You've Got To Be Kidding!

If you're been reading my BLOG for awhile then you know I love history, research, and that I'm a big advocate for women's rights. You also know that I love the Victorian period and love to design Victorian dolls. 

So, I decided to do a little research on Women's Rights (or I should say lack of women's rights) in the Victorian Era and my fascination for that period. I quickly came to the conclusion that while I love the fashions of the Victorian period, I clearly could never have been a Victorian woman and here's why.

The following excerpts were taken from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. "The Victorian Era (1837 to 1901) symbolized by the reign of British monarch Queen Victoria was a very difficult period for women, because of the vision of the "ideal women" shared by most in the society."

"The legal rights of married women were similar to those of children. They could not vote or sue or even own property. Also, they were seen as pure and clean. Because of this view, their bodies were seen as temples which should not be adorned with makeup nor should they be used for such pleasurable things as sex. The role of women was to have children and tend to the house. They could not hold jobs unless they were those of a teacher nor were they allowed to have their own checking accounts or savings accounts. In the end, they were to be treated as saints, but saints that had no legal rights. "

Does this sound like "women should be barefoot, pregnant and in the kitchen" or what? I can't see a modern day woman wanting to tolerate that. No voting, no suing, no property. Must remain pure and clean in body and soul. I don't think so.

"In the Victorian Era the law regarded a married couple as one person. The husband was responsible for his wife and bound by law to protect her. She was supposed to obey him and he had the right to enforce this. The personal property the wife brought into the marriage was then owned by the husband, even in case of a divorce. The income of the wife belonged completely to her husband and the custody of children belonged to the father as well. He was able to refuse any contact between the mother and her children. The wife was not able to conclude a contract on her own. She needed her husband’s agreement. In addition, the married woman could not be punished for certain offences, such as theft or burglary if she acted under the command of her husband. It was impossible to charge the wife for concealing her husband and for stealing from her husband as they were one person in law. "

I can't possibly imagine that any female in her right mind would think that this made sense. Is it any wonder that they wrote "obey" out of the marriage vows of today? Personal property of the wife became the husband's. Can you imagine a husband saying to his wife "What's mine is mine and what's yours is mine, too." And, the wife saying, "Yes, of course, dear!"

During this time women had no legal say in how many children they would have nor would they get custody of children if the marriage ended in divorce. You have to say to yourself, "Were they out of their minds!" No say in how many children you're going to have? I just shake my head.

"A very special connection existed between women and their brothers. Sisters had to treat their brothers as they would treat their future husbands. They were dependent on their male family members as the brother’s affection might secure their future in case their husband treated them badly or they did not get married at all. "

The Victorian men had the Victorian women trapped. If you didn't get married, basically, your brother owned you. If you did get married then your husband owned you.

At that time educated women working in academic jobs were considered abnormal and monstrous. ABNORMAL and MONSTEROUS! I bet all the women professors of today would just love to hear this. The only jobs open to women were governess, servant, teacher at boarding school, nurse or author.

"The attitude towards women and education was that education of women needn’t be the same as that of men. Women were supposed to know the things necessary to bring up their children and to keep house. That’s why subjects as history, geography and general literature were of extreme importance, whereas Latin and Greek were of little importance. Woman who wanted to study something like law, physics, engineering, science or art were satirized and dismissed. People thought that it was unnecessary for women to go to a university. It was even said that studying was against their nature and that it could make them ill. They should stay more or less an “Ornament of Society” and be subordinate to their husbands. Obedience was the only requirement. "

Studying was against their nature and could make them ill. I MUST be very sick then. Ornament of society - NEVER. No wonder the women revolted. No wonder the feminist movement was born out of this period?

But, best of all Victorian women had to be SUBORDINATE to their husbands. All I can say to that is, "You've got to be kidding! My husband would hate that."

I Am All That and More!

When I think of a "Lady" either I picture someone like Audrey Hepburns' character in "My Fair Lady" or I picture a Victorian woman like the picture to the left. Someone refined and dignified. Someone who has good manners and who also just happens to be wearing a beautiful Victorian dress. I always seem to get back to the Victorian dresses, don't I? Must be an obsession. Yah think? In my mind, a "Lady" is the ultimate perfect female. But, is she really?

