Arts of Delight

  I follow the Izannah Walker dollmaker Dixie Redmond on Facebook. Recently she wrote a post about a doll auction where five original dolls were sold. One of these was a rare boy doll by the name of John Thayer, and Dixie was allowed to photograph him close up from all angles. We are so blessed to have such an accomplished photographer and discriminating enthusiast in our midst, for these pictures are truly what any dollmaker wants to examine in a period doll. John Thayer is dressed like all little boys of the time, in a skirt, jacket and pantaloons. The fabric is a red and green plaid, sewn on the bias. He wears a linen collar with broderie anglaise scalloped edging. Dixie suggested that her group, MAIDA ( Making Antique Inspired Dolls and Accessories), might like to take on the dollmaking challenge of creating a cousin for John, using some elements from him. This idea really caught my fancy and I immediately began researching images of little boys, and boy dolls, from the mid 1800