in yesterday's storm which had tornado-like winds. It can be a tough town, in any kind of weather.

This urban scene from more than 100 years ago is haunting. It evokes the loneliest Edward Hopper painting: the starkly lit windows, a moody sky, a dog in the middle of the street, shadowy figures passing by. No trees. Yet, this was mailed out in 1907 to Mrs. P. Lotters of Hudson Heights, NJ, with the note, "Having a fine time -- Paula."  Hey, if you say so. Cities large and small no doubt prided themselves on their shopping districts with large, brightly-lit store windows, filled with goods to entice shoppers. And a happy tourist with a friend in mind just snapped this card up without thinking twice about it.

Be sure to visit the other participants in Postcard Friendship Friday, including our wonderful hostess, Beth at The Best Hearts Are Crunchy.   I won't be able to participate in PFF next Friday because I'll be at the paper doll convention in Kansas City. Will rejoin the following week.

More Movie Star Cut-outs

Thanks to Eugenia for providing the web address for these amazing paper dolls! They are part of Liivilass' picasa set of paper dolls. Stan and Ollie never looked so good!

http://picasaweb.google.com/Liivilaas/OldHollywoodPaperDolls#

See Liivi's original artwork at 
http://picasaweb.google.com/Liivilaas

Zasu Pitts

Someone posted a whole bunch of these on Flickr, I think. Can't find the link (thought I had bookmarked the page). I did find the Flickr set through a blog link somewhere. If anyone recognizes the Flickr set (or was it Picasa?) let me know and I'll link to it here.

Geraldine Farrar, 1911

A wonderful donation for the convention Raffle Room from Carol Carey. Thank you, Carol!

Penny Ross paper dolls

This lot of Penny Ross paper dolls went for $1,000 at the Monday auction of Virginia Crossley paper dolls. Whoa!

Birthday Greetings, c. 1940s

Sweet graphic art. Lift each bouquet inside the card to find three wishes...

Brooklyn 1909 Update

Thanks to Postcardy for alerting me to this absolutely pristine version of my card, formerly on sale on eBay. I am thrilled to know that it is indeed labeled "City Hall, Brooklyn."

(Reader, I bought it!)

Brooklyn, N.Y. 1909

Thanks to Beth for hosting Postcard Friendship Friday!

I was excited when I found this torn card, because I imagined the torn part said "City Hall, Brooklyn." Which would make this a rare and special card.
Brooklyn lost its status as an independent city when it was consolidated into Greater New York in 1898 and became a borough of the big city. This card has a 1909 postmark, and an undivided back (which was discontinued in 1907). My guess is that the postcard is what every collector (of anything) dreams of finding: old store stock. The first line in the message to Miss A. B. Bell of the Lodge, Basin Harbor is "Thanks for the post-cards." Possibly these two correspondents were collectors, and knew the value of this card.
Then again, I could be way off base; could be the torn part said "City of New York, Brooklyn Borough..." Oh, boo. I like my first guess better.

  The building, built 1846-1851, was Brooklyn's city hall, and still exists as Brooklyn's Borough Hall.

I used to work at a news service not far from this building. There's a subway stop nearby that's pretty special, as you can see in these photographs. (Not to be confused with the ordinary Jay St. Boro Hall stop on the IND line.) I'll be in Brooklyn tomorrow, visiting Carol Carey, paper doll collector extraordinaire.

Convention 2010: Dress Up Night

UPDATE: Be sure to visit Marge Schaffer's blog for many rare and wonderful comic strip paper dolls.
And be sure to click image above to see detail.


For those of you who might be new to the site: The International Paper Doll Convention will be July 1-4 in Kansas City, Mo. Click on the link to the left for more information. I've been running updates for those who are attending. Hope this piques your interest for attending future conventions!

