Liberty of London produced exquisitely detailed dolls

I was up on Ebay this morning and came across an outstanding example of the Liberty of London dolls produced from the 1930s to the 1960s. These hand-crafted cloth dolls, along with accessories, depict the history of Great Britain from the caveman through Queen Elizabeth II's coronation.

"The dolls consist of history-making men and women, including royalty, political reformers, military notables, innovators in the arts, and contributors to natural and physical sciences. These hand-painted soft sculptured dolls are costumed in authentic period clothing.

The dolls were hand-sewn by two sisters, Ada and Kathleen Peat, from their Brighton, England home for the Liberty of London department store." I was surprised to see in my internet search that Liberty of London is still in business and serves upscale clients with a high fashion line of clothing and accessories.

This particular doll of Queen Elizabeth was apparently purchased in England and kept nearly pristine over the years by a loving collector. Even the deep vermilion of her dress has not lost its luxurious color over the years. I bid on her but she apparently has a hefty reserve.

The only Liberty of London dolls I presently have in my collection are King George and Queen Margaret both a bit faded I'm afraid.

Harmony Kingdom Pot Bellies Combine History and Whimsy

I first encountered Harmony Kingdom's Pot Belly Historicals on a visit to Victoria, British Columbia in 2004. I loved the combination of history with 3D political characture of these small English figurines.

"Harmony Kingdom's U.K. headquarters, Wimberley Mills, is privileged to be located in one of the most beautiful rural areas in England, the South Cotswolds. Designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the Cotswolds is famous for its honey-coloured stone cottages, grand manor houses and impressive churches.

The name Cotswolds' refers to rolling hills and broad river valleys. These wooded hills and valleys are especially suitable for grazing, particularly for the native Cotswold sheep, which in medieval times were responsible for the growth of the wool trade. For centuries Cotswold wool was used in more than half of England's cloth and was exported to the continent, bringing great wealth to the wool merchants who donated large sums to the local churches and built themselves magnificent houses.

The river valleys form the setting for the towns and villages, which nestle snugly amongst the hills. The market town of Stroud is the central point where the five valleys meet. Cirencester, the capital of the Cotswolds, was known during Roman times as Corinium Dubonnorum and was the second largest city in Roman Britain."- Harmony Kingdom website

I can attest to the beauty of the Cotswold area, having visited there this past Spring.

Harmony Kingdom was founded by Martin Perry:

"Martin is the founder and owner of Antiquark Ltd., the company responsible for manufacturing English-made Harmony Kingdom pieces. He is also the artistic director of Martin Perry Studios, a consortium of English carvers who sculpt the figurines. He and his wife Corinna live in the Cotswolds region of England near Wimberley Mills, which houses Antiquark Ltd., Martin Perry Studios, and Harmony International Ltd.

Martin Perry left school at the age of 14 and began his professional career in London as a gofer for his uncle, a film producer. At the age of 22, feeling disenchanted with the film industry, Martin moved to Snowdonia, a mountain region of North Wales. Here he adopted a puppy, the runt of a litter, which seemed to have a natural calling for sheep herding. Since Martin didn't have any idea what he wanted to do with his life, he followed the dog's lead. Martin found a romantic-looking mountain and offered his services as shepherd to the local farmer. Because Martin had no experience he offered to work for free, a proposition the farmer couldn't refuse.

For the next five years Martin and his dog tended sheep in the Welsh mountains, living a decidedly rustic life. Martin had human contact only once a week but kept occupied by walking an average of 20 miles a day. After meeting his future wife Corinna, he knew they could not continue to live such a secluded life, and they moved to the lowlands near Chalford, England, where Martin continued shepherding for a large farm. Martin did not like the rigidity and demands of business farming, yet he stayed with it for four years until he injured his back shearing sheep which ended his shepherding career forever.

While she was growing up, Corinna listened to her mother speak French, German, Italian, and Spanish around the house. Corinna, too, became quite a linguist and eventually a teacher of language. Her father was an illustrator of children's books, an animal lover, and an early conservationist, and her brother is a sculptor. At university Corinna studied art history and travelled extensively, spending a year in India. On a visit to her father in Wales, Corinna met Martin. During Martin's shepherding years near Chalford, Corinna taught English as a second language to corporate and military personnel. After their daughter and son were born, Corinna began working with the children of the village.

