Victorian Dolls, Victorian Traditions, The Victorian Era, and Me

Sunday, May 5, 2019

The History of Faceless Dolls By Linda Walsh - Introduction, Parts I - Part XXIII and Conclusion - Updated February 2015

I have loved Victorian dolls since I was a little girl and can blame my grandmother for that. You see, as a young girl she gave me a Godey’s Fashion print for August 1870 that belonged to my great, great Aunt Flossie. From that moment on I was hooked. I was captivated by the beautiful dresses and wanted to create dolls wearing them.

Eventually I was able to design my own Victorian "Lady" dolls, like the one pictured on the left, who are all faceless. Now you might be wondering why they are faceless. It's because I wanted each to have its' own distinct personality.

My feeling is that faces overwhelm the dolls personality and have a greater impact on their personality. I wanted the clothing, clothes, hair, color scheme, etc. of the period to determine the personality of the doll.

As far as I am concerned "Beauty lies not only in what is seen, but what is imagined. I believe the essence of a dolls beauty should determine her personality."

You could compare this to the use of mannequins by museums. Most mannequins in museum dress & textile exhibits are either headless or have heads, but they are generally faceless. Or, they have the sculpted definition of facial features but they are not painted. The idea is to not distract from the beauty of the dress or textile piece on display. The same holds true for store window displays.

I have also been a history buff since I was a little girl and loved doing research for history projects all throughout my school years. I especially loved to research everything and anything about the Victorian Era. Their history, their etiquette, their fashion, their hopes, their desires.... In fact, sometimes I think I was born in the wrong era.

Designing handmade faceless dolls was not a novel idea as faceless dolls have been around for a long, long time. However, given my penchant for history I, of course, was curious about the history of faceless dolls. So, back in 2006 I decided to do a little research on the history of faceless dolls and wrote a research article for my Linda's Blog that I subsequently updated in 2009.

I figured that there had to be a history of handmade faceless dolls out there or, at least, some cultures and norms. Believe it or not but there wasn't a lot of information back in 2006 on the web on either the history of faceless dolls or cultures and norms that started such a tradition. There was a little more when I updated my research in 2009.

There was some information on two of the most popular and widely known faceless dolls - Amish dolls and corn husk dolls. And there was the legend surrounding Raggedy Ann and "faceless" dolls.

In doing my research, what I was pleasantly surprised with was the application of "faceless" dolls for so many current charities or organizations. More on that a little later.

I was hoping that now, in 2015, things would have changed a little and there would be more information on their history. I'm happy to report that there is a lot more now and that over the last few years there is a growing trend towards creating faceless dolls in all sorts of doll mediums - which thrills me to no end.

Part of the new trend has to do with creating eco-friendly and nature dolls and part has to do with allowing children to use their imagination more. It also has to do with comforting children facing tough medical situations. Without a face the dolls can be happy or sad, they can be laughing or crying - in essence, they can mimic the emotions of the child holding them. Putting a face on the doll defines the emotion of the doll with the child - which may or may not be comforting.

So, I decided to update my history of faceless dolls research article and include new research as well as some of the new trends. I hope you enjoy it.

Part 1 - Corn Husk Dolls and Native American Indian Faceless Dolls

Part II - Amish Dolls

Part III - Marafona Dolls of Portugal

Part IV - Dominican Republic Dolls

Part V - Russian Folk Rag Dolls

Part VI - Japanese Sarubobo Dolls

Part VII - Goddess and Spirit Dolls

Part VIII - American Primitive, Prairie, Pioneer, Wagon Train, Appalachian and Folk Art Rag Dolls

Part VIIII - Handkerchief and Pillowcase Dolls

Part X - Twig, Pine Cone, Willow and Nature Craft Dolls

Part XI - Worry Dolls and Toothpick Dolls

Part XII - Fairies, Gnomes, Elves, Wee Folk, Bendy's, Pixies, and Trolls

Part XIII - Waldorfs

Part XIIII - Muslim Dolls

Part XV - Yarn Dolls

Part XVI - Mixed Media Faceless Dolls

Part XVII - Faceless Dolls of Francoise Bosteels

Part XVIII - Faceless Dolls From Carole's World Costume Doll Collection

Part XVIIII - The Ruth E. Aten World Doll Collection: Americas

Part XX - Other Faceless Doll Art

Part XXI - Books To Help You Create Your Own Faceless Dolls

Part XXII- A Very Famous Faceless Doll

Part XXIII - Faceless Dolls For Charity

I also created a History Of Faceless Dolls .PDF. If you would like to download my History Of Faceless Dolls .PDF please click here or on the picture below.

