The Clairmaid Signature
After photographing the doll, I checked for a signature on the back of the head and shoulderplate. Sure enough, the doll was signed "Clairmaid//1964." The date in itself was a wonderful find...this was one of the oldest signed reproductions I had ever handled, and that was quite unusual since most bisque doll reproductions are from the past 25 years or so. Also, the Clairmaid signature rang a bell in my memory, and I wasn't sure why.
Claire Wade and the Emma Clear Connection
A bit of quick research brought me to the maker of the doll--Clairmaid is a signature used by Claire Wade, an employee of well-known antique doll reproduction pioneer Emma Clear. The dolls of Emma Clear, the founder of the Humpty Dumpty Doll Hospital, are collected in their own right. And, the reason that the name Claire Wade rang a bell for me is that she was the mother of another well-known doll reproduction artist, Neva Wade Garrett! I am well-versed in Neva's dolls because Neva was a resident of my area, and I own several of her dolls. Until now, I didn't make the connection between Emma Clear and Neva through her mother Claire!
Antique Reproduction Dolls That Are Fakes
This doll also brings up for me the entire debate about the worthiness of reproduction dolls as collectible. I have two minds about this. First, any antique doll reproduction that is created with the intent to fool doll collectors into thinking the reproduction is an actual antique should be destroyed...ground into dust. Such dolls are nothing but frauds and fakes, not made with artisit intent or integrity. These dolls are never signed by the maker, by design, and cannot be placed in time.
Antique Reproduction Dolls That Are Art
The second type of antique doll reproduction is the type that Claire Wade and Emma Clear made. These are dolls that were never meant to defaud or fool anyone, but dolls that are beautiful and artistic in their own right. These dolls are properly signed with the maker's name, and, if we are lucky, the date of production as well. These dolls can be collected in their own right. We are very lucky today that Claire Wade had the unique signature of Clairmaid, and that she dated her dolls as well...the lovely bisque antique that I found was made in 1964--that doll is 46 years old, older than many vintage dolls that are collected today, and well on its way to being an antique in its own right.
Favorite Antique Reproduction Artists
There are several antique doll reproduction artists whose work I especially like, including Margaret Anne Wolfe, Helga Appelt, Cathy Hansen (although her dolls aren't technically reproductions) and of course the dolls of Emma Clear, Claire Wade, and her daughter Neva Wade Garrett.
