Doll Convention Report!
Daily Diary from the UFDC 50th National Doll Convention: Washington DC--Part II
Wednesday, August 4
Wednesday is usually the busiest day of convention, and today was no exception! Alarm went off at a painful 7am so that I could attend two Competition Room Highlight Tours. The tours are free, and one of the most educational experiences at the convention. During the tours, judges explain how the dolls were judged, and highlight special dolls that are exhibited. My first tour was in the Modern Dolls room, and included Highlights of vinyl, hard plastic and composition dolls. After, I toured the antique doll room and viewed wax, papier mache and cloth dolls. There was an absolutely mint Izannah Walker doll highlighted that was outstanding. Lunch was the delightful "Mary Englebreit" luncheon. Robert Tonner, the designer of the Ann Estelle doll licensed by the Mary Englebreit company, was the featured speaker, and spoke about the process of development of the doll. As many of you know, Robert Tonner is also the designer of the highly popular Tyler Wentworth fashion doll, and the new Betsy McCall. The luncheon doll was dressed in a special "conductor" outfit (which I will post in the Gallery next week). As many of you also know, I tend to favor adult dolls (from poupees through Gene) to many child dolls, and therefore was not too upset when my daughter claimed Ann Estelle (a child doll) for her own that afternoon!
I spent the afternoon visiting more of the approximately 100 dealers in the UFDC Showroom, and also visiting the Special Exhibits. This year, the special exhibits were outstanding. The first was the "Paris Collection of the 1860s" in which Sylvia MacNeil, skilled seamstress, author, and historian, created an extensive wardrobe for a Huret poupee, using documented patterns and materials of the period. As a dollmaker, I was especially inspired by this exhibit. The second exhibit was "The Origins of Opulence: A Study of French Bebes," which provided a rare opportunity to compare Jumeau (and Bru and other) Bebes from their different periods of manufacture. The final exhibit was "At My Mother's Knee," a collection of toy sewing machines dolly sewing sets, and patterns for doll clothing (including sewn-out examples). I have a special interest in vintage sewing items, and it was a treat to see such a large collection of these hard-to-find-items in one room! After dinner, it was time for video taping and taking pictures of all the competitive and special exhibits (some of which I will share with you next week!), and taking Mom through the Helper Room one last time.
Thursday, August 5
In the morning, the Annual Meeting of the UFDC, which is a must-attend for all club delegates. I also attended a Sylvia MacNeil workshop, in which she taught how to make an authentic chapeau (hat) for a French poupee, much like the lovely hats in the Special Exhibit I saw on Wednesday. In the early evening, there is the annual Publisher's Preview, which most of the doll book and magazine publishers attend to show off their books and publications to UFDC members. Finally, just completed about 1 hour ago, was the Madame Alexander "One Enchanted Evening" dinner. The dinner was outstanding, with a program from noted Madame Alexander collector Lia Sargent, about the detail and elegance of vintage Madame Alexander Dolls. The souvenir doll was an 18" fashion doll in an edition of 310, dressed in black velvet and a black and gold gown (pictures next week!!) You will note that today's convention entry is quite short, and I hope you will all forgive me, since convention exhaustion has definitely hit, and I still have to survive a last trip through the Show Room, plus teaching my Doll Collecting and the Internet Seminar tomorrow, and of course, the gala 50th anniversary banquet tomorrow night!
Friday, August 6
The last day of the convention can sometimes be the busiest--last chance for everything! First things first, though--if you have been following the Diary, you know that my Mom was very excited about the Helpers drawing. Well, we grabbed our coffee, and attended the entire drawing! Mom was excited for good reason--she won two helpers--a 1960s Madame Alexander MIB (Greece) and a porcelain Cabbage Patch Doll. My sister won a handmade cloth doll by Shirley Baker. As usual, I didn't win any helpers--my mom and sister suggested that is because I usually put all my tickets in the drawing for something like a Bru, and there might be some truth to that!!
After helpers, I did my last quick spin through he marvelous sales room. The afternoon was insane--getting dolls out of competition, and teaching the second session of my Doll Collecting and the Internet Seminar (another good class!) from 2pm to 5pm. Before the banquet, I joined my family for a nice cocktail hour, and then, the banquet! The banquet is an amazing event--1,500 attendees in the largest ballroom imaginable! Banquet attendees bade farewell to president Lynn Murray, and greeted president elect Bettyanne Twigg. Then, attendees were treated to a lovely presentation from Dorothy A. McGonagle, author of books such as A Celebration of American Dolls from the Strong Museum. Dorothy is always a witty presenter, and her retrospective of the past 50 years of UFDC conventions, accompanied by live piano music, was delightful! The evening ended with the presentation of the convention doll, designed by Robert Tonner. The doll, Ariana, was inspired by a 1760s painting by Jean Baptste Perroneau, Jeune Fille aux Chats, that hangs in the National Gallery in London. The doll is all porcelain, and represents the "Opulence and Elegance" theme. The doll is lovely, but personally I would have preferred an elegant lady of modern design, since I am a huge fan of Tyler Wentworth and Tonner's models, and their magnificent clothing. However, the convention doll must be a doll of general appeal to the membership, so I understand the decision to design Ariana.
After dinner, I was up carefully packing my dolls till 1am! Long trip back on Saturday; expected to take all day, giving me plenty of time to reflect upon the convention and all of the wonderful things I learned, and wonderful new friends that I made!
Denise
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