The History of Faceless Dolls

I think you all know that I, personally, love faceless dolls. Victorians, primitives, colonial, prairie dolls, rag dolls, or country style dolls. It doesn't matter. I love them all.

In fact, I created a video to reflect my feelings about faceless dolls which is: "Beauty lies not only in what is seen, but what is imagined. I believe the essence of a dolls faceless beauty should determine her personality."

Please CLICK HERE or on the video below if you would like to view my "Linda's Faceless Beauties" video.

Why do I love the faceless doll so much?

Because I think by being "faceless' the doll can be anything you want him or her to be. You create the dolls personality to be exactly what you imagine it to be. Their personality, therefore, reflects your creativity and your feelings.

And, as we've seen from the above mentioned articles the application can be heartwarming, meaningful and beautiful.

In researching doing the research to update my History of Faceless Dolls article I was thrilled to see that there are hundreds of artists and crafters who are now creating various types of "faceless" dolls in all different medium. I couldn't be happier to see all these wonderful new applications for faceless dolls. I'm hoping you all will agree.

For more information on all my free e-patterns, e-printables and e-books please CLICK HERE.

Please respect My Terms of Use: All patterns, e-patterns, printables, e-printables, e-books, graphics, tutorials, how-to's, articles and other e-products © 2004-2021 Linda Walsh Originals-Designs by Linda Walsh. All rights reserved. Commercial selling or reselling by any means prohibited without the written consent of Linda Walsh.

Patterns, e-patterns, printables, e-printables, e-books, graphics, tutorials, how-to's, articles and other e-products are for personal use only. You may not modify, photocopy, download, upload, post, transmit, display, perform, publish, license, reprint, create derivative works from, mass duplicate, re-sell, digitize, and reproduce in any other form (print, digital or electric) or commercially apply, embed, share, Email, or redistribution in any other means. Use of any of the above is prohibited without the written permission of Linda Walsh.

However, you may link to my website(s)/blog(s) and the individual page(s)/blog post(s) (including 1 picture) but do not copy, reprint or duplicate my website(s)/blog(s) or individual page(s)/post(s ) without my permission.

Items made from Linda Walsh Originals E-Patterns are intended for personal use for fun or small scale personal and business profit as long as you credit us with the design. Large scale commercial use (i.e. mass production) of items made from Linda Walsh Originals E-Patterns are by permission only.

Please see my Terms and Conditions for additional information.

Gotta Love Doll Histories - Enjoy My Posts Free E-Books!

Besides being a lover of victorian dolls and genealogy I also love history - especially doll histories. Being a lover of doll histories prompted me to write all the doll history posts on my Victorian Dolls, Victorian Traditions, The Victorian Era and Me blog.

I thought if you were as interested in doll histories as I am you'd like an easier way to read all my dol history posts. So, I created .PDF's for all of my posts. In all there are 4 different .pdf's each with up to 50 pages. If you would like to download my "Gotta Love Doll Histories Part 1 - Part 4 just click on the pictures or titles below:

Gotta Love Doll Histories - Part 1

The Bangwell Putt Rag Doll

The Molly Brinkerhoff Doll

The White House Doll

Apple Head Dolls

Penny Wooden or Peg Wooden Dolls

Wishbone Dolls

Early American Wooden Dolls By Joel Ellis

Tuck Comb Wooden Dolls

Grodnertal Tuck Comb Wooden Peddler Dolls

Grodnertal Wooden Costume Dolls

Beautiful Peddler or Pedlar Dolls

William F. Goodwin Patent Walking Doll

Dolls From The Index of American Design at National Gallery Of Art

Shell Dolls

Frozen Charlotte Dolls

Gotta Love Doll Histories - Part 2

Clay Pipe Dolls

Roxanna Elizabeth McGee Cole's Dolls

Wooden Spoon Dolls and More

Bartholomew's Babies

Carved Nut Dolls

Clothespin Dolls

Miss Columbia and the Columbian Rag Doll

Pioneer & Prairie Dolls, Rag Dolls, Appalachian Dolls, Wagon Train Dolls, Table Cloth Dolls, Pillowcase Dolls, Handkerchief & Prayer Dolls, Folk Art Dolls

