Saturday, November 6, 2010

Children and Dolls

Don't children and dolls just go together? They're one of those staples of childhood: now, 25 years ago, nearly 100 years ago. Sometimes it's a stuffed animal, sometimes a baby doll. No matter, there's something about children and dolls that belong together, even if only for a brief time.

At top left is my father, Lee Doyle. I have two photographs of him at two different ages with different dolls. I admit to being surprised to see him with a doll. He probably didn't stick with them for very long. He looks about 2 or 3 in this photo, so it might have been taken in 1915 or 1916.

To his right is my mother, Audrey Meinzen. She's about 5 or 6 in this photograph so the year is probably about 1920 or 1921. My sister still has my mom's china doll, though I think the one she's holding here is a different doll.

The last photo is my daughter, more than 20 years ago, with her favorite doll. She's very pleased to have found a way to carry the doll without using her hands.

Enjoy other posts about family, old photographs, etc. at Sepia Saturday.

11 comments:

  1. Wonderful photos and story to go with them. I agree, what would childhood have been without a doll? I am lucky to have my mother-in-law's doll which would be about 80 years old now.

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  2. love your daughter's baby carrier. i wonder what happened to the dolls that used to be at my grandmother's? haven't thought about them in years.

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  3. Dolls with dolls! I often asked for a doll for Christmas. I didn't really want one - I just felt I was supposed to have one. After my children were old enough to go out and not be home for dinner I bought two Cabbage Patch dolls and set them at the dinner table in their places.

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  4. Wonderful! your Dad's doll looks as if it might have been a ventriloquist doll. My favorite is the photo of your daughter; what a joy.

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  5. LOVE these pictures. My son is 3 and loves dolls. My daughter is 5, and got an American Girl doll a month or so ago. She's so into it that this weekend we are transforming an old microwave cart into a closet for the doll...completely with a disco ball and pink shag rug.

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  6. After Reading Your Post I Closed My Eyes + I Could See The Teddy I Had As A Child.....I Havnt Thought About it in 50 Years.Imagine!

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  7. Christine, I thought perhaps it was a ventriloquist doll, too. I think it was too early for Charlie McCarthy, but it reminds me of him.

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  8. MuseSwings, I think it's funny that you didn't really want dolls but then bought the Cabbage Patch after your children were gone. It's hard having that empty space at the table when they're old enough to leave.

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  9. Kerry, I'm sure your daughter is thrilled that you're going to the effort to provide a "home" for her doll. I don't know what it is about the A.G. dolls that girls love! Have fun this weekend.

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  10. Tony, do you still have your teddy? I guess those childhood toys aren't something we think about very often, are they. They give us comfort when we're little but then we outgrow them and move on. I still have my old teddy--can hardy believe it, really.

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  11. It is an interesting study of dolls. My oldest teddy was a hand me down and I regret was tossed when I wasn't looking. The old guy probably was of good value as it was a classic old one. Nice post today with all their companions.

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I appreciate your comments and look forward to reading what you have to say. Thanks for stopping by.

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