It was Corinna who introduced Martin to the owner of History Craft, a company that manufactured replicas for art museums around the world. No longer shepherding, Martin got a job in History Craft's packing department, sending out everything from large marble statues to tiny Roman coins. Sometimes items were needed that were not yet made so Martin would make the replicas himself. Martin says, I can still remember the satisfaction from making that first thing. I was so pleased with it. I've still got it - it was a rabbit, a replica of Japanese netsuke [the traditional, intricately carved ivory miniatures from Japan used primarily as toggles for kimonos].

For the next decade, Martin created replicas of museum artworks, including 18th and 19th century netsukes. He developed a special process that gave marble resin an antique, ivory look (later to be further refined and used in Harmony Kingdom box figurines). As he discovered and honed his artistic skills, he began to grow tired of copying other works. Eventually he left History Craft and began sculpting a Westerner's idea of a netsuke.

In 1989 Martin decided to form his own business, Antiquark Ltd., and developed the current finishing process. He cast his new pieces from netsuke and oriental ivory moulds, as well as crafting scrimshaw reproductions." - Harmony Kingdom website

Our local Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art at the University of Oregon has a small collection of netsuke pieces and I would venture to say Harmony Kingdom's pieces are as beautiful and intricate as they are.

Although my current collection is modest it presently embraces Henry VIII and his six wives, Queen Elizabeth I, William Shakespeare, Marie Antoinette, the Queen of Sheba, and Queen Victoria. Over the holidays, I found Mozart, George Washington, John F. Kennedy, and Ronald Reagan at a collectibles shop that was closing and managed to get them for half price ($6 each). I normally wouldn't bother with modern personages but at the price I couldn't pass them up.

Deepings Dolls Offers One-of-a Kind Handpainted Treasures

I recently received an email from Tansy Roberts, the business manager for Pendlerook Designs - the home of Deepings Dolls - inviting me to look at their historical line. I checked out their website and was enchanted by their intricately painted wood dolls.

"Each Deepings Doll is unique. Far more detailed than the historical wooden dolls that inspired them, such as the Russian Baboushka or the Gypsy peg doll, they are hand-turned figurines of Tasmanian White Sassafras, their historical costumes individually hand-painted by a range of Australian artists. "

Deepings Dolls were first created in 1984.

"The Deepings Dolls began in 1984 as simple shapes turned from celery top pine by Adrian Hunt at his Nicholls Rivulet studio, “The Deepings,” in the Huon area of southern Tasmania. These turned pieces were then decorated with simple lines in sepia ink by a young German woman, Friedericke Schmaltz, detailing seams, buttons, collars, locks of hair and ruffles of fabric. Friedericke developed the concept with Adrian from the early European wooden dolls with which they were both familiar. Adrian and his wife Roslyn marketed the Deepings Dolls through their studio, and introduced them to a variety of retail outlets around Australia and worldwide. The only examples of these early dolls still remaining at Adrian’s studio are three or four in the family's own collection.

Since those early years, there has been steady evolution of style, range of design and process – from added touches of colour to the mostly painted surfaces seen now. A change was made from celery top pine to white sassafras in 1988, it proving a more amenable surface to work, both for turner and Doll Artist.

These changes have been largely attributable to the imaginative flair and technical expertise of each new Doll Artist who has worked with Adrian Hunt through the years. Two of the current five Doll Artists have been painting the Deepings Dolls from the very early days, and are still enjoying the challenge each new batch brings.

Currently, the individual figures are hand-turned by Adrian Hunt and Christine Baker. The five Doll Artists are Marie, Margaret, Anne, Ineke and Jilli.

In 2006, Adrian and Roslyn Hunt retired from the Deepings Dolls business, passing the Deepings Dolls brand and product to Jilli and Tansy Roberts of Pendlerook Designs. Jilli has been painting Deepings Dolls for twenty years, and her daughter Tansy has taken on the role of business manager. Pendlerook Designs is continuing in the tradition set by the Deepings Woodturner, with the same Doll Artists and woodturners as before, and the same commitment to a special, quality product."

I couldn't resist their Henry VIII and have ordered him to add to my English Tudor collection.

Alpha Farnell Historical Dolls

Once again I have stumbled across a historical doll on Ebay produced by a company I have not encountered before. This George VI doll was produced by the J.K Farnell Toy Company as part of their Alpha Farnell line.

Starting in the mid 1800's, Farnell made an assortment of items, including pincushions and tea cozies. But with the death of John Kirby Farnell in 1897, the toy company changed its product line. Perhaps its most popular product was Teddy bears that were first produced in 1908.

It's most popular line, Alpha Bears were introduced in the 1920's. They were made of Yorkshire mohair and are thought to be the original inspiration for Winnie the Pooh.