Quaker Dolls

Gotta Love Doll Histories - Part 3

Missionary Rag Babies

China Head Dolls

Babyland Rag Dolls With Painted Faces and Lithograph Faces

Wax Dolls, Montanari and Pierotti Dolls

Polly Heckewelder Moravian Rag Dolls

First Presbyterian Church Rag Dolls

Izannah Walker Dolls

Papier-Mâché Dolls

Milliner's Models Dolls

Boudoir Dolls

17th, 18th and 19th Century Wardrobe or Trousseau Dolls

Topsy-Turvy Dolls - Two In One

Gotta Love Doll Histories - Part4

The Maggie Bessie Cloth Doll

17th, 18th, and 19th Century Wooden Dolls

For The Love Of Rococo Dolls

Hitty Dolls

The Beautiful Collection of Fashion Dolls At The Strong National

Museum of Play

How Wonderful! I Heard From A Descendant of Roxanna Cole - Hilarie Johnston

The French Doll Fashion Collection At The MET

The Innu Tea Doll

DOLL HISTORIES ON MY LINDA'S BLOG

A Little More Information on Making Goddess, Spirit and Healing Dolls Of Your Own

Barbie - A Young Girl's Obsession!

Who Doesn't Love Paper Dolls?

I hope you enjoy all my posts. If you'd rather read them on my Victorian Dolls, Victorian Traditions, The Victorian Era and Me blog the links for the individual posts are below:

The History of Faceless Dolls By Linda Walsh - Introduction, Parts I - Part XXIII and Conclusion - Updated February 2015

I hadn't realized how many doll histories posts I'd written for my Victorian Dolls, Victorian Traditions, The Victorian Era and Me Blog until I decided to create some free e-books for all the posts.

Most of the doll histories articles were posted to my Victorian Dolls, Victorian Traditions, The Victorian Era and Me blog. If you would like to read any of these please click on the links below.

Doll Histories On My Victorian Dolls, Victorian Traditions, The Victorian Era and Me Blog

For more information on all my free e-patterns, e-printables and e-books please CLICK HERE.

Patterns, e-patterns, printables, e-printables, e-books, graphics, tutorials, how-to's, articles and other e-products are for personal use only. You may not modify, photocopy, download, upload, post, transmit, display, perform, publish, license, reprint, create derivative works from, mass duplicate, re-sell, digitize, and reproduce in any other form (print, digital or electric) or commercially apply, embed, share, Email, or redistribution in any other means. Use of any of the above is prohibited without the written permission of Linda Walsh.

Please see my Terms and Conditions for additional information.

Thursday, August 24, 2017

My New Victorian Doll - Will You Marry Me, Henri? - Victorian Gentleman Proposing Marriage Doll

For several years now my younger brother has wanted me to make a groom doll to go along with all the Victorian "Lady" bridal dolls I had made for my sister-in-law. I kept putting it off as I didn't want to create a Victorian doll the same way my Victorian "Ladies" had been created. I wanted something different and hadn't quite decided what I wanted until this summer.

I decided that I wanted to create a Victorian gentleman doll that would be entirely bendable and be on one knee proposing to his lovely lady while holding her engagement ring.

The doll could be made either on one knee proposing, standing and proposing or sitting and proposing and would make a unique and beautiful way for someone to propose to someone else.

Can you imagine siting at a fancy restaurant with your boyfriend and having him present you with a doll on one knee holding your engagement ring? What an adorable way to ask someone to marry you.

Or, suddenly surprising you with this proposal doll at a family and friends gathering? How surprised would you be by that?

So, "Will You Marry Me, Henri!" was born.

