Andrea Miniatures branches out to Native American-themed products under Black Hawk brand

I noticed in my newsletters from Michigan Toy Soldiers this morning that Andrea Miniatures has branched out with a new subsidiary named Black Hawk Toy Soldier.  The new company will feature 54mm pewter figures including a new line of Native American-themed miniatures.  The one that caught my eye was a collection representing a Native American Sundance ceremony:

The Sun Dance (or Sundance) is a religious ceremony practiced by a number of Native American and First Nations peoples, primarily those of the Plains Nations. Each tribe has its own distinct practices and ceremonial protocols. Many of the ceremonies have features in common, such as specific dances and songs passed down through many generations, the use of traditional drums, the sacred pipe, tobacco offerings, praying, fasting and, in some cases, the piercing of skin on the chest or back for the men and arms for the women.  - Wikipedia

Other American history-themed miniatures in the Black Hawk lineup include The Northfield Minnesota Raid, The Overland Stage Coach and Custer's Last Stand.  They also offer Napoleonic, Templar and WWII figures as well.

Historical characters to join the lineup of Xenis jointed wooden dolls

I received an email from Xenis, a family-owned company in Aldergrove, British Columbia, Canada that creates stunning jointed maple wood dolls.  The company was founded by artist Marlene Xenis in 1994 who was later joined by her daughters Tania and Jesse.  In 1996, sculptor and painter Ross Adams joined the team.  Since then, most of the wonderfully detailed faces of the dolls have been applied by Ross.

Tania trained talented carver Young Ho who now does some of the original sculpts directly from wood.  Two more ladies round out the team.  Seamstress Marjorie creates the doll costumes and, along with Sarah, handles the logistics of doll assembly.

Each doll begins as a beautiful pencil, charcoal and watercolor sketch by Ross Adams.  Then a sculpt is made of the head, hands and feet.  When all adjustments have been made, a resin cast is made for each piece and the carving process begins.  Each doll is carved from maple that is harvested from West Coast forests then dried for up to 12 months to ensure proper moisture content for optimum carving.

The actual carving is done by a carving machine that follows the resin cast of each part like a key cutter, producing a duplicate from a mounted maple block. The rough cut maple duplicates are then smoothed with dremel tools, files and hand sanding.  Artists then seal, stain and paint the pieces to add the final details before assembly and costuming.  To allow the beauty of the wood to show through, faces are applied using very thin coats of acrylic paint.

Some of the dolls are equipped with music boxes while others may sport accessories imported from Europe.  All are wonderfully endearing.  I particularly like their "Anne of Green Gables" with her trusting eyes and liberal sprinkle of freckles.  When my sister and I visited Victoria, British Columbia several years ago, I noticed that "Anne of Green Gables" dolls and books were particular tourist favorites.


Xenis is now branching out into historical dolls as well.  Their 26" Abe Lincoln is scheduled to be available in Spring 2010 along with this Mark Twain to be followed by some of Mark Twain's literary characters like Huckleberry Finn.

Xenis dolls are priced for serious collectors.  Some of their more intricate dolls are priced well over $1,000.  [Images courtesy of Xenis Fine Wooden Dolls]

  

Kimport Dolls a legacy of award winning artist Ruby Short McKim

Queen Marie Antoinette is a popular personality for doll artists and I have an Ebay alert that checks the latest auctions for dolls that depict her.  Today, I received a notice of a nice example of a Kimport Doll designed to represent the famous French queen.

Kimport Dolls were produced by McKim Studios, founded in Independence, Missouri by artist Ruby Short McKim, 1891-1976.

"Ruby Short McKim, 1891-1976, was the prototype for today's modern woman. Artist, author, businesswoman, wife and mother - she excelled in all areas. A graduate of the Parsons School of Design in New York City, Ruby returned to Independence to become the Art Supervisor for the Kansas City Public Schools. After her marriage to Arthur McKim, she began her work as an advisor to Child Life Magazine and created a continuity strip that was one of the first in syndication. This feature in the Chicago Daily News ran for many years. As a couple, the McKims opened a mail-order outlet, McKim Studios, which specialized in needlecraft items and in antique and foreign dolls. At this same time, Ruby was Art Needlework Editor for Better Homes and Gardens." - McKim Studios Revival: Ruby Short McKim 


[Image (right) courtesy of McKim Studios]


Her artistry was also expressed in water colors and oils as well as quilt designs that she syndicated to newspapers and eventually incorporated into the book One Hundred and One Patchwork Patterns.  Her talent was formally recognized after her death when she was posthumously named to the Quilters Hall of Fame in 2002.

McKim Studios still offers many of her award-winning patterns for sale on their website.

             

Cleopatra OOAK by Joe Bourland victim of recession

Sadly, another collector is forced to part with some of her more treasured dolls because of the recession.  I saw this nicely done OOAK Cleopatra repaint by Joe Bourland in my Ebay alerts today.

