Oklahoma Today Winter 1983-1984 Volume 34 ... - Digital Collections

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$ Bett)"~ reproductions are based on careful obsemation of antique otigklsfrom the sweep of a Jumeau eyebrow to the details of a lag1 party dress. Above. The little Ute Jumeau wean a costume copied from another doll, an S&H 'Santa"-but the dress is quite appropriate to the little Jumeau. When it tomes time to dress her dolls, Beto turns to her partner, .Mn. Tom Reese, ayho's been helping Beto since 1977. 'She's a wondedul lads, nor just because she sews so well for me, though she does," Beto says. "I ran take a picture and materials I want to her, and if she can see how it's put together, she ran nproduce it.. . . She's been a blessing for me, and I think the work has been a blessing for her, too." 771e 'IFte Jumeau's hat is made from antique fabric and feathen Beto found at a shous sponsored b)~ the I kikd Fe~feration of DON Clubs. Right. Another J11mea11, an ear!)' one. Junzeau.~ are not the rarest of dolls, because they uBere produced in such numben- I IO,OLIL)sold it1 1883. "But they're beautiful dolls that collecto~s just want-both old ones and reproductions, " Bern sqs. Far right. A Getman ':Wein Leihling"- Simon @ Halbig K-Star-R 117, to put it in rollerton' parlance. 7Xe ownal produced beheen 19J6 and 1923. Oklahoma TODAY
Winter In the years since, the ribbons, and the skills, have been piling up. It seems that nearly every doll in the cases wears a ribbon-from the First Houston Iloll Club, Rocky Mountain Doll Fantasy, the State Fair of Oklahoma, the Doll Collectors of Irving, Texas.. .. Betty has no idea how many awards she's won. "I have them on the dolls," she says, "but I have them stuffed away in drawers, too." nf she doesn't seem overly interested in the awards, that doesn't mean she's lost interest in the dolls that won them. A tour of the cases includes a detailed commentary-concerning French pout- ers, wire-eyed Steiners, open- and closed-mouth Jumeaus, a little mohair- wigged Schmidt modeled after a doll / that was a flower girl in a wedding group. In one case stand a pair of dolls in brown velvet, reproductions of a boy and girl made by A Marque about 1916. "The body for these two was specially made," Betty says. "See how narrow it is. It's like a gangly teen-ager, a sweet little body .... And look at these bisque forearms, and the way the thumbs curve down." She tugs back the soft hair of the girl doll, to reveal ears that stick out slightly. "Just look at those ears," she says, smiling. "It makes you laugh when you see some- thing that pleasing." (Betty then tosses in a slightly staggering fact: The original of this sweet little doll recently sold for $38,000, the highest price paid for a doll so far.) Betty's reproductions are much more reasonable; the range is $150 to $450. She produces them at work stations scattered throughout her house. "I pour molds at the kitchen table," she says. "I have a large kiln in the garage for porcelain firing, and a small one in my workroom for the china paint firing." It's quite a step from the elegant finished products in the cases to Betty's workroom. She apologizes in ad- vance for the mess, but in truth it's not so much messy as crammed with the parts and parcels of dollmaking. Beside her work table stands a bin full of unfinished heads for Jumeaus, Brus, ATS.. . . You could say some were standing on their heads, if they had bodies to make the remark relevant. Others stare from the spaces where eyes will be. Scattered on the table are the pieces of a little "French wrestler" doll Betty's painting, an arm here, a high-booted, fleshy leg there. If the dolls in their whim- sy and beauty have made you smile, the workroom will
Page 1 and 2: WINTER WINTERTIME IN BIRDLAND: GREA
Page 3 and 4: Winter 1983-'84 COVER IE2 - bnghtly
Page 5 and 6: The Stingiest Man in Lawton the for
Page 7 and 8: Shemqer'.r memories include a housm
Page 9: As the man responsible for virtuall
Page 12 and 13: places the image of the visitor ove
Page 14 and 15: 14 Oklahoma TODAY
Page 16 and 17: widgeons, goldeneyes, buffleheads.
Page 18 and 19: i "YOLI can identify them by the br
Page 20 and 21: By Kate Jones Photographs by Steve
Page 24 and 25: man dollmakingfinns like Kestner an
Page 26 and 27: 26 .c "+" 1; 7 ,*< s gg MANNER ' Su
Page 28 and 29: Oklahomans center stage: Leona Mitc
Page 30 and 31: "Madama Butte@y" amives forher wedd
Page 32 and 33: 32 hst fag, we asked photographen t
Page 34: - ? RIGHT Woody Gaddis. 'Bird Feede
Page 37 and 38: YES! Enter my subscription today! R
Page 39 and 40: '-- a crowned heads of Europe. His
Page 41 and 42: empire which then surrounded Mul- A
Page 43 and 44: years there. That should give some
Page 45 and 46: DUNCAN December People travelling t
Page 47: I BIRDS Nov 20-Feb 15 Quail, Pheasa

Oklahoma Today Winter 1983-1984 Volume 34 ... - Digital Collections

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