So, here I am in London. And usually, I would run, not walk, to any temporary exhibit involving dolls that I heard about while in London. I found out today that indeed there is such an exhibit in London right now, at the Victoria and Albert Bethnal Green Museum of Childhood (a few years ago, for instance, I was completely intranced by the Viktor and Rolf exhibit at the Barbicon). Unfortunately, I'm not sure that the exhibit is worth going out of my way for.

The exhibit, Doll Face (running from Friday, September 3 throgh January 2, 2011) features photographs of doll faces by photographer Craig Dean.. The exhibit came to my attention via an article in The Guardian newspaper. I think that I've seen so many amazing photographs of dolls by so many amazing doll photographers that it is hard to impress me with stark face photographs of dolls of the type presented in this exhibit. In any event, I many have to head over to the Bethnal Green museum anyway, since they do have a superb permenant display of dolls taken from their immense collection of 8,000 dolls.

American Girl has plans to open its first Washington D.C. area store. The store will be located in Northern Virginia, at the popular Tysons Corner Center. The store will be 23,000 square feet and two levels, and it will offer the full line of American Girl dolls, clothing and accessories. In addition, the store will have a Bistro for dining (with dolls, of course), a doll hair salon, and a "Creativi-Tees" boutique where girls can design their own doll t-shirt. Get more information in American Girl to open store in Washington, D.C in Playthings Magazine.

I've maintained for years that action figures are simply dolls for guys. Well, John Devore at CNN has, in Men may travel light, but some pack teddy bears now vallidated my opinion, stating "...most guys I know who won't admit to having a stuffed animal have a desk adorned with action figures, which are just dolls with muscles." Of course, there are men who collect traditional dolls as well. In fact, the myth that all doll collectors are women, is my third myth in Top 10 Doll Collecting Myths. Yet there are always neanderthals like my husband, as you can see in Why You Should Never Let Your Husband Sell Dolls on eBay. Well, theses days maybe you shouldn't let anyone sell dolls on eBay, but that is a story for another day!

This week a consignor brought a very beautiful doll to me. It turned out that the beautiful doll was an antique doll reproduction made by artist Claire Wade in 1964. Claire Wade is a known antique doll reproduction artist who worked with Emma Clear at one time. This beautiful doll, for me, raised the question about the desirability and collectibility of antique doll reproductions, which I explore in An Antique Doll Reproduction By Doll Artist Claire Wade - Are Doll Reproductions Collectible?