More Images of the large Izannah Walker Doll

Today I drove to James D. Julia's auction house to take images of the large 27" Izannah Walker doll which will be auctioned on November 22nd.  I have personally documented over 15 Izannah Walker dolls to date with detailed photographs.   It was interesting seeing a very large Izannah Walker doll, as most of the dolls I've seen have been between 15 and 21 inches in length.  

courtesy James D. Julia, Inc.

The large sized dolls have a totally different feel.  All images are copyright Dixie Redmond 2013,  courtesy of James D. Julia, Inc. 

Description: 

An interesting story accompanies this doll. A gentleman from Rhode Island brought this doll to the Julia offices. He told us that his late wife rescued this doll from a trash heap in their neighborhood some 20 years ago. Extremely attractive hand painted cloth doll made in Central Falls, RI circa 1860 with one piece head and upper torso with all molded and painted features having wonderful detail to the ears and three dimensional molding to the eyes. She has short brown painted hair with four ringlet curls draping in front of the exposed ears, well molded eyelids and dark blue eyes with highlighted irises. The entire body is covered with stockinet and the hands and lower legs are also molded and painted cloth in a manner similar to the painting of the head. As is typical with these larger models she has the rarer bare feet with separately stitched toes. SIZE: 29" (73 cm). CONDITION: Some possible, very aged enhancement to lip coloring. Shoulder plate shows aged paint touch up to shoulder plate although black light inspection does not show these discrepancies. Further black light inspection reveals no touch up to facial features, head, or other body parts. Both ankles have been damaged at some point in the past and have been reinforced with old cloth.

courtesy James D. Julia, Inc.

Her body shape is very interesting, with a narrower waist than many Izannah dolls have.  It kind of reminds me of Queen Ann doll bodies in shape.  

image courtesy James D. Julia, Inc.copyright 2013 Dixie Redmond

image courtesy James D. Julia, Inc.copyright 2013 Dixie Redmond

image courtesy James D. Julia, Inc.copyright 2013 Dixie Redmond

James Julia to Auction 27" Izannah Walker Doll

image courtesy James D. Julia, Inc.

James Julia will be offering a

large 27" Izannah Walker doll 

at their November 22, 2013 auction.

On Monday I will be going to visit this doll in person.

Description:

An interesting story accompanies this doll. A gentleman from Rhode Island brought this doll to the Julia offices. He told us that his late wife rescued this doll from a trash heap in their neighborhood some 20 years ago. Extremely attractive hand painted cloth doll made in Central Falls, RI circa 1860 with one piece head and upper torso with all molded and painted features having wonderful detail to the ears and three dimensional molding to the eyes. She has short brown painted hair with four ringlet curls draping in front of the exposed ears, well molded eyelids and dark blue eyes with highlighted irises. The entire body is covered with stockinet and the hands and lower legs are also molded and painted cloth in a manner similar to the painting of the head. As is typical with these larger models she has the rarer bare feet with separately stitched toes. SIZE: 29" (73 cm). CONDITION: Some possible, very aged enhancement to lip coloring. Shoulder plate shows aged paint touch up to shoulder plate although black light inspection does not show these discrepancies. Further black light inspection reveals no touch up to facial features, head, or other body parts. Both ankles have been damaged at some point in the past and have been reinforced with old cloth.

image courtesy James D. Julia, Inc.

Izannah Walker Doll Listed on Ruby Lane

A lovely Izannah Walker Doll  has been listed  on Ruby Lane for $14,900.  You will want to visit this link to see the doll.  As we have seen recently on the Iannah Walker Chronicles, these dolls don't last long.  

http://www.rubylane.com/shop/annpruett-phillips

"Possibly Made By Izannah Walker" To Be SoldAnd a Definite Izannah Walker Doll Sold Yesterday

Yesterday I recived an auction alert from Skinner's for a doll which was listed as "possibly Izannah Walker".   The doll is pictured above.  Whether she is an Izannah Walker doll remains to be seen, but she is a very interesting folk art doll! 

UPDATE:   Here is the hammer price of the doll shown above at $4,800. 

My auction alert for this Izannah Walker doll which sold yesterday for the hammer price of $2,600 must have gone astray.  I love seeing Izannah dolls in this worn condition, as there are many clues about construction.  

While reading about a folk art cloth doll possibly made by Izannah Walker I happened upon this auction which happened yesterday.   The auction alert for this doll went astray in my inbox.  I love seeing dolls that have wear!   What clues they can give us about construction!  How loved they are!

Happy Birthday, Izannah!

If Izannah were alive today, I would give her a gift for her birthday. But what to give? A piece of land? She owned property, but no. That's a personal decision. A lifetime supply of stockinette? Nah, that's too business-like. But you know what I enjoy that Izannah didn't? The right to vote as a woman. So if I could wrap up suffrage in a custom artist-made box, that would be my gift to her. Because it is independent women like Izannah who worked to give women the rights we enjoy today - to own property, to vote, to have a voice in the shaping of our society.

