Bambole da ritagliare 2

More from the Bambole paper doll book. I love the colors and shadings. Could be watercolor, or colored pencils. Found in bookstore in Turin. But also available online, of course. Click here.

Bambole da ritagliare

Artist: Mirella Monesi
Giunti  Editore, 2011
www.giunti.it

Marlene Brenner Auction, Aug. 10

More of Marlene Brenner's prodigious collection will go to auction on August 10 at Ron Rhoads Auctioneers. Previous auctions this year included dollhouses, miniatures and paper dolls. You can see the online catalog (and bid online) at liveauctioneers.com

Below, more pictures from the online catalog:

Beach Belle

By Brenda Sneathen Mattox, 1999 Doll Castle News

Your Doll House by Fern Bisel Peat

Children's Playmate had a few pages of home furnishings over the years, for a child to easily cut out and paste in a book or box for a ready made doll house. c. 1940s.

Dad's bird

One of my father's sketches, found in an old notepad. He would have been 89 today.

Children's Playmate, July

Summer seems to fly by as we get older. Here's to the long, lazy days of childhood summers.

Art: Fern Bisel Peat

Collectors Weekly

An online-only collectors magazine looks at paper dolls through the ages.

The above image is from Tracy's Toys, and it's used to illustrate an article in Collectors Weekly: "From Little Fanny to Fluffy Ruffles: The Scrappy History of Paper Dolls." As soon as I saw the image I remembered Tracy's great story of finding this box while antiquing, and so I went back to her 2011 blog post to enjoy the story all over again. Click the link above and you'll see what I mean (and then check out the rest of her terrific vintage toy finds).

The Collectors Weekly article quoted me at length, which is pretty embarrassing because in the world of paper doll collectors I'm still a newbie. So let me thank all the artists and collectors I've met since I attended my first convention 10 years ago in Cleveland, for sharing your knowledge and delight in collecting. I tried to convey all that I learned from you in that interview. And I look forward to next month's convention in L.A., where there will be more to see and learn -- and lots of fun to be had catching up and sharing our latest finds.

I am pleased that Jim Linderman of Dull Tool Dim Bulb posted the first comment on the Collectors Weekly story, with additional information about handmade paper dolls, and the article in the late and deeply lamented Folk Art magazine that profiled his extraordinary collection. The good news is that the American Folk Art Museum in New York City, which had a near-death experience two years ago, is in better shape and is planning to put the entire archives of the magazine online.

Better yet, order the issue for your own hard copy. Although the magazine stopped publishing in 2008, back issues are available. It's Folk Art 32, Number 2, Spring/Summer 2007. The article by Francine Kirsch is "Costumed by Hand: Yesteryear's Best Dressed Paper Dolls." Richly illustrated, worth the $10 plus shipping. Ordering information here.

I'd never heard of Collectors Weekly until the writer Hunter Oatman-Stanford contacted me. It is a fascinating site that examines the cultural context of collectibles. Check out the articles about postcards and the suffragist movement,  lesbian blues singers, Popsicles and a documentary about stamp collecting, which sounds more interesting than you'd expect.

Betsy and Linda, McCall's Magazine

The dolls are copyrighted 1972, but the clothing has a 1979 copyright. And yet the styles look very 1965 to me. This was the set you requested by mail, and I'm sure it went through many reprints, hence the various dates and clothing styles.

Paper Doll Bulletin Board is back online

Good news from Joan Homann:

THE BOARD IS BACK UP!! The Paper Doll Bulletin Board has been off line for awhile due to an upgrade to a new server. Thanks to Paul Phalen, (the one who provides us with this great board), who has worked very hard to convert the program to the new server. He has been successful, so we are back. We all hated to see the demise of the Board after 16 years. It has served the paper doll community well. I have enjoyed administering it very much, and I hope it continues for many more years.

Joan Homann, Administrator

We hope so too, Joan! Click here to go to the bulletin board.

Paper Doll Review Issue #55

Another wonderful, richly-illustrated issue produced by Marilyn Henry and Jenny Taliadoros:
--Tamara Gerard on the charm of circus paper dolls and toys.
--David Wolfe brings his special touch to a profile of Ann Blythe!
--I learned so much from Marilyn's profile of illustrator Edna Cooke, and her overview of paper doll pets was fun.
--Jenny's excellent "Journaling with Paper Dolls" reminds us that she brings her artistic flair to many other endeavors.
-- Marilyn takes us deep into "Doll Town" and shares her thoughts on what the paper doll set tells us about life in the U.S. in the 1930s. An absolute delight.

And to top it off, Joan Blondell and Asta by Karen Reilly.

You can order your issue by clicking here.

Betsy and Bill by Lowe, 1943

Betsy and Bill, A Pressed Board Doll, 1943 by Samuel Lowe Company, Kenosha, Wis. Only the Betsy doll is pressed board glued to the top of the book; the Bill doll is a punch-out doll. Great color throughout, with a touch of art nouveau on the cover boarder.

Eclectibles e-Paper Doll Party

Sheryl Jaeger is holding another e-Paper Doll party. It's all online, and these are a few of the items she's featuring at a range of price-points. 

You can see the complete online catalog (July 2013, catalog V) by clicking here. 

On the high end: This exquisite overlay from the 1830s is a treasure. Overlays always remind me of Gene Maiden, who so delighted in them; I believe he displayed several in his collection at one memorable convention.