Henri has been looking for the perfect way to ask his beautiful lady to marry him and decided that he'd follow the traditional way and propose to her on one knee this weekend. He had already spoken to her father and he had welcomed Henri into the family with open arms. He would be dressed in his finest outfit, be carrying her beautiful diamond engagement ring, and would propose to her in front of her family and friends. He was hoping she'd say, "Yes!"

Henri is a fully bendable 12" Victorian groom cloth doll with an embroidered and water-colored face. He is wearing his best Victorian satin suit with fully lined long black satin fabric jacket with folded back black check fabric lined collar and lapels adorned with buttons. His fancy white shirt is gathered at the neck and wrists and has a matching lace trimmed fancy ascot which is tied around his neck.

He is wearing black satin double cuffed pants that are gathered at the waist which is covered with a red satin cummerbund.

He has a full head of thick brown/gray roving hair underneath his matching black polyester fabric with black check lining hat which sits atop his head. His black polyester boots are criss-cross laced with black DMC embroidery floss for laces. His is bending down on one k nee is a proposal position and is holding his lovely ladies engagement ring. He is affixed to a wood stained doll stand.

Pattern includes instructions for making the wood stained stand and instructions for bending Henri on one knee and proposing, standing and proposing, or sitting and proposing.

Henri is hoping that his lovely lady will say, "Yes!" What do you think? Will she?

My Henri doll makes an adorable way to ask someone to marry you.

Designer - Linda Walsh Originals

Tuesday, August 22, 2017

My First Victorian Doll I Named "Linda" - Of Course!

If you aren't a reader of my Linda's Blog you might not know that I'm a doll maker and doll pattern designer. I'm also a bit of a genealogy buff. So, I decided to combine my love of doll making and love of genealogy by naming my doll patterns after members of my family - past and present. I thought by doing so that it would be a nice way to honor my ancestors.

In any event, I thought that the first article in my "The Story Behind Each of My Doll Patterns" series should be the first doll and doll pattern that I designed. Her name is "Linda" and her picture is the one at the top of this article. And, "yes" she is named after me. What a surprise? Bet you could see that coming a mile away.

I gave a lot of thought to "Linda" as I wasn't quite sure where and how to begin. Besides being a lover of dolls and genealogy I also have a passion for the clothes of the Victorian Era. I wanted my first doll, my namesake, to be a Victorian. I also knew that I wanted my dolls to be able to stand up on their own.

I'd seen a lot of porcelain dolls which were all very beautiful but, wanted something different. I wanted to design a doll who had a "distinct" personality that was not determined by her face. What I wanted was to create a "faceless" doll. My feeling is that faces overwhelm the dolls personality and, therefore, have a greater impact on her personality. I wanted the clothing, hair, accessories, color scheme, etc. of the Victorian period to determine the personality of the doll.

So, I decided that the best way to accomplish this was to use a wooden ball for the head, a 1/4" dowel for the neck, a 1" dowel for the body, and a wood circle for the base. Her wooden head would be painted with a flesh colored paint. I added a little blush for color. Her arms were going to be wires covered with batting so they were bendable. Also, her hands were going to be made out of old lace, preferably old lace gloves (talk about hard to find).

Batting was wrapped around the wood dowel for padding for the body. If I wanted her to be a little chunkier (what's wrong with chunky?) then I would just add more padding. A fitted slip was added to the lower part of her body and glued to the sides of the fitted circle so she was self-enclosed.

The fun part was that "Linda's" personality started to develop as I went along. Now this might sound a little crazy, but the doll kind of spoke to me as she was being created. If that sounds crazy to you that's okay. I know all my doll making and crafting friends will understand this.

"Linda" wanted to be a prim and proper Victorian so she decided that an 1850 Street Costume would be appropriate for herself. She wanted a lined 2-tier jacket with a 3-tiered lined shawl. She also wanted a lined bonnet, lace trimmed parasol, lace trimmed dress with long lace trimmed and gathered sleeves, lace gloves, lace trimmed slip and long curly blonde hair.

