Theater of the Dolls

RE-IMAGINING THE 1920'S BOUDOIR DOLL

Flamboyant, alluring, long-limbed Boudoir Dolls  made their debut in Paris around 1910 and by the mid 1920's these pouty-lipped beauties were all the rage, both in Europe and America. Parisian women coveted their 'poupee' dolls and took them everywhere - shopping, jazz clubs, dinner parties - a vital accessory to their wardrobe and persona.

Couture houses gave them to clients, collaborating with artists to create dolls dressed in the exact ensemble that the customer had just purchased. The fad swept the 'pond' to Hollywood.  Rudolph Valentino had 160 dolls made  to send to theaters where his new films were to appear. And stars such as Marlene Dietrich, Clara Bow and others were seen on screen with their dolls and enchanted fans just had to have one!.

Silent Film Star - Marie Provost

But, not everyone was so enchanted.  French philosopher, Anatole France,

 was most alarmed and declared:

 "The decrease in the French birth rate was to be blamed in part to the

 fantastic dolls that have found their way into every boudoir in the French capital. Women of France are forgetting their duty when they choose to play with their dolls."

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Now, my Contemporary Boudoir Doll Story...

I found a cache of charming  Flapper Doll heads at a flea market.

So 1920's I thought,  and so perfect for my RE-IMAGINING THE  BOUDOIR DOLL PROJECT. I dipped into my formidable collection of fabrics, vintage ephemera, Italian crepe paper, and what-nots - and designed a wire armature  that attaches to each head, creating the 'surface' for the doll's sassy couture gown.

Each doll's costume and persona evolves organically without a preliminary sketch or sense of how the finished design will look. Fabric and embellishments are draped and pinned onto each doll until the design flows beautifully. Only then is every detail attached permanently and the bespoke doll secured onto a heavy wrought iron stand. 

R U L A N

G A B R I E L L A 

J o s e t t e

M A N O N

J U S T I N E

D E L I L A H

TEA TIME WITH THE DOLLS

The collection offers 30 unique dolls and is 'growing'...

THE ARTIST/MAKER

C. Whitney-Ward lives & creates in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She is both a 

Photographer & a Maker & a former journalist and PR Director with Four Seasons Hotels and La Fonda on the Plaza.  For the past eight years

 she has published  CHASING SANTA FE -  a weekly photographic

blog/essay that celebrates the spirit of this magical place.

Over the years she has made  a series of handmade dolls - Folk Couture Dolls,

Fashion Dolls, and her latest contemporary version of the 1920's 

Boudoir Doll and sculpted paper dolls. As a former stylist, she incorporates her love of design, fashion & textiles to create one-of-a-kind dolls that would

 be perfect placed just so on a vintage dressing table,

bedside table, or as a gift to anyone who adores couture

 or collects Art Dolls.

Or displayed in an elegant Hotel lobby...

CONTACT:  CYNTHIA WHITNEY-WARD

T. 505.470.8118

E. cwhitneyward@yahoo.com

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