Schoenhut Restoration and Doll Repair rules

This is another Schoenhut I restored.  It is a Miss Dolly type, which is the 'every day' doll the company made.  I did another Miss Dolly sometime back, please check out that post for more info on the doll itself.  While I was satisfied with this restoration, the owner was not completely.  I mention this in order to discuss expectations for the restoration of older dolls.  I have a couple of lines I make in the sand -

1. This is an antique doll.  I will leave all original paint, facial features, etc. that  I can and will not repaint or alter them unless I deem the request reasonable.

2. An old doll is an old doll.  I will not make them look brand new.  That's not what I am about.

3. At times, as the project and the doll dictate, I will leave paint missing, uneven edges, and rough places.  Again, this has to do with #2.

4. I use photos of antique dolls and follow them for repairs - this means I match the antique colors as far as lips, nose dots, etc.  Again, I will not make these look new or use improper colors.

Some of these rules applied to the job where the customer was not completely satisfied.  She did not like the lip color or the unevenness of the fill on the face.  If you intend to have a repair done, PLEASE ask questions before agreeing to it and make clear what your wishes and desires are.

One Hundred Years of Dolls Program

Most of you who read this blog are not from my local area, and so you probably do not know that I give talks on antique dolls and other historic subjects.  My main doll program is entitled: One Hundred Years of Dolls. It focuses on how both the dolls and the lives of their owners changed over the one hundred year period from the 1830s to the 1930s.  I start with Milliner's Models and end with Lencis and the beginning of the era of the Composition Doll.  I am available to present programs throughout the year.  Please email me at mcumminsfair1@gmail.com if interested.

This talk was given at the Troy Hayner Cultural Center in Troy OH in early 2015.  This was a slightly shorter program that covered the lifetime of the woman the center is named for - Mary Jane Hayner. The program was entitled: Dolls of a Victorian Childhood.

Life 'as it is' and Milliner's Model completed

As I reread my last few posts, I saw that I had mentioned my mother's fall in January of this year.  I was working my way through the medical maze at the time of admissions, brief stays, etc.  The nightmare continued as I had to make the choice to place my mother in a full-time facility.  Not only was I unable to cope with her physical needs, but the dementia she had been experiencing progressed rapidly from there and, in the end, she needed professional 24 hour a day care.  This meant applying from Medicaid. This second nightmare took until the end of February.  In March I had surgery, which took about 2 months to recover from - and then I was back to work at the historic site.  I mention all of this to explain why I have not posted to this blog since last January!

Goodness, time does indeed fly!

Anyhow, I hope to get back to posting more regularly.  This is my season for working on dolls, so I should have some new projects to share soon.

For today, I am going to re-post the 'after' photos of the little Milliners Model I featured in the last restoration post.  (She has been redressed since the last photo was taken.  This was a quick 'mock up' dress to take the photo).

Thanks for reading and for your patience!

Marla

Still here....

This week marks the end of the 2015 season at the historic site where I work.  I have been doing some doll repair though this year - more than others - it has been hard to keep up with it while working.  I will be concentrating on dolls for the next 4 - 5 months and hope to show off my projects here as before - 

So....................keep checking back! 

Marla