I tried to talk her out of being "blonde" with all the connotations that come with that. She didn't care. It was 1850 after all and they didn't have "dumb blondes" back then. Who came up with that term anyway? I told her that I, her namesake, had straight, fine hair. It didn't matter to her whether or not she looked like me. It was going to be long, curly blond hair or nothing. So, "Linda" had her way. Of course, my Mother would tell you that she was just like me in that regard.

So, "Linda" got her 1850 Street Costume and long, curly, blonde hair. She was well suited to be a prim and proper Victorian "Lady" if I didn't say so myself. Plus, as she tells me, she doesn't look anything like her namesake which she is thankful for. I don't know if I should be insulted or not. What do you think?

Monday, August 21, 2017

The Story Behind My "Celia's" Victorian Doll Pattern

A lot of my dolls have stories behind them. Here's the story of my "Celia" doll:

Celia is married to Elmer (see my post The Story Behind Elmers Little Boy ). They have been happily married for over 50 years and were recently moving into their new home. Since they were downsizing they had to either get rid of a lot of items or throw a lot away. So, they decided what to throw away and what to sell at their yard sale. When you've been married over fifty years there are a LOT of items.

In any event, one of the items Celia had decided to throw away was this old, grungy, doll who was just plain "a mess". She had lost most of her hair on the top of her head and had one long bunch of strands down one side of her head. Her fingers were all broken and her face was dirty. She had on an old, dirty, prairie dress and bonnet. I wish I had taken a picture of her so you could have seen how she was. Needless to say she was in desperate need of a make over. I think she was considering going to a day spa, but she wasn't aware of any dollie day spas. There definitely weren't any in the yellow pages.

So, of course, I took her home and we pondered her fate together. We decided she should be elegant. She'd had enough of this simple, primitive, country look and wanted to be a real "Lady". So we decided on a bit of a "French" aristocratic look for her. We needed something that would cover up her bald spots while still making it seem like she had a full head of hair. Definitely a twist was in store. The problem, however, was what to do with the rest of her head. I though maybe a combination of a large hat and "Gloria Swanson" type of turban would work. Celia was skeptical. It was a drastic step.

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Sunday, August 20, 2017

Penelope Pumpkin Lady - Victorian Pumpkin Art Doll - New Handmade Doll and E-Pattern

Penelope Pumpkin Lady is just the sweetest pumpkin lady you'd ever want to meet. She's very refined and loves dressing in her finest Victorian outfit and sipping English Breakfast Tea with scones. For her life doesn't get any better than that.

Penelope's pumpkin friends get angry at her because she doesn't spend any time in the pumpkin patch with them. She tries to explain to them that the pumpkin patch is not a place for a refined lady, especially one wearing her finest Victorian outfit. And, the bonnet - well, there's no way she'd wear that in the pumpkin patch. So, she tries to coax her friends into having tea and scones with her. It's not an easy sell as they like being outside in the pumpkin patch and hope that Penelope will one day come to her pumpkin senses and join them. They've got their fingers or should I say stems crossed.

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Saturday, August 19, 2017

Sometimes You Have A Favorite - Josephine Is One Of Them! - Victorian Lady Doll

Sometimes even designers have to admit they have favorite creations. They don't like to because they like to think that all of their creations are their favorites. It's kind of like mothers who when asked: "Mom, am I your favorite child?" reply with, "I love you all the same."

So, while I do love all my creations I do have to admit that some more than others just appeal to me. Just don't tell the "dollies" I said that. There will be sibling rivalry like unbelievable in our house if they find out.

In any event, Josephine is one such creation. I don't know whether it's her red hair or her green outfit with all the filly lace or both. There's just something beautifully appealing about her.

Josephine is a free-standing Victorian lady doll who can hardly wait for spring to show off her new toilette. When she saw it in the Godey Fashion Magazine she knew she had to have it. It was in her favorite color, after all. And, not too many outfits that season were in green. But, she knew that it would look wonderful on her and really highlight her beautiful red hair. So she ordered it and asked that it be sent as soon as possible.

Josephine is a 13" Victorian wood and cloth doll. Her arms are wire-shaped and covered. She also has a painted wood head and covered round wood base. Her inner body is made from a dowel covered with fabric and eyelet lace which is also covered by a gathered and lace trimmed slip.

