Ben showed me this incredible resource-Victoria and Albert Museum image collection. Type a query into the search box and see what comes up. I tried “child” and “doll” with wonderful results.
Here are 2 dolls that I remember from visiting the museum 5 years ago.

My links to the pictures in the archives timed out, but if you put these numbers into the search box, you can get other photos of these dolls-
T.847-1974
T.846-1974
The amazing thing is that these photos show the dolls undressed and also an assortment of their clothes!

Here is Ben’s post on the same subject.

Nothing to do with dolls- yet- but I think this is fascinating.

This is a photo gallery with pictures of dolls that inspire me. I’ve collected these photos from eBay and other web sources -like auction sights and postings to the various mailing lists I read. The most interesting dolls are the ones that have been undressed and the construction is clear from the picture.

I am listening to “Ayala’s Angel”, by Anthony Trollope. Thoroughly entertaining, but I don’t think I’ll put Ayala on the list of good names.

“What Clothes Reveal, The Language of Clothing in Colonial and Federal America” by Linda Baumgarten. I got it from the library, but this book looks like such a good book, I might need to own it. The detail photos of embroidery are excellent.

gotta remember these-

sandlady@sandlady.com
http://www.mindspring.com/~harryhurley/index.htm

http://www.ozarkcountrycreations.com/

http://gourdgracious.homestead.com/gourds.html

got over my phone phobia and finally called The Wenham Museum to talk about setting up a special visit with Susan Fosnot during WOW!. Turns out Lorna Lieberman is the acting doll curator- back again after retiring twice already- She is the owner of the amazing mint condition Izannah Walker doll that was in the Blue Ribbon Dolls show at Wenham last spring. She was also the person who gave the slide lecture about antique cloth dolls, that I went to last winter. She was really nice to talk to, and hopefully, if she is able, she will show us Miss Columbiaand the rest of the cloth doll collection. I think that it will be amazing to be able to see these dolls with someone who knows so much about them, their history and hopefully their construction. It would be a wish come true to hold some of these dolls.
I am still working on finishing the dolls for the Kansas City Doll Fair- I am working on the stands now. I decided 2 weren’t good enough and started over. I’ve got to go buy more glue now! I still have to put my signature on Haze and photograph her… almost done…

After I finished at Pasa Yarns, I drove to Sturbridge, to the Wrights Factory Outlet for more treasure hunting. This is the first time I’ve shopped at the beginning of the month- all the prices go down on the first of every month. It made shopping even more fun! So many bargains! The best stuff I got was two 3/4 yd. pieces of feather and bead trim ($5 a yd), 2 colors of bead on wire (.42 a yd), a fabulous feathery silver metallic (.29 a yd), and a yard of Mokuba ribbon- white with black polka dot(yikes- $5.49). They had all their Mokuba ribbon at half price, but it is still so expensive, especially compared to everything else in the store, that I couldn’t bring myself to splurge on any except this small bit- I love polka dots!- and a more reasonably priced 2 yd piece of gold.

I also got lots of metallic and black mini ric-rac for the bug pins (20 packages at 12 packs for a dollar), 18 packs (3 yds each) of Mokuba embroidery ribbon in assorted varieties, textures and colors, for 3 packs for $1. I got lots of spools of ribbon for the bugs, some for as low as .25 a 10 yd spool! All the right jewel colors too! Then I got some black velvets in various widths. I wonder how they would work on bugs? Also, some assorted gold trims (at .15 a yd, how can I resist!)… never know when I’ll have to dress another king and a really 70’s brown leather fringe… I don’t know- it just spoke to me.

Oh yeah, the spool of ribbon flowers for $4. I will have to bring some of these to doll club to share. I discovered that you can paint these flowers with diluted acrylic paint and so have any color you want.

Somehow I managed to get through my shopping spree with money left in my pocket- my budget was $100- although I came home with more than I could carry into the house in one trip!

Great day and lots of new and inspiring materials.

I had fun today. I went on a treasure hunt… a shopping expedition. First I went to Pasa Yarns in Uxbridge (Elmdale Rd). I remember going to a mill store at the same location in the 70’s, when I was weaving and doing more knitting, but this is a new place.
The store is a jumble of fibers, lots of dark corners. I’d wanted a flashlight. I was looking for wool suitable for doll hair and I did find some. You have to buy the entire cone of whatever yarn you want, so I now have more then a lifetime supply of light blond, dk. brown, and a reddish brown wool for hair. It was so cheap though… I think $3.00 a pound, that I can hardly complain about having too much!
I also came home with other wonderful stuff that I don’t need, but it was soooo beautiful! Wonderful mohair (at $6.50 a pound it is the most expensive fiber they sell) and mohair blends, thick and thin boucle, and some cotton that may or may not work for doll hair. I also got a pound of black roving ($5.50) that I will try for stuffing small black dolls and also for hair. It has a beautiful luster.