Izannah Walker Doll "Ellie"

This lovely Izannah Walker doll, standing at 21" tall, 

can be found at Mary Ann Spinelli's site.  

Enjoy the images courtesy of Mary Ann.  

Tintype of Izannah Walker Doll

This charming tintype of a girl with her Izannah Walker doll was offered for sale at Kathy Schoemer American Antiques and is now sold. Note that the girl and the doll wear very similar dresses.

Dixie's NOTE:  Any purchase agreement or statement of condition or terms is strictly between Kathy Schoemer and the buyer.  Dixie Redmond and/or the Izannah Walker Chronicles are not part of the transaction in any way, and receive no compensation for featuring items for sale on this blog. 

Izannah Walker Doll SOLD

The doll pictured above was priced at $19,500 

The doll is now SOLD

R. John and Susan Wright have offered this beautiful antique Izannah Walker doll for sale (it is now sold).  This doll was formerly in the collection of Maureen Popp and was pictured in John Darcy Noble’s book “A Treasury of Beautiful Dolls”.  The Wright's have owned her for some 30 years.  The Wright's doll is very similar to the wonderful Ella doll, which can be seen here.  Ella has a provenance dating her to 1857.   The Wright's doll is very similar in body shape and construction of the head to Ella. 

Images of the body:

Dixie's NOTE:  Any purchase agreement or statement of condition or terms is strictly between the Wrights and the buyer.  Dixie Redmond and/or the Izannah Walker Chronicles are not part of the transaction in any way, and receives no compensation for featuring dolls on this blog. 

Something to Bragg About by Monica Bessette

Because the content in this post will be in Monica's upcoming book, I've removed this post.  I'm looking forward to reading her book! 

Izannah Walker Sells on Ebay

Skinner auctioned three dolls in a group in May.  One of the dolls was an Izannah Walker doll. Click here to see images of that doll.  The lot is listed as having sold for $5535 (unsure if this is the hammer price or includes buyer's premium). You can see the hallmarks of an Izannah doll in the shape of the body and its construction.  These old dolls of 150 + years are always a puzzle, as to what and if they have been helped at one time or another.  They are fun to study for sure.  This Izannah Walker doll made its way to Ebay, selling for $9,999.99.  I've placed images of the doll on my Pinterest Board of Izannah Walker Dolls.  

Theriault's Sells Two Izannah Walker Dolls at Auction

Theriault's auctioned two Izannah Walker Dolls on April 14th 

UPDATE - Hammer price for the two dolls was $10,000

To this, a bidder's premium and possibly state taxes would be applied. 

Internet bidders pay a bidders premium of 14%,

 with 2% cash discount payment. 

Here is their auction description:

Lot: 148. Two Rare Early American Cloth Dolls by Izannah Walker

21" (53 cm.) Each is all-cloth with stiffened,pressed and oil-painted facial features and hair,depicting a young girl,having cotton sateen stitch-jointed body,oil-painted hands with stitched fingers,wearing early cotton dresses. Condition: good,finish is well worn. Comments: Izannah Walker of Rhode Island,mid-19th century,although the dolls were patented by the artist in 1873,it is likely that they were made for some years prior to that. Included is a model with ringlet curls,especially detailed stitch-sculpting of ears,brown downcast eyes,and a model with short brown feathered curls and large brown eyes. Value Points: the rare and sought-after American doll is particularly charming as this pair with variant hair styles,posed on wooden bench with antique quilt.

Presale Estimate: 9000/13,000

Edyth's Izannahs, Old and New

Edyth O'Neill has been a doll collector for decades.  An artist in her own right, Edyth is a painter, doll maker, and well known hooked rug designer.   Above is a grouping of Izannah dolls - antique dolls in the center, flanked by reproduction dolls made by Jan Conwell   Here is what Edyth has to say about her antique Izannahs:

“Hannah, at middle left, is shy and faded and worn. An antique Izannah Walker doll, she has had minimal restoration. Her Sister in the middle right has just joined her and has had a split in the center back of her head repaired and probably a patch in the center of her forehead as well as extensive repainting. Comparison with Chronicle photos of many other Izannahs leads me to believe that the second color around the doll’s hairline in front and on the bottom of the front curls on both sides is not unusual on the old ones. Perhaps the darkest hair was painted first, and the softening lighter brown was added at the hairline and the tips of a few curls on each side. This might be a point of interest to doll makers of this genre. Both are dear examples of a beloved doll family.”

Two antique Izannahs, Hannah and her sister

Antique Izannahs left and center, Jan Conwell doll at right

Antique Izannahs left and center, Jan Conwell doll at right

dainty antique Izannah feet

Whispered secrets between sisters, the boy doll is feeling left out?

Edyth asks for suggestions for names for the boy doll made by Jan Conwell. 