Josephine is wearing a coordinated green outfit which consists of a lined jacket with large puffy sleeves, lined & fitted vest, large lace trimmed ruffled blouse with bow, and a multi-tiered lace trimmed and gathered skirt with floral decorations. Her beautiful red hair is fastened in a bun and is highlighted by a ribbon & floral trimmed lined hat with a large bow on the back. She is carrying a multi-tiered lace trimmed parasol.

Josephine thinks she looks quite fetching in her beautiful green outfit and hopes you agree. She doesn't mind being one of Linda's favorites. Just don't tell the other "dollies."

Designer - Linda Walsh of Linda Walsh Originals

Friday, August 18, 2017

What's Fair Is Fair! What About Me! It's All About "Debra!"

In my household you can't showcase any one particular doll without causing some kind of resentment by another doll.

This time my "Debra", you know the pain in the...., doll that I created and named after my baby sister was annoyed by yesterday's post about "My Favorite Victorian Doll."

She feels that if I'm going to mention her that I should at least show some pictures of her, too.

Well, I really can't come up with a rationale for not doing so. She is right. I did mention her in my post and I probably should have shown some pictures.

So, to appease "Debra" I'll give in and post about her here. You know, it seems to me that I used to have to appease my baby sister a lot, too. Boy, Debra really is like her namesake.

So, here we go. It's all about "Debra."

“Debra”is named after my baby sister. She is a 27” free-standing faceless Victorian doll that I designed for my "other Victorians" e-patterns and is wearing a 1853 walking dress.

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Thursday, August 17, 2017

My Victorian Lady Doll LouArlene - Victorian Lady Doll

LouArlene is a free-standing doll all ready for her afternoon stroll and tea with the ladies.

She has been anxiously awaiting her afternoon tea today so she can show of her new hat from Paris, France. It's the latest in Paris fashion and she's been waiting months to show all her friends. It's a perfect compliment to her new tea gown.

She is wearing a fancy gathered ribbon & lace trimmed dress with gathered and two-tiered lace trimmed long sleeves adorned with large gold buttons, and a V-shaped lace bodice on the front of her dress trimmed with gathered ribbon & lace trim. Lace adorns her waistband and accentuates her tiny waist.

She also has a painted wood head and covered round wood base. Her inner body is made from a dowel covered with fabric and eyelet lace. Her arms are wire-shaped and covered.

Underneath her tea gown she is wearing a lace trimmed slip and around her shoulders is a fancy lace shawl that belongs to her Mother. Hanging from her neck is a pearl necklace that she borrowed from her Mother, as well.

Her long blonde hair is tied in a bun with a braid framing her face. Sitting atop her beautiful braided head of hair is her new fancy lace & floral trimmed and lined bonnet, with ribbons & bows.

LouArlene knows that her new bonnet is just beautiful and that all her friends will want to order one for themselves. As far as LouArlene is concerned it's okay if all her friends order one for themselves. She will always be the first to have it and wear it.

Designer - Linda Walsh of Linda Walsh Originals

Wednesday, August 16, 2017

Elizabeth Just Loves Visiting Her Cousins! - Victorian Lady Doll

Elizabeth just loves visiting her cousins and having afternoon tea. She only gets a chance to do this once a week so she is really looking forward to her visit this afternoon.

Elizabeth comes from a large family and has many, many cousins. They all made a pact several years ago that despite all their busy schedules they would always try to meet at least once a week for tea.

Elizabeth just loves going because she catches up on all the comings and goings of her cousins. Some are more actively involved in the different societal events so they have more to tell. Some are more artistically inclined so she gets to hear about their new creations. And, some love to travel so she gets to hear all about their adventures.

Elizabeth is a 13" free-standing cloth and wood Victorian doll. Her arms are wire-shaped and covered. She also has a painted wood head and covered round wood base. Her inner body is made from a dowel covered with fabric and eyelet lace. Her lace trimmed slip is gathered at the waist.

She is wearing a coordinated outfit with a two-tiered laced trimmed ruffled dress with ruffled and gathered overlapping front and back over-skirt. Her outfit also has a lined jacket with gathered and puffed sleeves and jacket waistband. A lace & floral trimmed lined hat sits atop her mass of long curly brown hair and she is carrying a matching lace trimmed parasol.

