At 93 years old Dorothy Gould is still surrounded by dolls – porcelain dolls, beautifully painted and dressed in the minutest detail
When I first saw porcelain doll artist Dorothy Gould I was tempted to use the old line, “Is your mother home?”
Seriously, I had heard that she was 93 years old, but she could easily have passed for a woman in her seventies. More amazing is her remarkable talent.
Her room in the retirement home where she lives in Umhlanga is small but tidy considering that it’s also her workshop and home to her enchanting assortment of dolls.
There also are numerous boxes of porcelain doll body parts stashed in cupboards waiting to be put together. “I don’t have a kiln any more as I don’t have the space but I have enough parts to carry on making the dolls,” she explains.
Dorothy, a grandmother of eight and great-gran of six, recalls how it all began for her:
“Sometime in 1982 I had to give up gardening after hurting my back. I adored gardening and spent just about all of my time in my garden. I knew I needed to do something creative and thought ceramics would be something I would enjoy.
“At the time my eldest daughter was into dolls in a big way – she had a lovely antique collection and was busy making clothes for them. This gave me an idea. I thought I could make dolls as presents for my granddaughters.
I was due to go on an overseas trip at the time, so I had to put the idea on hold. But when I visited Venice and saw these beautiful Pierrot dolls I couldn’t wait to get back to create my own doll – who I called Venetia.
“What a business it was to learn – from mixing the porcelain slip to firing and then painting and firing again.
It can take days to finish a doll by the time you’ve perfected the eyelashes and cheeks,” remembers Dorothy who taught herself the craft from books and attending just one workshop.
The intricately painted faces and finely drawn eyelashes – a feat that Dorothy is understandably proud of – can surely only be perfected with a very deft and steady hand. She even makes the doll’s wigs from human hair, bought from wig shops.
“Dressing the dolls is the most fun for me,” she admits, handing me a miniscule soft leather shoe. “I’ve never had a problem with sewing, having sewn my own clothes from when I was 13 years old.”
She returns to her story. “At first I made the dolls as presents for my grandchildren. But it became so expensive that I turned it into a business just so I could afford to carry on making them!”
Her “hobby” saw her turning out hundreds of exquisite dolls, each more detailed and imaginative as she honed her skills. Her dolls even won first and second prizes at a Fantasy Convention in Michigan during a trip to the US.
As much as she loves her craft, Dorothy feels that there is less call for porcelain dolls these days. Undeterred, this energetic nonagenarian decided to make teddy bears – but that’s another story. Watch this space. *