Dressing Up
Dress is casual at convention but one night is usually reserved for a themed dress-up party.
Saturday, July 3 is that night this year, and the theme is "Paper Doll Ladies and Gents of the Comics." Your inspiration can come from a comic strip or comic book: Boots, Jane Arden, Brenda Starr, Winnie Winkle, Tillie the Toiler or Archie, Betty and Veronica--and dozens of other possibilities. If only I could find a frock as fetching as Fashion Fanny's (try saying that three times!), I'd be set...  

Above: "Fashion Fanny and Her Friends/ The Paper Doll that Sets the Styles," drawn by Winifred Goodsell, appeared in the Detroit Free Press in the 1920s.

Fashion Fanny is part of the Virginia Crossley Paper Doll Collection which is being auctioned by Theriaults on June 21. Click here for more information.

Here are some other comic strip dolls from my collection that I've featured in the past:

Convention 2010: Hotel Shuttle

 

More excerpts from the Garth Lax convention e-mails. I never rent a car for convention, so I was happy to hear about the free hotel shuttle to some very interesting sites:

 

THE HOTEL SHUTTLE

 

The Convention Hotel has added a free shuttle that will take you anywhere within a three-mile radius of the Hotel, including:

 

• 45th and State Line Antiquing area
• Nelson-Atkins Art Museum
• Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art
• Kansas City Art Institute
• Thomas Hart Benton Home
• Crossroads Art District
• Toy and Miniature Museum
• World Wat I Museum
• Union Station
• Hallmark Visitor Center

Featured above and below: one of the fabulous cut-outs in the Agence Eureka paper craft Flickr set

Veronica paper doll, 1962

Above, a 1962 Veronica paper doll, courtesy of KB at Out of This World. He has several others posted, including Margie and Patsy and Hedy. KB and his wife Sheila just celebrated their 27th anniversary, so congratulations to them. Of course, Sheila used to play with paper dolls when she was growing up. I bet she'd have a great time at the convention in Kansas City, which starts July 1. And KB might even find a Katy Keene comic book with paper dolls. Seems every time he tries to snag one on eBay, he's outbid. There are a lot of Katy fans out there!

 

World's Fair 1939

The Trylon and Perisphere, the classic icons of the 1939 fair. This is one of those Linen texture cards.

A very Happy Birthday to our hostess Beth at The Best Hearts Are Crunchy!

Convention 2010: Raffles

Raffles are an important part of every convention, helping to underwrite the cost of the convention itself. Organizers depend on collectors donating items that inspire a frenzy of ticket buying, like this Fashion Dressing Doll from the Crossley collection surely would. But it doesn't have to be this old and rare. It could be a Merrill paper doll book,  a Brenda Starr comic strip paper doll, or a handmade paper doll -- these are all items that I've seen on the raffle table over the years. Many people who are unable to attend the convention donate raffle items, a wonderful gesture that helps keep these grand parties going.

If you're attending the convention, you can just bring the donation(s) with you and make sure Lori Lawson or Sondra Leeds gets it.

If you're not attending, but would like to donate, mail them to Sondra Leeds, 2122 W. Minnesota Street, Indianapolis, IN 46221. Include your name, contact information and description of item(s)

Convention 2010: Pub Crawl

For those arriving too late Wednesday, June 30 to join the caravan to the UFDC Doll Museum, there's another activity planned for that evening that's sure to be fun: a Kansas City pub crawl, organized by Garth Lax. Chances are good we'll hear some great jazz, too.

Above, Blondie as nightclub singer, from the Crossley collection.

Convention 2010: Dress-A-Doll

Gregg Nystrom's lovely Betty Grable is the Dress-a-Doll for the convention. Design a costume for Betty, print your name on the back (or on an extra long tab) and return it to Anne Donze (her address is in your registration packet). All costumes will be displayed at the convention. A raffle will be held for the doll and all the costumes, but only those who have designed a costume will have their names entered in the raffle.

UPDATE: You can also bring your costume to the convention, but make sure you get it to Anne Donze as soon as you get there, so she can arrange the display board properly. 

