I’ve been working on an interesting project for the last few months. I was asked to make a reproduction Izannah Walker doll based on the wonderful circa 1857 doll named Ella, that was sold by Withington’s Auction in 2008. The first step was to determine which of the 16 different molds that I have of Izannah’s original dolls would most closely resemble Ella. My Ismay was made around the same time period that Ella was and has a similar, though slightly thinner face. Ismay has had many more active adventures in her life than Ella has, and is not in as pristine condition. So my second step was to make a plaster positive of Ismay’s head and carefully re-sculpt the most worn areas. Then I made new molds from the plaster head. For reference I used the stunning photos taken by Withington’s for their 2008 catalog. It’s been a lovely process and I have so enjoyed conferring with Delores about her new doll! She is not an exact copy of Ella, as she blends bits of Ella and Ismay together, but I think she has captured Ella’s spirit. ❤ Tomorrow she will be traveling to her new home. I’ll miss having her sweet company in my studio, but I’m thrilled that she is finally going to join her new doll family!
- you may click on any individual photo to enlarge it.
Izannah Walker Journal 