So, let's take a good look at what constitutes a "Lady." According to the American Heritage Dictionary a "Lady" is a woman having the refined habits, gentle manners, and sense of responsibility often associated with breeding, culture, and high station; the feminine equivalent of a gentleman.

Hmmm! That definition is too narrow minded and socially conscious. Not exactly the definition I had in mind. So, maybe we should take a look at the qualities of a "Lady" in her home and on the street as defined by the dictionary, Victorianstation.com and others:

1) A Lady should be quiet in her manners. Okay, easy enough. But, not to the point of being invisible.

2) A Lady should speak in a gentle tone of voice. Even when scolding your children? Hmmm! Or someone who is picking on someone else. Hmmm!

3) A Lady should be careful to wound no ones feelings. This is not always possible.

4) A Lady should give generously and freely from the treasures of her pure mind to her friends. Generously and freely, yes. Purely! I don't know about that.

5) A Lady should scorn no one openly. Sometimes this is exactly what is required.

6) A Lady should should feel gentle pity for the unfortunate, the inferior and the ignorant. A "Lady" should do everything she can to help others in need, but NOT to judge anyone as inferior or ignorant. That would be placing herself above others and smacks of a "caste" system.

7) A Lady should carry herself with an innocence and single heartedness which disarms ill nature, and wins respect and love from all. Couldn't agree more.

8) A true Lady walks the street, wrapped in a mantle of proper reserve, so impenetrable that insult and coarse familiarity shrink from her. Some would confuse this with being a snob and looking down one's nose at others.

9) A true Lady carries with her a congenial atmosphere which attracts all, and puts all at their ease. I think everyone should act this way, not just a "Lady."

10) A Lady walks quietly through the streets, seeing and hearing nothing that she ought not to. Not a good idea to walk through the city streets with blindfolds on. You need to be aware of everything that is going on around you. Also, who determines what a "Lady" should or should not see? Doesn't she have a mind of her own?

11) A Lady walks through the streets recognizing acquaintances with a courteous bow, and friends with words of greeting. Manners are always a good thing.

12) A Lady is always unobtrusive, never talks loudly, or laughs boisterously, or does anything to attract the attention of the passers-by. Don't draw attention to yourself. Come on? Is she never supposed to have a good laugh?

13) A Lady walks along in her own quiet, lady-like way, and by her preoccupation is secure from any annoyance. What do you want her to do scurry along the street like a mouse? Don't be noticed and definitely don't mingle with the "common" folk. They might annoy you.

14) A true lady in the street, as in the parlor is modest, discreet, kind and obliging. This rule was definitely made up by a "man" or should I say "Gentleman."

15) A Lady never speaks or acts in anger. Sometimes this can't be helped. Generally, it's not a good idea to speak or act when angry whether you're a male or a female.

16) A Lady learns to govern herself and to be gentle and patient. Self control, self discipline, and patience are good qualities.

17) A true Lady always remembers that, valuable as the gift of speech is, silence is often more valuable. A truly intelligent person knows this, not just a "Lady."

18) A true Lady does not neglect the little things as they can affect the comfort of others. We should always think of others first.

19) A true Lady learns to deny herself and prefers others. Not sure I agree.

Well, now we know what a true "Lady" is. Not exactly my idea of the ultimate female. I think the definition and qualities of a "Lady" if she is to be the ultimate female needs to be redefined to fit the modern woman of today.

I think a true "Lady" should be defined as someone who is confident in herself and her capabilities. Someone who has goals and aspirations and isn't afraid to pursue them. Someone who isn't afraid to speak her mind and reprimand someone when that is what is required. Someone who can lead and command respect. Someone who is loyal to her family and friends. Someone who inspires others to always strive for the best in themselves in in others. Someone who has the courage of her convictions. Someone who can use her authority when it is required. Someone who can caress and comfort anyone who is in distress. Someone who can laugh with children and lose herself in their imagination once in awhile. Someone who isn't afraid to get her hands "dirty." Someone with skills who is willing to try anything, at least once. Someone who loves and respects others and wants nothing but the best for them. Someone who tries to see the good in others. Someone who will try her best to help others succeed. Someone who will accept others with all their faults and love them just the same. Someone who always tries to put her best foot forward, but isn't afraid to fail. Someone who can see the beauty in life. Someone who doesn't judge others by their pocketbook or social standing. Someone who can stand tall and be dignified at the same time. Someone who allows herself to be "human." Someone who doesn't define herself by her gender and doesn't allow others to do so either. A "Lady" is someone who is proud to say "I am all that and more." Bring the Victorian dress on!