Teas with her cousins are never boring and Elizabeth is looking forward to this afternoon's tea.

Designer - Linda Walsh of Linda Walsh Originals

Tuesday, August 15, 2017

Grandma Aurora May and Grandpa Lewis - On An Expedition!

A little while ago I asked the readers of my Linda's blog what kind of dolls they would like to see me design. Well, one of the responses was to design a "Grandmother and Grandfather" couple. I liked that idea and decided to make my Grandparents a Victorian couple.

I also decided that my "Grandma and Grandpa" couple should have marvelous gray hair so they could join the "Gray Is Beautiful" series of dolls. Of course, I had to ask all the "Gray Is Beautiful" dolls if this was okay with them. They thought about it for awhile and then told me they would be thrilled to have new members to their exclusive club. So, "Grandma Aurora May and Grandpa Lewis" were born and became the newest members of the "Gray Is Beautiful" series of dolls.

"Grandma Aura May - On An Expedition!" is ready to go. She's been ready for over a year and is anxious to get started on her expedition with "Grandpa Lewis - On An Expedition!"

"Grandpa Lewis - On An Expedition!" isn't as anxious to go. He loves to please his wife, but is really more of a homebody and would prefer to stay home working on his coin and stamp collections.

Grandma Aurora May loves a good adventure and loves finding new places and new venues to explore. She'd rather spend all day looking for a great site for a picnic and always looks forward to their annual expedition to the beach.

Her main reason is that she loves to spend time with her grandchildren and loves cooking for them.

It's not that Grandpa Lewis doesn't love his grandchildren - he adores them. It's just he doesn't have a lot of patience for his grand children's boundless energy and "ants in their pants" inability to sit still. After one day at the beach with the grandchildren he's ready to go home.

Grandma Aurora May tells him to lighten up a bit. That's the way children are. Full of energy. Exploring everything. What's wrong with that?

Well, Grandpa Lewis doesn't mind enthusiasm and willingness to learn. He just can't stand little idle hands playing with the cherished coins in his coin collection and touching all the stamps in his stamp collection.

And he can't leave his collections at home while he's on a three month expedition to the beach. He'd go stir crazy without something to keep him occupied all that time.

Grandma Aurora May really does understand her husband and knows that she has to keep him happy or their won't be anymore expeditions to the beach. And, that she wouldn't be happy about. So, each and every year she tells the grandchildren that Grandpa Lewis's stamp and coin collections are off limits. Most of the time the grandchildren listen. Sometimes, however, there are those idle hands.......

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Monday, August 14, 2017

Kimberly Is As Proud As She Can Be With A New Outfit - Victorian Lady Doll

Kimberly is as proud as she can be today. She's wearing a beautiful new outfit and can hardly wait to stroll down the boulevard and show it off. It's a beautiful day out for a stroll and she knows that she looks stunning in her new outfit. The colors are a wonderful compliment for her and she's sure she'll be catching many gentleman's eyes.

Of course, she's hoping that one special gentleman will be strolling down the boulevard today as well. She's got her fingers crossed.

Kimberly is a 13" free-standing doll cloth and wood doll wearing an 1876 Promenade Costume. She has a painted wood head and covered round wood base. Her inner body is made from a dowel covered with fabric and eyelet lace. Her lace trimmed slip is gathered at the waist.

She has a fancy multiple lace trimmed and gathered dress with lace trimmed long gathered sleeves. Her dress has a fancy laced trimmed over-skirt in the front and back that is decorated with wired ribbon bows. Silk ribbons adorn both the dress and sleeves.

Her beautiful and full long curly brown hair is tied with ribbons and a floral and lace trimmed lined feathered hat adorns her head. She also has a frilly fringed shawl wrapped around her shoulders and she is holding a fancy multiple lace trimmed and decorated parasol.

Kimberly is really trying to look her best today to catch the eye of a very special gentleman. She's got her fingers crossed and just hopes it doesn't rain.