The company was eventually sold to Action Toycraft Ltd. in 1968 and renamed Twyford Works. Eventually, the company closed its doors in the mid 1970's.

R. John Wright Teddy Roosevelt doll crops up on Ebay

Today, my eBay alert for Teddy Roosevelt character dolls sent me a notice of a beautifully detailed Teddy Roosevelt doll produced by R. John Wright. I had never heard of or seen one of these dolls so I was intrigued and looked up his creator on the web.

"Naturally artistic, R. John Wright always felt his path would lead to a creative career. Born in Michigan, John attended Wayne State University in a liberal arts program with an emphasis on art and literature. Following college, John traveled to New England and settled in New Hampshire.

While browsing in a bookstore, John came across a book The Doll authored by Carl Fox. Intrigued with the profusion of photographs featuring antique dolls, and having recently made the acquaintance of porcelain dollmaker, Gail Wilson, John began to contemplate the possibility of a career in dollmaking. Two years later he met his future wife and creative partner, Susan, who was a recent graduate of the University of New Hampshire with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree. Little did she suspect that her meeting with John would redirect her talents and destiny to doll making. The couple settled in Brattleboro, Vermont in 1974.

In 1976, when he was abruptly laid off from his job as a clerk in the town hardware store, John decided to try his hand at dollmaking. That afternoon he began to sew a crude figure - his first doll - out of the only fabric at hand, a piece of pale yellow flannel. John had never sewn anything before, but this first effort came quickly and the process seemed to hold much potential - he could only get better! Before the first doll was completed, he was already thinking of the improvements he would make on the second one.

Within a few weeks of having been employed as a clerk in the hardware store, John made a group of six similarly constructed men dolls out of flesh-colored felt. These dolls featured rudimentary rustic-style clothing and sheep's wool hair and beards.
He took these first dolls to a crafts gallery downtown where they were purchased on-the-spot to retail for the price of $28 each. During the next six months, John made and sold over a hundred of these primitive felt dolls to area craft stores. Susan increasingly helped John with the production and together they embarked on an intense period of research. Within six months the dolls advanced beyond the primitive stage and featured joints and more sophisticated clothing and accessories.

PRODUCTION GROWS
Working now as a creative team, the couple's doll work soon overtook their small ground-floor apartment turned into a makeshift doll factory. Exhibition in juried craft shows throughout New England provided the expanding wholesale and retail orders for the dolls. They soon began hiring assistants to come and help with the ever-increasing work load. One year after making his first doll, John sculpted the faces which would become his first molded felt dolls. Designs soon followed depicting Character Dolls with ethnically-inspired costumes and accessories.

The delightful Little Children Series premiered in 1980 around the time of the birth of the Wright's first child. The child dolls introduced a new look from R. John Wright, and the demand from collectors increased. The business moved to Cambridge, New York in the early 1980's where a highly skilled work force was trained and specialized machinery developed to increase production.

BACK TO VERMONT
In 2004 R. John Wright Dolls returned to Vermont moving their innovative and enterprising company to an idylic 17-acre setting on the outskirts of historic Bennington. The Wright's continue to oversee all phases, always stressing the highest quality materials, craftsmanship and integrity of design which for over twenty-five years have formed the cornerstones of all R. JOHN WRIGHT collectibles. - Official R. John Wright website.

Ignite offers Julius Caesar and Roman Vexallarius

I noticed in my recent newsletter from Michigan Toy Soldier that they were offering all in-stock Ignite figures for 30% off so I hurried to their website to see which Ignite figures they had in stock. Since they were all listed, I called the store and discovered that I was able to order Julius Caesar, a Roman Vexillarius, a Norman (Viking) warrior and a Teutonic Knight. I was hoping to snag a Greek hoplite but alas, I was too late for that.

They arrived the other day and I was quite pleased with all but the Julius Caesar figure. He was dressed in a white cuirass with white trim and caligae (sandals) and most puzzling of all he had a smooth conical helmet with white wings??? I think I will email Ignite and see if I can get a standard Roman officer's helmet for him.

I was particularly pleased with the detail of the Roman Vexallarius. I only wish his wolf skin had been faux fur instead of soft vinyl.

Aiden of Oren dolls now offered in 7 1/2" sizes

As I have previously mentioned, I love the beautifully detailed medieval-themed dolls from Oren Village. Last night I received a flyer from the Doll Market and I see that Oren Village has released a new small sized series of their popular dolls. Right now Doll Market has them on sale for $12 each or all three for $20. Even though I already have the larger versions I couldn't pass up this offer.