images http://www.ccdsvictoriantubeheaven.com/

The Fun Is In The Learning

Don't you just love it when you learn something new. I do. I must take after my father who was always tinkering on things just to see how they work. No sooner had we gotten a TV set (back when TV sets were the latest invention - yes, I'm dating myself) then my Dad was tinkering with his new "toy." He'd take the tubes (I think that's what they were called) out and move them around just to see what would happen. Naturally, since he was tinkering with a brand new TV set my Mother would want to strangle him. Sometimes, of course, he'd totally screw up the picture and then we were without the latest invention until he figured out how to fix it. When we'd complain he'd say "Kids, the fun is in the learning!"

So, I must take after my Dad as I love to try something new and figure out how it works all by myself. My husband, of course, thinks it would be easier to just read the manual and learn how something works that way. To that I respond, "Where's the fun in that? I want to figure it out on my own." My brothers and sister and I must all take after our Dad in this way as we all love to "tinker".

So, today, I decided I wanted to take a screenshot of my Linda Walsh Originals home page. I knew there had to be a way to do it. I decided to go out to "Ask Jeeves" and ask "How do I take a screenshot of a webpage?" The answer was so simple. Go to the webpage you want, hit the PRINT SCRN button on your keyboard (which copies the image to the clipboard), open up any graphics program (I used the reliable old dinosaur MSPaint), and then paste the image from the clipboard.

Two seconds later I had my Linda Walsh Originals home page open in MSPaint. Of course, I also had my browser's topbars and sidebars so I had to crop them out of the picture and then save my image as a .jpeg file. The image was rather large so I decided to resize my image in Adobe Photoshop down to 332x248 pixels. I could have down this in MS Picture It (another old dinosaur program) but, decided instead to do it in Adobe Photoshop as it is so easy to resize an image in that program. Since Adobe saves the image with it's own extensions (I used .psd) I had to re-open the image in MS Picture It and re-save it as a .jpeg file.

A couple minutes later I had a manageable screenshot of my Linda Walsh Originals homepage. So, since I'm like a little kid in a candy shop when I've learned something new I just had to share it. As my Dad said "The fun is in the learning!" As usual, Dad, you were right.

Hey, Mom, Fix My Toy! Woof! Woof!

Don't you just love this picture. I do. It reminds me of the countless times I had to mend my doll and/or their clothes. This picture was part of the Vintage Workshop package of FREE Holiday Art Download made available to subscribers of Country Marketplace magazine in their October 2005 issue.

It also reminds me of what I'm doing today which is fixing an electronic plush doll that my dog has broken. My guy doesn't like plain old plush toys. Nope. Not him. His have to be electronic toys. The kind that say something, move, vibrate, sing, or dance. You know, the kind of toy you might buy for your children to play with.

You see, he thinks he's human. I actually have to go to the toy store to buy electronic toys for him. Usually the clerk will say "Oh, who's having a birthday." I respond "They're for my dog!" They, of course, look at me like I'm crazy.

So, I take the toys home and he bites at them until he bites thru the little wire that is connected to the area on their arm or leg that you press to turn them on. Then he brings them over to me and dumps them in my lap. He looks up at me with his little eyes as if to say "Hey, Mom, fix em! He won't work!" Then I have to cut them open and fix them for him.

He sits patiently next to my sewing chair until I do. Then he's off to the races, barking and biting at the toy until he breaks it again. Oh, well. He loves his electronic toys. Woof! Woof! "Hey, Mom, fix my toy! He won't work!" Kids! Make that dogs!

Grandma, Will You Read Me A Story?

Don't you just love this quote from Dr. Seuss:

The more that you read,
the more things you will know.
The more that you learn,
the more places you'll go.
~ Dr. Seuss ~

A verse so simple yet so very true. Children learn to read from their parents or as Emilie Buchwald said in 1994, "Children are made readers on the laps of their parents." So, it is vitally important for parents to read to their children from infancy. The more children read, the better they become at reading. And, the more young children are read to, the greater their interest in reading. Reading out loud to children helps them with their verbal skills, enhances their development and teaches them how to express themselves verbally.