Here's Betty Grable in the movie Coney Island (1943), with a stunning gown. Perfect to copy and embellish with feathers and sequins.

Convention 2010: The UFDC Museum Tour

 

THE UFDC DOLL MUSEUM (The United Federation of Doll Clubs)

 

There's no easy way of getting to the museum via mass transit, so a carpool is being organized. Contact Sandy Vanderpool at Sndyvanpool(at)aol(dot)com before June 28 if you're interested in driving or riding along. Sandy needs to know how many cars will be available so please contact her as soon as you can.

 

The plan is to have all those going assemble in the hotel lobby at 9:45 AM on Wednesday, June 30, with the car pools leaving at 10 A.M. sharp.

For more information about the museum, check out the  UFDC web site.

Above, Betty Jane by Fern Bisel Peat from the Crossley collection.

Convention 2010: Airport Shuttle

It's that time of year! In less than 4 weeks paper doll collectors from around the U.S. and the world will gather at the Embassy Suites Country Club Plaza in the heart of Kansas City, MO. Over the next few days, I'll post excerpts from Garth Lax's highly informative e-mail messages. For those who haven't registered, it's not too late. Click on the Paper Doll Convention icon to the left of your screen for the registration form.

THE AIRPORT SHUTTLE

 

For those flying to Kansas City International Airport (MCI), your most sensible transportation to the Convention Hotel is  the Supershuttle (which holds up to 10 passengers). The current price between airport and hotel is $18.00 one-way, $36 round-trip.

 

If you make a round trip reservation by telephone at 1-800-258-3826, and pre-pay it, the round trip fare will drop to $31.00.

 

Above, another great image from the Theriault's online auction catalog of Virginia Crossley's paper doll collection. These are the calendar dolls from 1917. They remind me of the large Woolworth dolls of the same era.

The Teri Pettit web site

Teri Pettit has scanned in many rare paper doll books and cards on her web site, with different options for ease in copying and printing out-- for your personal enjoyment, of course. I've had Teri on my list of Lovely Links for a long time. In recent months she added this card and some delightful paper doll gift wrap called Dancing Debbie.

Thank you Teri!

Man-O-War, 1940

Tomorrow is the Belmont Stakes, and here is the famous Man-O-War, owned and bred by August Belmont (The Belmont Race Track is named after Belmont's father; the Stakes have been run since 1867).

This card is postmarked 1940, but Man-O-War's heyday of winning races was 1919-1920. That surprised me, that Man-O-War's fame and celebrity extended decades; I had  imagined he was running in the 1940s, but in fact by that time he had been put out to stud for 20 years, and drew crowds. Man-O-War is considered one of the greatest thoroughbred racehorses of all time, winning 20 of 21 races.

He won the Preakness and the Belmont in 1920, but his owner at the time Sam Riddle, kept him out of the Kentucky Derby because he didn't approve of three-year olds running a mile and a quarter in May. Huh? So this great horse never had a chance to capture the Triple Crown.  

Fans called the roan Big Red (and this painted card emphasizes that hue, doesn't it?) and went on to sire many dozens of winners, most notably War Admiral, the 1937 Triple Crown winner.

The man in the picture is Will Harbut, the horse's stud groom. For 17 years Harbut led tourists through the Man-O-War story at Kentucky Horse Park where the legendary horse was a prime attraction (a statute of the horse stands there today). Man-O-War died in 1947, less than a month after Harbut's death.

On the back:

Tuesday, June 11--Am now  a(t) Harry Place and all well. Hoping all yours are the same. H.F. Hak

 

Another card for Miss Mildred Hake, with interesting misspellings and repetitions in the message. A child, or an ailing older relative? Hmmm....Whatever the source, Mildred kept this and other treasured cards in a paper doll box.

Happy Postcard Friendship Friday, and be sure to saddle up and visit our hostess Beth at The Best Hearts Are Crunchy.