The Collections of Maurine Popp

Skinner, Inc., one of the nation’s leading auction houses for antiques and fine art, will host a very special sale dedicated solely to a single owner collection of dolls: The Collections of Maurine Popp. The sale will be held in Skinner’s Bolton, Mass. gallery. With over 650 lots for sale, the auction offers antique doll enthusiasts much to choose from.

Maurine Popp: A Passionate and Well Known Collector

Maurine Popp was a well-known and much admired collector and dealer of antique dolls and doll accessories. Her interest in dolls flourished in the 1960s when, as a young mother, she discovered the appeal of old dolls was shared by a group of Boston-area women, the Doll Collectors of America. She readily became a tireless contributor, serving in nearly every capacity throughout the years, and as club president from 1989-91. Her respect for the tradition and ideals of DCA led to her being named DCA historian, a position she held until her death. Maurine Popp was also a member of the National Antique Doll Dealers Association and the United Federation of Doll Collectors, first through the Doll Study Club of Boston and later as a founding member of Les Rubans Aubergine, a small group of dedicated and talented doll enthusiasts. Maurine Popp will be missed by family and friends alike, but her passion for dolls lives on in her extraordinary collection.

Sale Highlights

One of the most coveted highlights of the auction is pictured on the catalog cover, Lot 143: a magnificent Jumeau lady who stands 28 inches tall and has a socket head on a fully articulated wooden lady body. This face was also made as a flange head for large and exotic mechanical pieces, several which are known are costumed as shepherdesses or magicians. She is indeed magical.

One of the earliest offerings in the sale is an Early Queen Anne Wooden Lady Doll, from England, circa 1735, with black glass eyes, human hair wig, finely detailed ears, and jointed hips, shoulders and elbows. This doll was formerly in the collection of Estelle Winthrop.

Another mesmerizing doll is a Huret character lady with wide-set painted eyes and a soft smile. She combines the fineness of quality of early Huret ladies with a delicacy of character modeling and painting seldom found in the later dolls. She is, in a word, extraordinary. Maurine Popp had a long-standing love for Huret dolls and accessories, and over the years wrote articles and did extensive research on the company and assimilated the work of other researchers. The name Huret is for some synonymous with Maurine, demonstrated by the variety of Huret ladies and bebes offered in the sale.

Dolls with Costumes and Wardrobes

Maurine Popp loved costumes and wardrobes, and her collection features several dolls with retain their original trunks and costumes. One is Mabel Rose Welch II, a 14-inch early portrait Jumeau bebe who was named for her child owner. Another Mabel Violet Jeannette, a Brevete Bru bebe with her splendid array of outfits, including the lovely red dress with black striped ribbon detail seen in one of the photos.

Papier-Mache, Wax and Wooden Dolls

Early papier-mache and wooden dolls ranked among Maurine Popp’s favorites as well. Lot 51 is a collection of dolls encased in glass on a tiered wooden platform. Collection includes twenty-seven small jointed wooden early 19th century dolls labeled Female Costume of Every Nation. The Russian nurse at the top of the display holds a small wooden baby; the concept and costumes are delightful. Other papier-mache ladies include a 19th century early doll from Germany with a molded blue bonnet a fine wax doll dressed in shells holding a small dog. This small doll with dog, a mere 7 inches tall, is covered all over in the tiniest of shells, and her skirt drapes and folds naturally.

Bisque Dolls

In addition to these dolls, there are the numerous all bisque French and German dolls including ones with jointed knees and two with jointed elbows and. There are also several all bisque and small bisque dolls, a large straw hat sports an all-bisque doll in a marvelous 1910 hobble-skirted going-away outfit, an all-bisque Max and two tiny dolls with molded hats, a sweet jointed parian-type doll and a jointed cat. Maurine Popp loved animals, and so it is not surprising to find cats, dogs, horses, and bunnies in abundance.

Izannah Walker

The artistry of Izannah Walker held great fascination for Maurine Popp and several Walker dolls are being offered in this sale. Many of the Izannah Walker dolls in the Popp collection came from the Walker family. Another offering with Walker family provenance is an oil painted cloth doll from Rhode Island, c.1860s. Other Walker dolls include large early Izannah Walker Cloth doll, mid-19th century, an Izannah Walker cloth doll with bare feet, and the tiniest size Chase baby.

Paper Dolls

Paper dolls constitute an enormous part of Maurine’s collection. Often their beautifully rendered 19th century costumes clearly document their era. Several boxed sets of paper dolls are offered and they include Lot 107: The Boston Lady and her Children Boxed Set, estimated $2,500-$3,500, Lot 109: The Dancing Doll Boxed Set, estimated $1,500-$2,200, Lot 379: The American Lady and her Children Boxed Set, estimated $1,200-$1,500; Lot 378: The Brave Boy Boxed Set, estimated $1,000-$2,000; Lot 563: The Wardrobe of Ladies Boxed Set, estimated $1,500-$2,500, and many others, including several lots of Tucks paper dolls. There are also numerous lovely boxes, another fondness Maurine held, along with fashion plates and artwork.

Also see: comfort kids dolls

About The Author:

Stan Russ is a successful author and regular contributor to http://www.1st-in-toys.com. Find all the toys you wish you had as a kid. Fun and educational toys found here.