Last year I had the opportunity to meet a very special person. Her name was Delores Smith. She was a quietly passionate doll lover, who not only collected, but created stunning clothing and accessories for her dolls. Many of you may have known her through her job at Withington Auctions, where she was the doll specialist for 20 years. ❤
Delores asked me to make a reproduction Izannah Walker doll for her, based on Ella, a c. 1857 doll that she purchased in 2008 and later sold to another collector. The original Ella is a wonderful doll! Delores and I had such fun discussing all the little details of the doll I created for her. Together we sat down and looked through a box of antique fabrics that Delores had collected, weighing the pros and cons of each piece and finally deciding which should be used for the new doll’s dress. Delores was such a delight to work for and I think she enjoyed our discussions about her doll as much as I did.
This is the finished doll I made for her ❤
To see my original post about Delores’ doll click here.
There is a lovely article about Delores and her doll collection in the May issue of Antique Doll Collector magazine, which also tells the story of how she acquired the original Ella and a bit about the reproduction that I made for her.
On Thursday and Friday Withington Auction will be selling Delores’ amazing collection.
Click here to see the Withington Auction catalog.
Link to Withington Auction on facebook.
Link to Antique Doll Collector Magazine.
I loved the doll I made for Delores so much that I featured her in my ad for Izannah’s 201st birthday ❤
Izannah Walker Journal 