The sweet little doll had been mine for a long time. I remember the first time I saw her in a glass display case at the auction house.
She was a mere babe, not because she was a baby doll but because she was so small. She was no bigger than the palm of my hand, and her face was free from the dirt and age I’d seen on so many older bisque dolls. That’s one reason why she was so appealing.
The doll wore a silk dress with a diamond stitch pattern near the hem. A delicate blue rope-belt encircled her waist and ended in a bow in the back. Surprisingly, her dress and underpants were as neat and clean as her face.
After I took the doll from the box to examine her closely – certain that I’d bid on her at the auction – I saw that someone had written “Aunt Kibby’s Doll” in pencil on the inside cover of the pink box that held her.
The box, not much larger than the doll herself, also contained an envelope inscribed “The precious doll.” Most significant, though, was a note written by hand in a clear crisp script.
I wondered how anyone could have let go of such a familial treasure. A family member had taken the time to record a personal – albeit, incomplete – history of the doll. Allowing her to end up on an auction table was like spitting in the face of one’s ancestors.
I rescued her, though, and kept her on a shelf in my office. From time to time, when I was looking for something else, I’d stumble upon that pink box and open it. She was always there, still snuggled in a paper towel that I had wrapped her in. She was not alone. She had come with a thumb-tip-size china-head doll (with head, neck and shoulders made of Chinese porcelain) and a tintype photo of a young woman. I can’t remember if the photo originally came with the doll, but I suspect that it did.
Here are the contents of the note:
The Precious Doll
Perhaps 100 years old, or more.
Very little is known about the history of this little doll, except that she belonged to Mother’s older sister whom we lovingly called “Aunt Kitty.”
Aunt Kitty’s name was Annie Gordon Ogden, and she was born in St. Louis MO Jan 24, 1848. She married Amos Hoover, and died Aug 5, 1886.
After her death some of her belongings were sent to my Mother, and among them was this doll, carefully wrapped in cotton and tied in a small card-board box.
As “Annie” was a family name – my Grandmother’s , aunt’s, and sister’s, besides other relatives – I think it would be appropriate to name her “Annie,” but she would be called “Kitty.”
The letter was signed and dated 7/15/62.