Other people have also stated this so eloquently:

Books, to the reading child, are so much more than books -- they
are dreams and knowledge, they are a future, and a past.(1940)
~ Esther Meynell ~

There is no substitute for books in the life of a child. (1952)
~ Mary Ellen Chase ~

It is not enough to simply teach children to read;
we have to give them something worth reading.
Something that will stretch their imaginations-
something that will help them make sense of their own
lives and encourage them to reach out toward people
whose lives are quite different from their own.
~ Katherine Paterson ~

If you've been a reader of my Linda's Blog you know that I've had a long term love affair with dolls, doll patterns, the Victorian era, floral design, and genealogy. You also know that I love research and history. What you don't know until now is that I have always LOVED books and reading, too. As far as I'm concerned you can never have enough dolls and you can never have enough books.

My house is filled with them. Books of all kinds. My love affair with books began very early on. My Mother is an avid reader, my Father was an avid reader, my Grandmother and Great-Aunt were avid readers, and so it was passed down to my siblings and I.

I can remember sitting in my Grandmother's rocking chair (which I still have) and having her read me a story. Sometimes we would sit there while she was watching her soap opera's and then she would read me my story. I never minded just sitting there with her. I always knew there would be a story. And, I always felt safe in her arms.

Now, when I read I think about sitting with my Grandmother or listening to my Mom and Dad talk about their love of reading and it brings back warm and pleasant feelings for me.

Reading is such an escape. You can literally get lost in a book. The book for a brief moment becomes your life and you can imagine that you're experiencing it. There is nothing more powerful then your imagination. Even the most spectacular movie with all its wonderful special effects and cinematography cannot compare to what you own imagination can create. There are no limits, no boundaries to your imagination when you are reading. Reading can take you anywhere. If you know how to read you can do anything because there isn't anything you can't do if you put your mind to it.

I am a firm believer in books and reading as a way of teaching children. And it must be taught at a very young age, on the laps of our parents, as the graphic above nicely conveys. As Mccosh quoted, "The book to read is not the one which thinks for you, but the one which makes you think."

In fact, my Grandchildren can attest to the fact that every Christmas or Birthday they know what at least one of their presents will be from their Grandmother: books. To me, that is one of the best presents I could give them. By giving them books all the time, I hope somehow I'm conveying a love of reading to them. Reinforcing the value of reading time and time again. Making them think. Hopefully, by developing good reading skills they learn how to think for themselves.

For I firmly believe in the following quote:

To read is to empower
To empower is to write
To write is to influence
To Influence is to change
To change is to live.
~ Jane Evershed ~
More than a Tea Party

In fact, I was watching a show on one of the cable channels about the greatest invention mankind has ever seen. They counted down through hundreds of inventions until they got to #1. Do you know what it was? The greatest invention mankind has ever seen was the invention of the printing press. Why, because it opened the whole world up to everyone and mankind was never the same again.

So, grab a book. Take it to a quiet place and get lost in your own imagination. And the next time your Grandchildren come to visit spend the weekend reading to them, not watching T.V. or playing video games. Just reading from books. Your Grandchildren may surprise you and love it. And, you will open up a magical world to them from which they will never return.

I did it!
Come and look
At what I've done!
I read a book!
When someone wrote it
Long ago
For me to read,
How did he know
That this was the book
I'd take from the shelf
And lie on the floor
And read by myself?
I really read it!
Just like that!
Word by word,
From first to last!
I'm sleeping with
This book in bed,
This first FIRST book
I've ever read!
~ David L. Harrison ~
(from Somebody Catch My Homework)

Cutest Victorian Graphics

Don't you just love these four animated Victorian Graphics. They came from Victoriana.com (Graphics by Victoriana.com, The Victorian Era Online). They are all part of the Victoriana.com collection of animated gifs assembled from the original 19th century illustrations.

I had to share them all with you because I think they are all just so precious. Of course, then I am biased. My passion is THE VICTORIAN ERA. Of course, you'd never know that by looking at the types of dolls and doll patterns that I design now would you?

My Mom, A Classic Beauty At Any Age

Everone in our family and everyone who knows me knows that I poke fun of my mother all the time. How can I resist the urge? I can't. She's a classic beauty. Plus, I'm her eldest daughter, the one she is toughest on. And, unfortunately, I'm just like her (yikes! heaven help me! - see what I mean), minus the classic beauty part.