Izannah Walker Doll Sold on Ebay

This antique Izannah Walker doll appeared and sold on Ebay by seller o.w. yesterday in a matter of hours through a Buy It Now Listing.  In the interest of reporting on all things Izannah, I'm putting this here for future reference.  I had asked the seller for additional pictures, but before she could send them to me, this girl was sold.  She has a sweet shape to her face, and the side profile is endearing.  Who knows where she has been in her 150+ years of life?  

The description of the doll is: 

19" Antique & early Izannah Walker doll, ca. mid 1800's. This is a desirable American doll with the look of a primitive painting. It has a stockinette pressed head, oil painted hair, applied ears and muslin body with painted limbs. This is the very early doll with the long side curls. This super example of an Izannah Walker doll has had some repairs as most of them have had: A split in the fabric on back of head has been repaired and reinforced. Overpaint has been removed from lower cheeks. I have blacklighted the doll and the head repair doesn't show up but scratches on the cheeks do where paint was removed. 

Here is the link to the auction, where you can see more images.  I have a new habit of taking screen shots of Izannah auctions on Ebay, to remember the date, seller, etc.  

via Ebay  - seller o.w. 

Izannah Walker Doll Body Designs

In 2011 I went to Withington's to see the Izannah Walker doll on the right which was to be auctioned.  While I was there, the wonderful Withington's people arranged for another doll to visit so that I could take pictures of two dolls together.  The pictures were for an article about Izannah Walker dolls to be published in an Early American Life, written by my friend Edyth O'Neill and myself.

It was fascinating to see the two dolls side by side.  Ella, the doll on the left, has provenance which shows that she was made in the 1850's.  We do not know when the doll on the right was made, but some elements are different when you compare the dolls.   Artists try different things from creation to creation.  

Ella has a much narrower waist and seems to have the shape of a lady doll as compared to the doll on the right. If you compare only from the shoulders up, the proportions are similar. But from the shoulders down there are quite a few differences.  

Ella's arms have a curve, while the doll on the right's arms hang in a more straight fashion. The doll on the right has a body which presents as strong, with larger and longer legs.  Ella's body over all is narrower, with a more extreme waistline, narrower hips, and dainty legs.  

Here is another image of Ella and her friend.  :-)  In this image you can see how the curve of the body has changed - the doll on the right has a much more upright presentation.  

Anyway, I find comparing dolls fascinating.  

But it strikes me that when you base a pattern on one antique doll you are basing it on that individual doll.   If I were to redesign my Izannah Walker pattern and based it on my doll Hope (an antique Izannah doll), I would be making a pattern based on HOPE.   I'm designing a doll pattern based on Philadelphia Sheppard Babies, and it is interesting to see two of that type side by side.  It is the job of the designer to consider, what are the elements that are there in ALL dolls of this type, and which design features are specific to a particular doll.  

Here are some other images of bodies of Izannah Walker dolls. In these dolls, we do not know which elements are original, but the shapes themselves can give interesting information about Izannah Walker dolls when shown as a group.  

courtesy of DGW Auctions

courtesy of Carmel Doll Shop

Izannah Walker Doll sold on Ebay

Izannah Walker doll at Withington's

Izannah Walker doll I saw at Lucy's Doll House

Thank You, Generous Izannah People!

Dixie Redmond with an antique
original Izannah Walker doll at
Withington Auctions before the doll sold.
A lot more gray hair here!

When I first started studying antique Izannah Walker dolls, the only images and information I could find were in books and magazines, and there were not many images.  So I set out to create what I wish existed.  I traveled to Lucy's Doll House and to Withington's to take pictures of original Izannah Walker dolls.  Those trips were joys - and still are in my memories.   These two businesses started me on my way with these studies.  

As time has gone by others have begun to share images of Izannahs and information as it comes along.  I appreciate it so much.  It is because of the generosity of auctioneers and collectors and museums that this site exists for those who cannot travel to see Izannah Walker dolls.  Thank you to all of you who share images and information freely for people who cannot travel to see original Izannah Walker dolls.  

Me at the beginnig of the journey!
More brown hair here!

In the time that I have been studying Izannahs, my hair has gone from brown with some gray to mostly white, and I have written a published article about Izannah Walker dolls with my dear friend Edyth O'Neill.  The article was originally published in Early American Life magazine.  Izannahs have been and always will be part of my life story. I am thankful for this journey.  

Read the article that Edyth and I wrote here, 

originally published in Early American Life.

Antique Doll Collector February 2013 Issue:Izannah Walker Doll on Cover

The February 2013 Cover of Antique Doll Collector features an Izannah Walker doll, along with many other wonderful dollsfrom the Worthington Historical Society. 

Izannah Walker Doll Available on Ebay and Ruby Lane

An Izannah Walker Doll is listed for sale on Ebay and Rubylane.  The asking price for this 24" doll is $22,000.   A visit to this link will provide additional pictures of the doll, as well as a description.  

UPDATE:   This doll sold via Ruby Lane for $18K on the same day it was listed.