Yankee Father Christmas 18"
This one is one half of a pair of Civil War Santas. The other, obviously, is a Confederate Santa, lol!
Yep. During the war between the states, even Christmas was an occasion for politics. I never saw a Confederate one, but if there wasn't, there should have been. . . .
Still looking for the picture of the other one, whose vest was made made from the Confederate Battle Flag. And had a small pewter cannon at his feet.
This one's pants are velveteen, his vest is made from an old silk tie, and watch chain from an old bracelet. His hand-knit mittens conceal wired hands so that he can easily hold the flags. His robe is trimmed with marabou.
He, and his confederate, each sold for $400.
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Hanukkah Harry. 28"
Began in my mind with a skit on Saturday Night Live before I was even a dollmaker.
When I began making dolls, most of them were Santas and Fathers Christmas. And I began wondering how it felt to be among the minorities watching Christmas, or "white" Christmas taking place all around you as a child, so decided to add minorities to the mix. About 10 to 20% of my dolls have thus been other ethnicities than WASP.
When I decided to do Hanukkah Harry, I passed the idea by a good Jewish friend, whose immediate response was: DON'T!!! As we talked about what I had in mind, she changed her mind, and ended up helping me out. I couldn't have made any of them without her help.
She went to her attic, and found fifty years' worth of Hanukkah papers. She told me when she was first married in 1948 that she could never be certain of finding paper the next year, so she wrapped boxes and their lids, and made the kids give her the boxes back immediately they opened their gifts. I borrowed the papers, and had them color reproduced at a reduced scale, to fit to the doll's size. She also sent me to a friend of hers, a craftsman who made dreidels ~~ he'd been experimenting with doing miniatures, had decided not to, and agreed to sell me his ten prototypes. I've made and sold six Hanukkah Harrys, so when the next four are made/sold, I'll have to go looking again, lol!
I learned how to hand tie the little string bag so the miniature gift boxes are visible, and the papers vary. My friend also gave me some printed Hanukkah gelt, which was reproduced, again on a reduced scale, which you see at his feet. The scrolls in the crook of his arm are a Crossword puzzle in Hebrew, and instructions for doing a petit pointe Aleph-Bet, also reduced scale.
Hat, scarf and mittens were knitted by a friend, and each set is different shades of blue and white. His hands are wired so he can hold the dreidel.
As always each face is one of a kind, and different from any of the others in this series. He always wears black boots, grey or black pants, a vest, and a black or grey overcoat. My friend sez she always thinks of him as Unca Harry sloshing through the streets of NYC to visit during Hanukkah. Sometimes I think of him as Channuka Charry. . . .
They have each sold for $600. The old version was wired to a base, the new version stands alone, balancing on his own.
♥
Czechoslovakian Father Christmas, 28"
Wired to base, soft body. Head, hands, boots, hand sculpted polymer clay. Vintage silk clothing. Antique reproduction, museum quality drumstriker drum and banjo ornaments, and feather tree. Sold for $800.
In Czechoslovakia, Father Christmas lowers himself down the chimney with a gold rope, which he is carrying.
He began with an old silk dress I found at a yard sale, which was so gorgeous I wanted to find something amazing to do with the fabric. The scale was really too large for a girl doll, and kind of too outrageous for your average Father Christmas. Somehow when I found the Czechoslovakian legend, the two just fit together, and Voilá!
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