Anyway, I can't help it because my mother is just so easy to kid around with and is so good natured about it. She puts up with a lot of grief, kidding, and loving aggravation from her five adult (and I use this word loosely) children all the time. She even has to put up with it from her sons-in-law, daughters-in-law, and even her grandchildren. We tell her, after all, you created us! We didn't ask to be born. She just smiles and says "Yes, Dears!"

A little while ago I was shopping with my mother and found a pillow that was embroidered with these words: "Mirror, mirror on the wall - I am my Mother after all!" When my mother and I saw this we both burst out laughing. Much to my horror, it was true.

My mother was born in 1930 and grew up during the depression. She lived with her brother, parents, grandfather, and great Aunt in what was common at the times, one great big extended family all under one roof. At times there were other people living with them as well. She watched her brother go off to war in WWII, went to college, was a beauty queen, and married a WWII war veteran, my Dad. If any of you have seen the movie "Mona Lisa Smile" then you know what I mean when I say she was a "dutiful housewife." However, she raised her two daughters to be proud of who we were, to think for ourselves, to always treat others like we wished to be treated, and to give everything our best shot. For my mother there was never anything we couldn't do. She was the Julia Roberts character in "Mona Lisa Smile" before Julia was.

So, what is the point of this story? My point is this. My mother is a classic beauty at any age. Beautiful inside and beautiful outside. What better example do I have for my "Gray is Beautiful, Too! doll pattern series than my mother. She has aged beautifully and has never done anything artificial to herself. There is nothing fake or phony about her. She is proud of who she is, proud of how she looks, proud of her age, and proud of her life. And, it shows. She is the epitome of DROP DEAD GORGEOUS!

So, Mom, I give you a lot of grief, you know that. However, you are and always have been my BEST FRIEND. You are and always will be my BIGGEST fan, my own personal cheering section. You are my role model, my mother, and I love you for it.

What Is A Doll Really?

In thinking about the anniversary of Raggedy Ann and about dolls in general I had to wonder "What is a Doll, Really?"

According to Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, a doll is defined as: a model of a human (often a baby), a humanoid (like Bert and Ernie), an animal or a fictional character (like a Troll or a Smurf), usually made of cloth or plastic. Sometimes, intended as keepsakes or collections for older children and adults, it could be made in wood, porcelain, bisque, celluloid or wax. Some dolls are intended as toys for children, usually girls, to play with. Others are for decoration or have some cultural significance, possibly for use in some ceremony or ritual, or as a physical representation of a deity. Archaeological evidence places dolls as foremost candidate for oldest known toy, having been found in Egyptian tombs which date to as early as 2000 BC.

While I think all of that may be the physical representation of what a doll is, the definition is sorely lacking and misses the point entirely. Dolls are much, much more to those of us who loved them as little girls and who still love them as grown-up girls.

They are and were our first BEST friend. They are and were the keeper of all our hopes, dreams, and secrets. We would tell them things we would not tell anyone else. They shared our joys and our sorrows. They were cherished items that if destroyed would break our hearts. We learned and practiced our social skills from our tea parties.

They were our first forums for they listened to our fears, gave us advice, and offered silent counsel. They helped us to think for ourselves, and provided us with a sounding board to bounce our ideas off of. They were what we held if we cried ourselves to sleep at night. They were the first to hear about our sorrows and dry our tears. They offered us counsel, albeit not always wise counsel. If we were angry and mad they bore the full brunt of it, sometimes losing limbs in the process.

No matter what we did to them they ALWAYS stood by us. They ALWAYS remained faithful, loving, and hopeful. They were our first and biggest fan club. Always rooting us on from their perch on our bed, shelf, floor, or where ever they lay. They were usually the first thing we saw in the morning and the last thing we saw at night. For us, at the time, our dollie was everything.

So, while the description in the encyclopedia is correct as to what a doll really is, they are much, much more to us. For all of us that loved them as little girls and continue to love them as grown-up girls, our dolls are priceless and cannot be defined.

Copyright © 2005—All Rights Reserved - Written By Linda Walsh 

Celia's Doll

I thought everyone might enjoy reading the story of Celia's Doll. Celia is my sister-in-laws Mother. She is a feisty, wonderful, loving, beautiful old soul who has a bit of a wild streak in her. She's in her mid eighties and I get tired just watching her. Talk about boundless energy. I just love her.

