Wednesday 28 January 2009

january photo a day - meet bess!

this morning, i was busy catching up with blogs and, in the afternoon, i was busy painting in the studio, followed by dinner preparations, then clean up. before i knew it, it was 8:30 PM and i realised i hadn't taken a photo yet for the january challenge...YIKES! i roamed the house looking for a victim and..

...here she be



meet bess
click on image to enlarge

i do apologise for the poor quality photo....it was taken without a flash in a poorly lit area. i tried the flash but that made her look like she had 'deer in the headlight eyes'. i promise to take a better photo of her soon.

'bess' came into my life when i was only 9 months old so, obviously, i didn't have anything to do with the naming of her. bess was made in england and has the word 'RODDY' imprinted at the back of her head. she is 17" in height. i did a little research a while ago and it seems 'RODDY' dolls were made in the 1950's and are now classified as 'vintage'. she has a hard, plastic body with a soft rubber head.....when you squeeze her head, she squeaks. she has sleepy eyes too which means they close when you lie her down and open when you stand her up. she's lost a bit of hair around the forehead and, it may be a little hard to see but, her tootsies are a little worse for wear too. you see, when i was still just a toddler, one of our german shepherd dogs decided to try and eat bess. thankfully, she was saved from the jaws of death just in the nick of time. to be honest, i really don't know what it is about bess that i loved so much to have kept her close to me all these years.....i mean, check out that garish yellow hair!!! i know i had much prettier dolls that have come and gone yet bess has always remained the constant in my life. my faithful companion through my childhood years, my teen years and my adult years.....and she hasn't aged a bit, bless her. i sure wish i could have been so lucky!

16 comments:

  1. Oh, she's wonderful! I love dolls like that-- but that hair color! What were they thinking!?!?

    She reminds me of the doll my Gram & Grampie gave me when I was little, complete with a hand made wardrobe. Strangely, I never named her, she was always just "dolly."

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  2. Bess is adorable and whimsical! How lovely that you have such an awesome memento from your childhood! I'm grinning :)

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  3. I don't know how often I've wished through the years that I still had a doll or two from my childhood. You'll always be glad you saved this one.

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  4. Ooohhh Serena, I love Bess and how amazing that she's classified as "vintage". I'd have her proudly on display.

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  5. I get totally lost in blogs too, it's so easily done, but I'm glad you came to mine today! And hey! you look amazing, I've seen the photos to prove it!

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  6. How wonderful that you have a beloved doll from your childhood. We lost everything in a fire when I was about 11 so I have nothing left from childhood. But I remember a well loved ugly doll that was my favorite.

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  7. Hey except for the curls her hair is the same color as mine...ha...

    What a cute doll and how great you still have her. I have nothing from my life before age 22 or so. I have no idea what happened to my "stuff"..

    that was fun to see.

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  8. She is very charming and I can see why you loved her so much and apparently you still do and that is wonderful for both of you!!

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  9. Oh, what a fun thing to share! I don't have any of my early childhood things. She's a special doll, and so unusual.

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  10. It is so great to still have a doll from childhood, she is a special doll!

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  11. I love her!!! Just an amazing dolly, for sure! My daughter, Carolyn will love to see her as well!!!

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  12. To have hung onto something from your childhood, it must really have special meaning to you.

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  13. Hello Bess glad to meet you and hope you have a wonderful life with Serena.

    Coffee is on.

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  14. Oh Bess is so cute! What a treasure you have from your childhood. I had a special doll too and had her until I got married. But then got rid of her.
    :)
    My poor Suzy, was with no arms by then because my 3 brother's had ripped them off in a "Tug of War" between them. :(

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  15. She is wonderful. I collect African American dolls, when I can find them and afford them. Love their charm. She is a jewel, but I have to agree that I am just not feelin that yellow hair. What were they thinking? But, that just makes her all the more unique. Thanks Serena for sharing her.

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  16. Love the doll! How lucky you are to still have that treasure :)

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