Margaret Woodbury Strong Doll Study Club

Did you ever ask yourself, “How did I ever become involved in all this?  I worked backwards until I came to the beginning.  It started in 1975.  My mother had passed away.  When I was going through her cedar-chest, I discovered that she had saved my Shirley Temple doll, a Nun doll and my favorite doll with the long blonde curls. Santa had brought her when I was six years old.  My mother had also saved my paper dolls.  They were still tucked between the pages of an old “Women’s Home Companion” magazine.

In the next few days, I cleaned the dolls composition faces, arms and legs with cold cream, just like my mother used to do.  They looked beautiful.  I went to an Antique Show at Greece Town Mall.  I saw a Shirley Temple doll and also antique bisque headed dolls.  A short time later I went to an auction on Hillcrest Parkway.  There was a bisque headed doll there to be auctioned off.  I had never been to an auction before.  I watched and waited.  Finally, I decided to practice bidding.  The auctioneer held up a box, but didn’t say what was in the box.  I bid $1.00.  No one else raised it.  I got it.  It was full of bedpans.

Then came the doll.  She had a perfect bisque head, no eyes, no hair, a kid body and old clothes.  I bid, someone else bid, I bid again.  After a few more bids, the auctioneer lowered the gavel and I got the doll for $40.00.  I was so excited.  The following week, I took the doll into Marion’s Doll Shop.  Marion said that she had antique eyes for her and a human hair wig that would fit her.  She also told me something about the doll and told me to go to the Library and take out Coleman’s Encyclopedia of Dolls.  I took her advice and started reading about antique dolls.  I was hooked.