Celia is married to Elmer (see my post The Story Behind Elmer's Little Boy). They have been happily married for over 50 years and were recently moving into their new home. Since they were downsizing they had to either get rid of a lot of items or throw a lot away. So, they decided what to throw away and what to sell at their yard sale. When you've been married over fifty years there are a LOT of items.

In any event, one of the items Celia had decided to throw away was this old, grungy, doll who was just plain "a mess". She had lost most of her hair on the top of her head and had one long bunch of strands down one side of her head. Her fingers were all broken and her face was dirty. She had on an old, dirty, prairie dress and bonnet. I wish I had taken a picture of her so you could have seen how she was. Needless to say she was in desperate need of a make over. I think she was considering going to a day spa, but she wasn't aware of any dollie day spas. There definitely weren't any in the yellow pages.

So, of course, I took her home and we pondered her fate together. We decided she should be elegant. She'd had enough of this simple, primitive, country look and wanted to be a real "Lady". So we decided on a bit of a "French" aristocratic look for her. We needed something that would cover up her bald spots while still making it seem like she had a full head of hair. Definitely a twist was in store. The problem, however, was what to do with the rest of her head. I though maybe a combination of a large hat and "Gloria Swanson" type of turban would work. Celia was skeptical. It was a drastic step.

So we twisted the one long bunch of hair strands she had on the right side of her head into a bun over her ear. We decided that some old green velour material that I had would make a good turban, high-waisted jacket top, and part of her fancy hat. The other part of her fancy hat was made out of the same material as her dress. You have to be coordinated, you know, to be an elegant "Lady" from France. We arranged some of the green velour material so that it appeared to be a turban around her head. We put her fancy bonnet together and decided it would look very "elegant" if it was slanted towards the left side of her head and tied in a bow on the right side of her neck.

Of course, she had on all the underclothes and items proper "Ladies" just do not discuss. Celia was shaking and had her hands (or what was left of her hands and fingers) over her eyes. I positioned her in front of the mirror and told her to look. Reluctantly, after 15 minutes of coaxing she finally looked. What she saw took her breathe away. She spent the next week just looking at herself in the mirror. Talk about someone getting a "big" head. Celia wanted to change her name to "Venus" as she was now the most beautiful woman, or should I say dollie, in the world. I'd had enough of this and decided it was time for Celia to go home.

So, we took Celia back to the real Celia. She couldn't believe it was the same doll. So elegant, so beautiful, so "aristocratic", so...... well, conceited. Well, I tell you, when you've been around for 80+ years you know how to tame an ego that was getting out of control. Celia sat Celia down and told her "Enough of this crap! You're a doll named after me. The beauty belongs to me, not you." Celia was humbled, or so we think. She now resides in the real Celia's bedroom, turned away from any mirrors. Once in a while she does, however, manage to catch a glimpse of her beauty in a mirror and she just smiles.

Well, since I had already created the patterns for the undergarments, dress, fancy hat, etc. I decided that I should make a Celia cloth doll and pattern. My version of the Celia doll is shown below. “Celia” is dressed in her Sunday best. She has a fancy double-tiered lace and ruffled trim lined jacket with long puffed up sleeves, very fancy lace & floral decorated lined hat with tulle, fancy lace & double-ruffle tiered dress, lace gloves, lace trimmed and gathered slip, lace trimmed and gathered bloomers, and blonde hair tied in a bun. She has boots tied with laces and her lined jacket has large ribbon ties which are tied in a bow in the front. She also has a fabric covered head and body. 

Copyright © 2004 - 2023 - All Rights Reserved - Designed and Written By Linda Walsh

My Love of Dolls and Genealogy

Hello, everyone. I hope you enjoy reading my BLOG. 

Everyone who knows me knows that I have always LOVED dolls, sewing, genealogy, and floral design since I was about 10 years old. 

I was always making my own clothes (you can never have enough), collecting or making dolls (you can never have enough), creating floral centerpieces (every holiday table needs one), creating Christmas decorations (you can never have too many) and researching my family genealogical tree (the past is vital to who we are today). 

So, I was so happy when I decided to start my own Linda Walsh Originals webpage which allowed me to combine my love of dolls, sewing, crafts, florals, and genealogy all into one.

