The craft of making reborn dolls began in the United States in the late 1990s. Reborning follows a long tradition of collectors, artists, and manufacturers restoring and enhancing dolls in order to portray more realism. The niche market for the dolls began with doll collectors who admired Read More
Paddle dolls are a type of female figurine found in burials beginning in the Egyptian Predynastic period, and particularly in the Middle Kingdom (2040–1750 BC). Female figurines made of clay, found in later tombs, are considered a later development of these sometimes elaborately coiffured wooden dolls. Read More
Corn husk dolls have been made by Northeastern Native Americans probably since the beginnings of corn agriculture more than a thousand years ago. Brittle dried corn husks become soft if soaked in water and produce finished dolls sturdy enough Read More
An apple doll is a North American cultural phenomenon where the doll’s head is made from dried apples. The apple is peeled, then carved with the facial features of the doll. Next the apple is left to dry for several days or weeks. When completely dry Read More
Peg wooden dolls also known as Dutch dolls are a type of wooden doll from Germany and the Netherlands. They originated as simple lathe turned dolls from the Val Gardena in the Alps. These dolls were sold undressed. Young girls would then make their clothing from scraps of fabric. Read More
China doll is a type of porcelain doll made wholly or partially of glazed porcelain. They were mainly made in Germany between 1840 and 1940 and were very popular between 1840 and 1890. They were also made in Poland, Czechoslovakia, France, Denmark and Sweden. Read More
There are many kinds of Japanese traditional dolls but they are, all together, commonly known as “ningyō”, which means “human shape”. They are made to represent children, babies, imperial court and common people, warriors, heroes, characters from fairy-tales Read More
A parian doll, sometimes mistakenly referred to as a Dresden doll, was a type of doll manufactured primarily in Germany, from around 1860 to 1880. A parian doll, like a china doll, has a body made from fabrics and a head created from untinted white porcelain. Unlike the china doll however Read More
African dolls across the continent are created for young girls to play with and as a charm to ensure fertility in women. Their shape and costume vary according to region and custom. Frequently dolls are handed down from mother to daughter. Western dolls are popular in Africa and are often dressed with traditional garb. Read More
In his respected work, Ways of Seeing, the art critic John Berger comments that:
unlike any other visual image, a photograph is not a rendering, an imitation or an interpretation of its subject, but actually a trace of it. No painting or drawing, however naturalist, belongs to its subject in the way that a photograph does.
