PAPER DOLL'S HOUSE OF MISS SARAH ELIZABETH BIRDSALL OTIS

With eight actual press out dolls of the characters Grace, Kitty, Alice, Lady Anne, Hildegard, Bella, Countess Jane and a little boy, we can dress them in beautifully coloured costumes of dresses and coats and sailor outfits and even ball gowns and eveningwear using the die cut coloured cards inserted in a folder at the back of this rather special book, published by Thames and Hudson and which includes 52 illustrations, 40 in colour. An extraordinary paper doll's house is enhanced here by evocative photographs of Miss Otis's late 19th century life, which will delight lovers of collectible children?s books and dolls houses. In 1884, a remarkable twelve-year-old girl made a paper doll's house. While these were fashionable enough at the time, they were usually drawn and painted. Miss Sarah Elizabeth Birdsall Otis, however, chose the medium of collage: scraps of wallpaper, gilded trim, coloured-in cut-outs of furniture, and engravings from mail-order catalogues, all glued down unselfconsciously in book form with no regard for scale or realism. What makes the album so special is its creator's stunning, innate artistry. She also populated her house with paper dolls, their delightful cut-out costumes preserved in envelopes marked with the names of the characters and their accessories stored in paper squares marked "Hats and Bonnets" or "Umbrellas and Parasols." Eric Boman's photographs capture Miss Otis's vivid fantasy world in all its quirky splendour. Exploring the household, from the conservatory, the ballroom antechamber, the staircase, the park, the kitchen, the hibiscus bedroom, the row's bedroom, the pastoral dressing room, the bathing room, that blue nursery, the breakfast room, parlour, and library to the dining room and bedrooms, the images portray fine detail, astonishing colour and aesthetic daring. Context is provided by period photographs depicting the era of Miss Otis's privileged Long Island life and a text about her life. The twelve-year-old girl grew up to become a formidable personality, a playwright, and a president of the Girl Scouts. Here, her youthful creativity is celebrated in a format guaranteed to appeal to adults and children alike. 80 illustrations in colour and black-and-white. 80 large pages, 9.2 x 11.4".