My passion is for the fashions of the Victorian Era and I have to credit my grandmother for that. 

When I was knee-high she gave me a very old print of Godey's Fashions for August 1870 that belonged to my great, great Aunt Flossie (the first female in my family to graduate from college). I was captivated with the dresses and forever hooked. 

The picture at the top of this post is the Godey's print.

Since I have also been a genealogy buff all my life, I wanted to find a way to honor my family's ancestors and relatives. I decided to name my patterns after them as a way to show that they haven't been forgotten. Hopefully, those who have gone before us are looking down and smiling.

There is a story behind each of the names chosen and why that particular doll which I hope to share with all of you over time. Please come back and visit from time to time and read some of my tributes and to catch up on the news and/or events of my Linda Walsh Originals online store.

 

P.S. The little girl that is seen in all my banners is from the 1870 Godey print above. She is also what I use for my avatar in the doll forums that I belong to. Isn't she just adorable!!!!

The Story Behind Elmers Little Boy

In thinking about what to write next for my blog I thought it might be a good idea to tell the story behind some of the dolls I have created. I'd like to begin with the story behind Elmer's Little Boy. So here goes..... 

My sister-in-laws parents who are in their 80's recently had a yard sale because they were moving into a much smaller house. 

Elmer (my sister-in-laws father) had an old plastic kewpie doll that had previously belonged to his deceased sister that he had kept I think in his toolbox (I might have that wrong).

In any event, he had held on to this doll for over many, many years. 

The only problem with the doll was that it had no clothes. He was going to throw it away but decided instead to give it to me. 

I was touched as I got the sense that this doll had a lot of sentimental value for him. 

In any event, I decided to take it home and design some clothes for it. I wanted an early American little boy look so I decided on pantaloons, a vest, shirt, and scully cap. 

Since I had already designed the clothes for his kewpie I decided to design a cloth doll as well. 

A little while later I took the plastic kewpie doll (with his new clothes) back to Elmer. 

Elmer was thrilled. It touched my heart to see how happy he was with my gift. 

Elmer's kewpie doll now sits proudly on the top of his bureau (I think).

I named my cloth pattern Elmer's Little Boy after Elmer's plastic kewpie doll. Elmer's Original Kewpie is shown above and my Elmer's Little Boy cloth version is shown to the right. 

The clothes for both dolls were made from some of Elmer's old clothes that I had gotten from his yard sale. 

I hope you like both dolls.

My Version - Elmer's Little Boy.

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How Can I Be A Feminist Victorian???

I have to wonder sometimes why I have such a fascination or passion for the fashions of the Victorian Era when I am clearly a feminist (the ultimate feminist according to my son-in-law). My inner self seems to be fighting with itself. Women's rights versus love of a time when women had, basically, no rights, but, wore the most beautiful dresses. So, I thought that maybe I should investigate this further. What is it that draws me to the era when it is so contrary to my basic beliefs.

According to the American Heritage Dictionary feminism is "a doctrine that advocates or demands for women the same rights granted to men, as in political or economic status." Feminists clearly believe in this, so therefore I clearly am a feminist (and PROUD of it to boot). In fact, make that VERY PROUD.

According to the American Heritage Dictionary a Victorian is defined as "Pertaining or belonging to the period of Queen Victoria's reign. Exhibiting qualities usually associated with the time of Queen Victoria, as moral severity or hypocrisy, middle-class stuffiness, and pompous conservationism. 

A person belonging to or exhibiting characteristics typical of the period of Queen Victoria." 

Clearly, I am not Victorian. Clearly, their attitudes towards women and society is for the BIRDS (maybe they don't even want to be associated with it). Yet, I am drawn to their fashions. Drawn to their style.

Why?

Why do I love to make Victorian doll patterns when I clearly am not Victorian? I am as perplexed as you are. Perhaps, I should explore this further and delve a little more into the rights of women during the Victorian Era.

Maybe if I get so disgusted with their lack of rights I'll stop loving the Victorian Era and Victorian Fashion. 

Maybe, I'll stop designing Victorian doll patterns? 

Maybe, I'll stop designing doll patterns all together. 

Maybe, I'll stop loving dolls. 

Maybe, I'll stop loving history and genealogy. 

Maybe, I'll turn into a Victorian and start to believe their treatment of women was right. 

Yeah! Right! In your dreams Queen Victoria!