 Joe's MSN website is closed and I could not find any replacement. But, I found a brief bio for Joe (a woman) on another collector's website.

Joe was born and lives in west Texas. She started designing dolls in March of 2001 after being encouraged by her sister who is also a doll designer. She says her first attempt with a used Barbie and a few scraps of material from a nearby Wal-Mart was a nightmare but after several months and many scrapped designs later she really began to enjoy it. She is purely self taught and has no degrees or formal training but has garnered some impressive awards including the BMAA Reader's Choice and the Custom Dolls convention Best of Show. 


In addition to the Cleopatra offered for sale on Ebay, I also found images of several more of Joe's designs with a historical flair:

[Image: "Empire's Queen" OOAK by Doll Artist Joe Bourland]

   ["Emperor's Treasure" OOAK by doll artist Joe Bourland]

  ["Promise" OOAK by doll artist Joe Bourland]

If you're still out there, Joe, I hope you haven't stopped having fun with your doll designs.  You are obviously very gifted! 

 
    

Carved Ivory 19th century Napoleon-era rod puppet pops up on Ebay

Today in my Ebay alerts I received notice of an interesting carved bone or ivory rod puppet with glass eyes the vendor thinks depicts Napoleon or a Napoleon-era gentlemen  - although with the grimace on his face he doesn't look too gentle!  The hair style is not the typical style Napoleon is shown wearing so I think it must be a French Revolution character like Robespierre or perhaps the notorious executioner Henry Sanson.  The vendor thinks the puppet was produced during the French Revolution or Napoleonic Empire in the late 1700s or early 1800s.

The puppet's ebony or rosewood hat fits over a peg carved on the top of the puppet's head.  Although the rod is new, the vendor believes the rest of the puppet is original.  It measures 9.5 inches from the top of the 3" high hat to the lower hem of the cape.  I love the facial detail!

      

Rare Klumpe Napoleon Character Doll Surfaces on Ebay

A rare Klumpe Napoleon character doll showed up in my Ebay alerts this morning.  Klumpe dolls, made of molded felt and averaging 11" tall, were produced in Barcelona, Spain beginning in 1952 until the early 1970s.  
This particular doll appears to be in excellent condition (the vendor reports only two tiny holes in the clothing) and strikes a dynamic pose.  Most importantly, he sports the original tags on both front and back.  The tag on the back indicates Napoleon was numbered 16-BB.  It will be interesting to see how much he sells for as Klumpe dolls have gained quite a following in recent years and the character dolls in excellent condition have brought as much as $200.

Collectors of these dolls often collect similar dolls produced by Roldan, also manufactured in Barcelona. Roldan dolls are usually a little smaller, averaging 9" tall, but Roldan accessories are often more intricate than those produced for Klumpe dolls.  More V-shaped eyebrows distinguish the Klumpe dolls from those made by Roldan although collectors should also be aware that these two flagship manufacturers were imitated by a dozen other Spanish toy producers including Layna and Nistis so positively identifying a genuine Klumpe or Roldan without labels could be challenging.

     

Baltimore Doll Artist Alesia Newman-Breen creates both contemporary and historical dolls

I was just sent a news announcement about dollmaker Alesia Newman-Breen. I had not encountered her creations before. The article that appeared in the Baltimore Sun displayed an image of some of her celebrity dolls and mentioned her website. I took a chance that she may have created some historical dolls as well and visited her website to find out.

I was rewarded by views of several historical personalities she has tackled including Marie Antoinette, Queen Victoria (both young and old), Queen Elizabeth (I & II) and Cleopatra. Her dolls are very detailed and her facial sculptures are quite realistic.

"Each doll is made by hand with hand-sculpted polymer clay head, breastplate, hands and feet, and a hand-constructed cloth-over-wire-armature body stuffed with polyester fiberfill. The eyes are handpainted. All garments and accessories are sewn and assembled by hand. Prices range from about $400 to about $600 each. The dolls range in size from about 14 to 18 inches."

From her online bio:

"Dollmaker Alesia Newman-Breen is also an actress, sculptor, graphic artist, writer, wife and mother who lives in suburban Baltimore, Maryland with her husband and son. A longtime member of the Screen Actors Guild, Alesia has appeared in many films, television programs and commercials. She played a newscaster in the science-fiction film "Species II"and appeared in dozens of episodes of the long-running Baltimore-based crime drama "Homicide: Life on the Street'. Alesia's unique dolls were featured on the "Fresh Faces" page of DOLLS Magazine in November 2002."

I had a wonderful time the last time I visited Baltimore, especially at the Walters Art Museum, and hope to return before too long. Maybe I'll get a chance to see some of Alesia's work on my next trip!