Designer - Linda Walsh of Linda Walsh Originals

Sunday, August 13, 2017

My “Marie Antoinette” Victorian Faceless "Lady" Art Doll

“Marie Antoinette”, 13” Doll - Victorian Faceless "Lady" Art Doll E-Pattern - Victorian Lady Series - 1897 Paris Reception Gown - Pattern Category - Skill Level - Intermediate - 20 Pages

Marie Antoinette is a free-standing doll ready for court.

She has a very fancy two-tiered ruffled dress with a fancy lace covered and lined front panel and long gathered sleeves, shawl, fancy lace & floral lined and feathered hat, lace parasol, lace trimmed slip and long white curly hair tied with ribbons.

Her arms are wire-shaped and covered. She also has a painted wood head and covered round wood base. Her inner body is made from a dowel covered with fabric and eyelet lace. The waistband of her dress is adorned with pearls and lace.

Designer - Linda Walsh Originals

Saturday, August 12, 2017

My Victorian Lady Doll Augusta - Victorian Lady Doll

Augusta has been to the ball many, many times and this time she's wearing her favorite red lace ball gown. But, she isn't excited because she's wearing her favorite dress. It's because some of her younger friends Augusta Lilac, Augusta Black, and Augusta Blue are debutantes and attending their 1st debutante ball. They'd been dreaming of this for years and talking about the dress they wanted to wear. So, of course, they all had to have dresses just like Augusta.

Augusta's three younger friends are very much alike in their taste in clothing and usually buy the same clothes - albeit in different colors. All three wanted a beautiful dress with a long train. Well, maybe not so long that they couldn't dance, but long enough. They wanted lace and decorations and floral accents in their hair. And, most of all, they wanted their dresses to be alike, but not so alike that everyone would be able to guess. That was their private secret. But, different enough to reflect their own personalities. Just like Augusta.

"Augusta" is a 13" free-standing Victorian doll who wants to be the belle of the ball. She is wearing an 1850 Ball Gown.

She has very fancy 2-layer lace covered and lace trimmed dress with long puffed, gathered & ruffled coordinated sleeves and a fancy 2-layer lace covered and lace trimmed lined train. A lace covered and lined coordinated shawl is wrapped around her shoulders.

She has a painted wood head and covered round wood base. Her inner body is made from a dowel covered with fabric and eyelet lace. Her arms are wire-shaped and covered.

She has a coordinated sash around her waist which is tied in a large bow in the back and floral lace and pearl accents on her chest and sleeves.

Augusta is so proud of her younger friends and thinks they look absolutely stunning in their ball gowns. Not beautiful enough however to be the belle of the ball. That honor belongs to Augusta and no one else.

Designer - Linda Walsh of Linda Walsh Originals

Friday, August 11, 2017

Dee In Her 1870 Prairie Dress - Victorian Lady Doll

When I was designing my Victorian Ladies collection I wanted to make a simple Victorian Lady yet somewhat country doll in nature. Someone who you'd see strolling in a garden or park. Elegant but simple at the same time. With this in mind my "Dee" Victorian Lady doll design was born.

Dee is a free-standing doll all ready for her Sunday picnic. She just loves to stroll amongst the flowers just enjoying the country air. Without a care in the world. Searching out the perfect spot to place her blanket for her country picnic.

Dee is a 16" Old Lady" Victorian, yet country doll. She is a cloth and wood doll with a painted wood head and covered round wood base. Her arms are wire-shaped and covered. Her inner body is made from a dowel covered with fabric and eyelet lace. A lace trimmed slip frames her inner body and is gathered around her waist.

She is wearing a 3-tiered gathered lace trimmed dress with lace trimmed long sleeves and has a ribbon tied sash wrapped around her waist. Her shawl is crocheted and wrapped beautifully around her shoulders. Her blonde hair is tied in a bun in the back and her bonnet is decorated with ribbons and silk floral. She is carrying a basket of flowers.

Dee is the third Victorian doll I designed and is named after my Grandmother.

Most of the time Dee she likes to be near the lake. But, today, she prefers a spot next to the flower gardens. It's a lovely day and the flowers are all in full bloom. What could be better than tea and biscuits next to the flower garden on a beautiful day? Just a perfect day for a picnic. Wouldn't you agree?

Designer - Linda Walsh of Linda Walsh Originals