Anne Rice to sell Doll Collection

It is the fourth anniversary today of the civil ceremony that made us husband and wife. There were wedding dolls, including the Bride of Frankenstein's Monster, decorating the house. It was an auspicious day for dolls, cats, and humans alike. I read today on the About.com newsletter that Anne Rice was selling her doll collection at auction next month. I am fortunate enough to own one of the dolls she sold from the collection formerly at St. Elizabeth's several year's ago. Ms. Rice is one of my inspirations for wanting a museum for my dolls in the first place. She has done a lot to incorporate dolls into her writing and into the realm of literature in general, and she holds an honored place in my Bibliography. I would have loved to tour St. Elizabeth's in its heyday. She has the spirit of the true collector and when interviewed about her collection she stated that she did not collect dolls for profit, but because of the chord they struck for her. She collected what she liked and what was significant to her. She managed to put together a world class collection that became famous in itself.

I clipped every article I could about her dolls, and at one point, an editor promised me I could write one about them, then gave the story elsewhere. C'est la guerre, but I've enjoyed the research very much.

Ms. Rice stated that one reason she was selling the dolls is that she no longer had room for them in her new home, and that they were all over the house. I am humble enough to say that I felt ashamed at that point, since mine are not merely all over one house, but in every nook and cranny!

If this be madness, then it is a gentle madness, and one with a method. I suppose it is bittersweet when one reaches that junction; I am not there, yet, though I have thought of handing all of them over to The House on the Rock, one of my all-time favorite places. Nothing personal, but I'd like to give the producers of Hoarders a shot at the H.O.T.R, just for the fun of it.

On other fronts, I have finished my Articles of Incorporation, and the Bibliography is virtually ready for print. As part of our own personal stimulus plan, I have given up opportunities this year to attend expensive shows and conventions to care for the dolls I have and to write and publish.

I think my dream job would be to write full time about dolls, collecting, collectors, their history, and museums, in all genres!

Welcome to our new Twitter follower, and to all who read and follow this and my other blog, I bid you good night.